Mill Goit exposed

[Leodian]

I had a look at the site on January 9 2024 but it is still very hard to get a good view and photo from outside. Presumably a thorough image recording in the site is however being done. I have attached 2 photos I took on January 9 2024. Though the first is very similar to 2 of my earlier photos it does show lots of material in the goit that may be waiting to be removed, but I wonder if it might remain if it is planned to fill in the goit as I don't know what the intention is to do with the goit. On the left of the second photo at least 2 arches are seen which I'm guessing must have come off the short tunnel that is met on the right very near the start of Neville Street coming from City Square (that short tunnel is what used to be Sandford Street).

MillGoitWorkLeedsJan092024(1)..jpg (198.87 KiB) Viewed 2777 times

MillGoitWorkLeedsJan092024(2)..jpg (150.65 KiB) Viewed 2777 times

[jim]

Hi Leodian, in answer to your query, one of those arches will have been that occupied by British Railway's poster department, accessed from Sandford Street, but walled off from connection with the hotel basements. The entrnnce to the hotel basements from Sandford Street was right at the far end of that street/arch. I entered here occasionally with the ODM electrician, on "company business", but my memory of the events is somewhat lacking! We probably needed to read electric meters (arches let to businesses by the railway had electricity supplied from BR's own HV switchroom, also under the arches, and would be billed accordingly). There was an arch parallel to Sandford Street running back to the area seen that connected to the site shown, which would take vehicles, and also contained heating and ventilation plants for the hotel. It then led to the area shown where the hotel kitchens etc were, which had pedestrian entrance doors on Bishopgate Street in the area of your pictures. Vehicles unloading goods for the hotel were sometimes seen outside these doors

[buffaloskinner]

Some may like to watch this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPMJVPkB_qQ

[jim]

Nice one Steve! The hotel sections shown were further in than I ever got, but all the later stuff starting from the canal side show the areas I posted about which I posted on SL around 15 years ago when I first joined the site. Great video, though some of his theories and dates are way out. No boats reached the areas East of Neville Street, and the collapsed section due to the 1895 fire was practically all contained within the extra wide area over the canal branch. This was supported solely by iron girders. Much other brick and stonework was badly affected, but not sufficiently to need replacement in the main. Leeds new was very heavily extended and rebuilt at least five times during, and Wellington at least twice before (nearly) total closure in its past Pleasant memories of meeting you to look at the canal arch and various other bits and bats when the topic was hot stuff on here!

[Leodian]

Thanks jim and buffaloskinner for your very interesting inputs and links. The demolition of this part of Bishopgate Street reminded me of a query titled 'Help please identifying what these carved marks refer to' that I posted on December 8 2015 in the Signs and Symbols section. Presumably those marks have now gone. This is the link to that thread viewtopic.php?f=13&t=5925