Linton (Wetherby)

Wetherby/Linton ‘Tithe to 2009’ Boundary Trail Type of Walk: Circular, including river and woodland paths Distance: 2 miles Starting Point: Wetherby Leisure Centre carpark, Lodge Lane, Wetherby (SE400 478) Suitable for: Walking only Trail Summary: This trail begins in the 19th-century township of Linton, in modern Wetherby, at the Wetherby Leisure Centre on Lodge Lane. It then follows the south bank of the river Wharfe, marking the 19th-century Linton/Wetherby tithe boundary, as far as Wetherby Bridge. After crossing the bridge into Wetherby township, the trail snakes through the centre of the settlement via High Street, passing many buildings visible on the 1838 tithe map of the area. Finally, the route cuts into the disused rail-bed, north of the town, and follows its path around Wetherby’s western edge, crossing back into Linton and returning along the south bank of the river Wharfe, to the Wetherby Leisure Centre carpark. Wetherby Trail Water Wooded area Built-up area Roads © Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Wakefi eld MDC 100019574. 2009 47 Directions Begin at Wetherby Leisure Centre carpark, situated on land appearing on the 1838 Wetherby tithe map as fl ood plains yielding no tithe. Go across Lodge Lane, and walk to your right. Follow the footpath as far as Wetherby Bridge. In turning left onto Wetherby Bridge, you cross into the fi rst mapped area of the township’s 19th-century tithe map. Go halfway across the bridge and pause at its centre, turning to look upstream, to your left. Ahead you will note a modern weir, and to its left, a salmon leap. Above the fi sh ladder, on the left bank of the river, is a modern housing estate. View from Wetherby Bridge This development sprung up in 2003 around a listed 18th-century stable block locally rumoured to have been used by the Yorkshire Hussars as barracks and accommodation for As you walk along Lodge Lane, notice the semi-natural woodland to your left, along the steeply sloping bank down to the river Wharfe. Look out for the fl owers of ‘lords and ladies’, sometimes called ‘Jack-in-the-pulpit’, which have a chocolate spike surrounded by a cream cloak in the spring. By July the fl ower has gone, to be replaced by a cluster of bright red berries on a green stalk. The bank to your right is covered in harebells in mid-summer and bright yellow common cat’s ear which looks a bit like dandelion. When crossing the bridge over the river Wharfe, look out for goosanders, a type of saw-bill duck, on the water below. The female has a brown head and grey body, the male has a dark green head and black back with white on the wings and a pale underside. Both have long, thin, red beaks with serrated edges for gripping fi sh; their favourite food. Notice also the fi sh pass on your left, which helps fi sh negotiate the big weir and migrate upstream to their spawning grounds. Wetherby Bridge has existed since at least 1233, when Archbishop of York, Walter de Grey, forgave the sins of those who contributed to its construction. The original bridge was 3.5 metres wide and hump-backed, with four arches. It suffered frequent fl ood damage and was often repaired. The bridge was widened and raised in 1773 following a severe fl ood, and again in 1826. The present bridge is the result of these modifi cations. A draft order for a county estreat of £10 to repair ‘holes and breaks in the pavement’ of Wetherby Bridge (QS1/9/1/7/1), dated 1670, is held by West Yorkshire Archive Service. 48 their horses. An archaeological assessment carried out at the time of the housing development, however, showed no conclusive evidence that this stable block was ever used as barracks. The Yorkshire Hussars were formed in 1794 in response to English fears about the spread of the French Revolution, and were a force of Volunteer Yeoman Cavalry, or essentially, gentlemen farmers. Due to their volunteer status, it is unlikely they would have needed designated barracks, but the Wetherby tithe map fails to shed any light on other uses of the remaining stable block in 1838, as the area in which it stands was within the untithable and, unmapped, fl ood plains of the river Wharfe. Look to the right of the weir now, to the spot where a modern block of fl ats stands on the site of an old corn mill. The mill complex here appears on the Wetherby tithe map as plot number 179, a corn mill, buildings and yard belonging to Richard Fountayne Wilson and leased to Thomas Greenwood. The 19th-century predecessor of the current weir is also clearly visible. In 1838, Richard Fountayne Wilson was Lord of the Manors of High Melton, Ingmanthorpe, near Wetherby, and Wighill. He was the son of Richard Wilson and Elizabeth, daughter of John Fountayne, Dean of York. Richard inherited his titles from his maternal grandfather in 1802, and became High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1807. He was later a Tory politician, elected MP for the county in 1826. Richard was however, an absentee Lord of Ingmanthorpe Manor, despite his seat at Swinnow Park, and most often resided at the ancestral seat of the Fountayne family, Melton Hall, near Doncaster. In 1838, behind the corn mill, on the current site of the bus station and surrounding shops, stood several cottages and a house, also belonging to Richard Fountayne Wilson. These were occupied by families named Lawrence, Beecroft, Kitching, and Robinson, and by the mill tenant, Thomas Greenwood. Some older members of the Wetherby community recall a saw mill and Wharfedale Brewery standing on the site of these dwellings. Wharfedale Brewery began as Wetherby Brewery in the 1840s, and was owned by Quintin Rhodes. Rhodes made his fortune through brewing in Wetherby and appears several times in this trail as a proprietor and small-scale brewer, prior to owning Wetherby Brewery. His portrait also hangs in Wetherby Town Hall. Wetherby Brewery was sold by Rhodes’ nephew, Mr Coates, in 1892, fi rst becoming Braime’s Brewery, then Wharfedale Brewery, and fi nally, Oxley’s mineral water factory in the inter-war years. The building was eventually demolished in the 1950s to make way for the bus station, the impressive chimney being imploded in 1959. 49 Go across the bridge and turn to your left, walking straight ahead to the pedestrian crossing. Go over the road using the crossing and walk to your right, passing shops and gardens on your left. According to the Wetherby tithe map, in 1838, the gardens here were the site of a house and cottages, belonging to George Francis Barlow and Robert Akers respectively. These properties were leased to families named Dixon, Hartley, Levann, Lawrence, Grieves, and Heckles. At the junction with High Street, turn left into what has long been referred to as the Great North Road (High Street). Directly opposite you, on the other side of the road, is the fi rst of ten inns lining this major route north. The existence of so many pubs so close together illustrates Wetherby’s former status as an important staging post on the long journey between London and Edinburgh. Prior to the implementation of rail travel in Britain, stage coaches were the fastest way to travel the country. A journey from London to Edinburgh took around ten days at an average speed of ten miles per hour, and various stopping points or staging posts were needed to rest horses and travellers along the way. On the London-Edinburgh route, these staging posts were approximately 14 miles apart. Settlements where the stage coach spent the night consequently heaved with inns and hotels of various qualities, often with stabling facilities attached. The fi rst public house in Wetherby’s High Street, The George and Dragon, was one such refuge, and is listed in the 1838 tithe apportionment as belonging to Quintin Rhodes. The pub had its own malt kiln at this time for brewing beer, and a female inn keeper, Mary Burley, rented the property. Proceed ahead now, along High Street, passing the sites of a house and shop belonging to Robert Akers, and cottages belonging to William Green, on your left-hand side. In 1838, Robert Akers resided in the house attached to his shop here, with William Green leasing three of his cottages to families by the names of Crosland, Thackray and Wiggins, and living in the fourth. On the opposite side of the road, to your right, was a house and associated buildings belonging to James Horner, who resided there. Continue ahead, to the Red Lion on your left-hand side. This inn is listed in the Wetherby tithe apportionment as belonging to Samuel and Thomas Jackson. The tenant publican, who lived in the house attached to the inn, was a Joesph Sayer. The Red Lion stood next door to a further public house, listed in the apportionment as The Crown Inn and belonging to William Atkinson. Atkinson ran the pub himself, and the 50 same building can be seen standing here today. Directly opposite these two public houses, across the road, is the entrance to Gas House Lane. This lane is so called owing to the Gas Works that opened here in 1845. The works had two gas holders and produced ‘town gas’, a gaseous fuel manufactured from coal as a by-product of the coking process. The gas was piped to its customers for lighting, cooking, and heating. Town gas was superseded by natural gas between 1966 and 1976.

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