• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

T S U R T N I T R A M E G R O E G R I S . y r o t s i h d n a e f i l d l i w e h t y o j n e , s e r c a 0 7 4 s k r a p e h t e r o l p x e n a c u o y h c i h w n o s l i a r t s u o r e m u n e r a e r e h t d n a r a e y a s y a d 5 6 3 n e p o s i k r a P n o t e l d d i M l i a r t t r o p s n a r t . n o t e l d d i M t a o d o t s g n i h t s u o r e m u n e r a e r e h t g n i l w o b n e e r g n w o r c r o f l o g s a h c u s s e i t i v i t c a l a m r o f e r o m r o s d n e i r f h t i w g n i t e e m , g o d e h t g n i k l a w s ’ t i r e h t e h W . n o t e l d d i M d n a t e l s n u H , e l s I e l l e B , n o t s e e B f o e l t s u b n a b r u k r a P n o t e l d d i M e h t t s g n o m a m l a c f o s i s a o n a s e d i v o r p k r a P n o t e l d d i M , s d e e L h t u o s f o t r a e h e h t n i d e l t s e N transport trail Middleton Park Point 1 city centre and its terminus on Middleton Park Road at the junction with Point 3 Lingwell Avenue at a fare of 2 1/2d (1p). The same route number is used by to - 18th Century Carriageway days buses, over 80 years later! Various circular extensions were laid and a complete circular route via Belle Isle was opened in 1949. The Clearings The 18th Century Carriageway started from the lodge house There are no mining remains on the surface in this area. Mil - at the top end of Town Street (near the Water Tower). The There were two stops within the park, one here with steps up to the Clear - lions of years ago this land and the coal seams underneath Carriageway was originally designed as a formal approach to ings, and the other near Middleton Lodge.The line closed in November 1959. dropped below the level of the surrounding areas and the Middleton Lodge and offered tantalising glimpses of the seams are at a much lower level. These were mined by deep grand house as it was approached through the trees. During one particularly severe winter the tram was the only way to get food mining in the 19th and 20th century from pits to the north and from Leeds to the people of Middleton, and there are stories of many an eager south. In the 19th Century the Carriageway was extended to Park Halt at the young resident paying his or her money for the ‘wild ride’ down into town through Middleton Woods. northern end of the park. It also reached another entrance by the cottage On the 11th June 1933 Sir Alan Cobham’s Flying Circus held an air pageant at 218 Town Street. The other, and probably original entrance to the park, here.When coming in to land in windy conditions, a Handley Page airliner which was by a Carriageway off Town Street leading to Middleton Hall and on to was being used to give flights to the public, hit a down-draft while headed to - theTop of theWood cottages by the lake.This is now the narrower footpath wards a group standing outside the flying enclosure. Skimming just above the entrance between the one remaining lodge (now a private house) and St ground either a wheel or tail skid caught the crowd. Tragically two boys, Fred Mary’s Church. Smith aged 12, and Leslie Taylor aged 8 were killed. Others in the group only avoided being hit by throwing themselves to the ground. Fred Hooper, who had cycled to the park with Fred Smith had a lucky escape when the sole of his Point 2 boot was torn off by the aircraft. The plane made a perfect landing, the pilot Flight Lieutenant Hugh Johnston being unaware that anything had gone wrong. Tramway The Clearings still has an airstrip echoing the 1930s air display, the South Leeds This broad track was the route of the tramway to Middleton. Aero Modellers now fly their models from here. In the early 1920s Leeds Corporation had bought land from The interior of a Leeds tram the Middleton Estate and Colliery Company to build the Mid - During World War 2, searchlights and gun emplacements were set up on the dleton and Belle Isle housing estates. Clearings as it was an open area overlooking Leeds. Later on in the war a Pris - oner of War camp was set up. The track was originally built as a single-track railway in 1920-21 to supply A tram going through MiddletonWoods building materials for the new estate. In November 1925, the single track rail - In 1975 the park had 9 football pitches, 3 rugby pitches, and 9 cricket pitches. way was replaced by a public tramway. Originally number 16, the route be - Within the last 10 years the south west end of the Clearings has been replanted came number 12 in 1929. It provided a there and back service between Leeds with trees. 1850 The Handley Page airliner G-ABYX which was involved in the accident This map shows the Clearings in 1850 before the trees were cleared. Point 4 Middleton Railway The Middleton Railway was built for one pupose only - to sup - transport trail ply the growing 18th century industries and households of This trail visits historic and existing means of transport through the park, Leeds with coal. In those days the state of the roads meant some of which were important developments not only for Leeds but for that it cost more to get the coal into Leeds than it did to get the world. the coal out of the ground. The mine owner Charles Bran - dling’s answer was to build a railway. 1 18th Century Carriageway An Act of Parliament was passed in 1758 to allow the building of the railway and coal soon began to be transported from Middleton to coal staithes near Leeds Bridge.The original track was wooden and horses hauled single wagon 2 The Tramway loads into town. By the 1800s, the war with Napoleon had caused the price of horses and feed to rise dramatically and it was decided to convert the rail - way to steam, although there had never been a successful steam operation be - 3 The Clearings fore. The mine manager John Blenkinsop designed a locomotive, the Salamanca, 4 which was built at Matthew Murray’s works in Holbeck in 1812. Its novel fea - Middleton Railway ture was a large cog wheel which engaged with teeth on one of the rails.This enabled a lightweight locomotive to pull a heavy load without breaking the 5 Waggonways cast-iron rails.This had been a problem in earlier attempts at a steam railway. 4 The section of line from Moor Road into Leeds was ripped up in 1947 and the rest was due to close in 1960. It was saved by enthusiastic volunteers and run as a preserved railway. Initially it carried freight for local firms attached to 3 the line but is now a passenger carrying Heritage Railway still run entirely by volunteers. The Middleton Railway has now run continuously for more than 250 years. 5 2 The Salamanca was the world’s first commercially successful steam engine.This model of the engine shows how the cog engaged with the track. 1 Point 5 From 1812 the latter section of the route from Hunslet Carr to a river staithe Middleton Railway today Waggonways in Casson’s Close, near Leeds Bridge was hauled by a steam locomotive. Coal has been mined in the park since at least 1632, but the Middleton Railway runs every weekend from around Easter building of the waggonway in 1755 to a river staithe or pier at You can see evidence of the waggonways throughout the park - they even cross Day to NewYears Day plus Bank Holiday Mondays. It also Thwaite Gate in Leeds gave Charles Brandling a near monop - the fairways of the modern golf course. Note the steady gradient of the road oly on the supply of coal to the city. all the way down the hill - how would you like to sit on the large cart going runs on Wednesdays through August.

Load more

  2

Copy Link