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Special Middleton Life heritage project edition

Middleton’s marvellous heritage

- 28-page special

Middleton’s marvellous heritage

- 28-page special

Issue 4 - July/August 2012www.southleedslife.com

Issue 4 - July/August 2012www.southleedslife.com

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South Leeds Life - Middleton Life project July 20122 www.southleedslife.com

Middleton Life recallscommunity’s history

We’ve always known that Mid-dleton has a fabulously richheritage and a fascinating

past.But it’s been inspiring to see and

hear our Middleton Life group mem-bers recount stories of yesteryear andrecall fond memories of bygone times.

The passion and commitment of thegroup has been wonderful to see andreaffirms that community spirit is cer-tainly alive and well here!

The energy and enthusiasm thegroup brought each week created areal buzz at Tenants Hall.

We hope everyone enjoys the won-derful film members have put together,as well as the exhibition at TenantsHall which everyone in Middleton ismore than welcome to come and see.

Our thanks to Cockburn School fortheir help with the stained glass win-dow and to the pupils at Middleton Pri-mary who’ve done themselves proudwith with their wonderful wall hanging!

I hope they bring back some fondmemories - and uncover somethingnew for others. But above all I hopeyou enjoy reading about the group’sjourney as much as I did.

South Leeds

LifeIssue 4 - July/Aug 2012

Welcome to this very special‘Middleton heritage’ issue ofSouth Leeds Life, which ties inwith the Middleton Life local

history projectyou may have readabout in previousissues.We’re devoting

our entire issue tothe project, which

recruited a team of local resi-dents to look into Middleton’srich history. A fantastic display now stands

at Tenants Hall Enterprise Cen-tre in Acre Close. Our friends at Middleton Pri-

mary School also contributed abeautiful wall hanging and groupmembers have been to Cock-burn School to put together afabulous stained glass window.It’s been a terrific project in-

volving a number of differentgroups and has truly broughtMiddleton together. I’ve loved reading the articles

by our community reportersand it’s great to see Miggy’scharacter shine through.We’ve tried our best to ensure

everything’s as accurate as pos-sible, but historians sometimesdisagree with each other! If youspot an inaccuracy, drop us aline - contact details are below.Enjoy the rest of this special

Heritage Lottery-funded issue.We’ll be back with our regularSouth Leeds Life in a few months.

South Leeds Life editor: JohnBaronContributors: MartinBartholomew, Ada Bosomworth,Cockburn School (Kath Pen-chion, Anna Clapham and PeterNuttall), Friends of MiddletonPark, Paul Hebden, Valerie Hig-gins, Vera Humphrey, ChristineJenkinson, Lisa Firth, SandraFirth, Mick McCann, PatMcGeever, Carole McKnight,Middleton Elderly Aid, MiddletonPrimary School, Middleton Rail-way Trust, Steve Peacock,Roland Pilling, Alan Shaw, Mar-lene Silverwood, Robin Silver-wood, Pat Smith, ChristineThornton, Frank Wright

South Leeds Life Magazine is pub-lished by the South Leeds Informa-tion Project, a project managed byHealth For All, a local charity.Any views expressed in this maga-zine are those of the groups/individu-als concerned and do not reflect theviews of Health For All and its staff. We are independent of all politicalparties and adhere to the PressComplaints Commission’s code ofconduct. www.southleedslife.com

Contact usTelephone: 0113 2706903Write: John Baron, Health For All, Tenants HallEnterprise Centre, Acre Close, Middleton LS10 4HXEmail: [email protected]: www.southleedslife.com

Twitter: @southleedslifeFacebook: Search for ‘South Leeds Life’Flickr photosharing: www.flickr.com/photos/southleedslife/

by Pat McGeeverCEO Health For All

PARK: Middleton Park has a rich history. Photo by Alex Smith.INSET: Pat McGeever, Chief Executive of Health for All.

About Middleton LifeA group of current and for-mer Middleton residentshave become local historyreporters and investigatedthe rich heritage of theircommunity.

Led by volunteers from thelocal community, the Middleton Lifeproject received £49,600 from theHeritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The volunteers explored the historyof Middleton, focussing on family life,working conditions and the significantchanges in health and medical care ata number of key points in history.

The community-based reporters posted their findingson the South Leeds Life blog - www.south leedslife.com- and also write for this magazine.

They also put together a permanent exhibition cele-brating Middleton’s history at the new Tenants Hall En-terprise Centre, home of Health For All.

Fiona Spiers, Head of HLF Yorkshire and the Humber,said:

“Heritage is not all castles, museums and old buildings.Memories, stories and reminiscences are a very popular wayof learning about our past. The Middleton Life project willallow local people to investigate and share their experienceswith the wider community.”

The project was run by Middleton-based charity Healthfor All.

About us

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South Leeds Life - Middleton Life project July 2012 3www.southleedslife.com

Park and woods atheart of our pastPark and woods atheart of our past

Middleton Park and Woods are at the heartof Middleton’s industrial heritage.

As we’ll learn in this magazine, miningtook part in the woods up until 1968.

If you look carefully you’ll see depres-sions where the old mines were and old

bridleways which were used to move coal.Middleton Railway was set up in 1758 to

take coal from Middleton to the city centre -it’s the oldest continuously working railwayin Britain.

So you see, Middleton’s got a rich history!

Park and woodshistory in brief

l Middleton Park is a remnantof the manorial estate which ex-isted after the Norman Conquest. Middleton is mentioned in theDomesday Book of 1086. l The bowl-shaped pits found inthe woods are the remains of anearly form of coal mining datingback to at least the 1660s.l At the northern end of thepark there is an earthwork from1204 demarcating the boundarybetween Middleton and Beeston. Lords of the manor included theGrammarys, Creppings, Leghesand Brandlings. l The Brandlings cleared landand built Middleton Lodge in about1760, creating a country estate.l The Brandlings exploitedthe underlying coal and were re-sponsible for building the Mid-dleton Railway to transport thecoal into Leeds.l Since 1920 the park has beenin the ownership of Wade's Charitywho lease it to Leeds City Councilfor a peppercorn rent.l In recognition of its indus-trial and historical importance,part of the woodland was sched-uled as an ancient monument in1998.l Friends of Middleton Parkgroup hosts a number of eventsthroughout the year including bandconcerts, working parties and tours.

BLUEBELLS: Middleton Park is renowned for its bluebells. Photo by Alex Smith

More articles and videos online at: www.southleedslife.com/middleton-life

BROLLIES: A Middleton Life trip in the park. Photo by Alex SmithBROLLIES: A Middleton Life trip in the park. Photo by Alex Smith

BELL PIT: Evidence of early coal mining Photo by Friends of Middleton Park

MIDDLETON MINER: Possibly the first picture inthe world of a working steam locomotive. It’sdated c1813.

BLUEBELLS: Middleton Park is renowned for its bluebells. Photo by Alex Smith

Reproduced with permission of ScienceMuseum/Science and Society Picture LibraryReproduced with permission of ScienceMuseum/Science and Society Picture Library

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Middleton Life launch event unveils history

Learning from pastCommunity spirit is alive and well inMiddleton!

That was the message from Mid-dleton Park councillor Judith Blakeat the official launch event of theMiddleton Life local history projectat Tenants Hall Enterprise Centre.

The July 12 event saw the ‘unveil-ing’ of the four community historypanels put together by members ofthe community and a 25-minute filmwhere residents interviewed eachother on their memories.

A beautiful stained glass windowby volunteers supported by Cock-burn School staff and a vibrant wallhanging by pupils at Middleton Pri-mary School were also unveiled.

Cllr Blake told the audience of al-most 80:

“What struck me today was theincredible pride we all have in ourcommunity. The work you’ve donehere gives such a lift to that prideand a feeling of community spirit.

I lived in Middleton foraround 10years in the70s and 80s.I now live inHolbeck butstill have an interest in thearea - it’s all south Leeds atthe end of the day.I have a general interest inhistory in Leeds, but Holbeckin particular.

Middleton’shistory: a timeline


Meet theML team

An interestin southLeeds historySteve PeacockCore group member

by John BaronMagazine editor

I was born inMiddleton andlived thereuntil I was 35years old.I have somereally goodmemories of growing up inthe area.

Lived in thecommunityfor 35 yearsChristine ThorntonCore group member

I am very interested infinding outmore aboutmy communityand volunter-ing withHealth For All.

Volunteeringis importantCarole McKnightCore group member

ALL SMILES:Ada Bosom-worth and Carole McKnight pic-tured above.

INSET: A dis-play of photosand memora-

bilia brought inby group

members.

BIG TURNOUT: The audience listens attentively at the launch event. Photos: Alex Smith

l Continued on page 5

In 1086 Middleton was mentioned in theDomesday Book. Its Anglo-Saxon namemeans “a settlement between two places”.

An Iron Age ‘quern” stone (for milling grain)dating 450 BC was found in a field wall inMiddleton in the 1960s but was sadly lost.

Middleton was originally a small agriculturalvillage connected to Leeds by footpathsand wagonways for horse-drawn carts

Life for ordinary folk was tough. The majoritywould have lived in simple one-room houseswhich they shared with their animals.

Pre-1330 the manorial estate wasowned by the de Crepping family,from 1330-1706 by the Leghe family.

Life expectancy for adultswas as low as 20 years oldin medieval times.

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to create a legacy

panels, film, stained glass and wall hanging

I am a ‘Friend’of MiddletonPark and amember ofMiddletonRailway. I have alwaysbeen quite fascinated by his-tory, particularly Middleton’s.I am particularly interested inthe mining, railway and tramhistories.

Meet theML team

Fascinated byMiddleton’smining pastMartin BartholomewCore group member

I’ve alwayshad an inter-est in Middle-ton’s history. Ihave a lot ofmemories ofhow the areaused to be - I really enjoylooking back at the past andlearning new things aboutwhere I live.

Passion forMiddletonAda BosomworthCore group member

I was broughtup in Middle-ton and havemany memo-ries. I wouldn’twant to liveanywhere else,I’m very proud of where Ilive.

I was broughtup here!Valerie HigginsCore group member

“Different generations havecome together to create a mar-vellous legacy for Middleton.

“I feel quite emotional afterhearing all the different storieson Middleton’s past.”

The project was funded bythe Heritage Lottery Fund.Yorkshire and the Humbercommittee member Ros Taylortold the launch meeting:

“Middleton Life was all aboutgetting under the skin of thehistory of Middleton, and mem-bers have certainly done that -covering from the time of theDomesday Book, through theindustrial age to modern times.I am bowled over.

“People have learnt so manynew skills. I could feel theirpassion as soon as I walkedthrough the door.

“People understand wherethey came from, which alsohelps them understand wherethey’re going in the future.”

The idea of the project camefrom charity Health For All,

which is based at Tenants Hall.CEO Pat McGeever said:

“I have always been proud tohave worked in a buildingwhich was paid for by localpeople themselves.

“We thought it would be won-derful not just to celebrate thehistory of the buillding, but thewider Middleton community aswell. We work closely with localpeople and I knew there wasso much inspiration and energyout there to capture the area’srich history.”

Pat said Health For All was

due to celebrate its 21st birth-day this December.

The organisation started outwith one worker and a smalladvisory group and now has 70full-time staff and a number ofdifferent community-basedprojects.

She also said she was hope-ful the work of the MiddletonLife group would continue.

Workshop leader MeenaJeewa also outlined theprocess of how members car-ried out their research. Moredetails on pages 21-26.

l From page 4

By 1642 mining was well established andMiddleton’s ‘colemyne’ was valued at£350 per year. A fortune in those days!

In 1733, Middleton’s first mining fatalities wererecorded with four men killed.

Getting buried was expensivewith the poor buried in pauper’sgraves with no headstone.

279 pits in Middleton woods are the remnants of an-cient coal mining activity and lead to parts of the parkbeing designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

In 1204 a boundary ditch was createdbetween Middleton and Beeston, whichis still visible in Middleton Woods.

Middleton’s coal mining history is first men-tioned in 1632 when the woods and pitswere mortgaged to Robert Pierrepoint ...

In 1541 William de Leghe, who owned theManor of Middleton, plotted to overthrow KingHenry VIII. He was hung and quartered.

... but mining in Mid-dleton probably beganin the late 1550s.

PANEL: John Baron, Meena Jeewa, CllrJudith Blake, Ros Taylor, Pat McGeeverand Yvonne Deane.

DREAM TEAM: Core group members of the Middleton Life local history project 2012.

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Launch event - photos by Alex Smith

I have lived inMiddleton allmy life and I’mvery passion-ate about thearea.I’m very activein the community and I be-lieve people should takepride in the area where theylive.

Meet theML team

More peopleshould take apride in areaPaul HebdenCore group member

I enjoyed at-tending thestained glassworkshops atCockburnSchool. It wasfun capturingMiddleton’s history on thewindow, squeezing in all theideas, learning new skills andmeeting new people.

Learning new skillsPat BenatmaneCore group member

I really careabout Middle-ton and havelived here along time. Ihave a lot ofmemorieswhich I hope people will beinterested in.

Caring aboutMiddletonVera HumphreyCore group member

LAUNCH: Local residents enjoy the wallpanels and wall hanging.


Middleton’shistory: a timeline Cont

from p5

In the 1700s most people wereilliterate and there was no ac-cess to medicine or healthcare.

The first ‘railed’ waggonways were built in the park by CharlesBrandling in 1755. The wagons, which transported coal and othersupplies, ran on wooden rails and were pulled by horses.

Around 1760 Middleton Lodge wasbuilt by architect James Paine as anew residence for the Brandling family.

Life expectancy for adults isthought to have been as low as35 years old by the 1700s.

By 1820 there were 300 minersunderground and 80 surfaceworkers in Middleton pits.

The Middleton Railway was founded in 1758.In 1812 it was the first commercial line tosuccessfully use steam locomotives.

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Landmarks captured in stunning colour

I have goodmemories ofliving in Mid-dleton. My sis-ter Valerie andI have lived inMiddletonsince 1955 when I was 10and she was seven. We wentto Middleton Primary Schooland then to the secondarygirls school. I’d like to seeMiddleton go back to theway it was. I’m a member ofMiddleton Community group.

Meet theML team

Fascinated byMiddleton’smining pastChristine JenkinsonCore group member

When I was alass theBroom Pitwas still there,my husbandwent fromschool at 15to work there. We used togo to work on the trams.

Going towork on tramSandra FirthCore group member

I’m interestedin Middleton’shistory andthe stainedglass class wasa great oppor-tunity for me.

Enjoyed thestained glassJohn BatesCore group member

PROUD:Stained glassgroup mem-bers RolandPilling, PatBenatmane,Paul Hebdenand JohnBates showoff theirwork. Anothermember ofthe group,MartinBartholomew,was unableto make theevent.

Hours of hard work, creative geniusand lots of fun have proved a recipefor success for Middleton Life.

Ten Middleton Primary Schoolpupils attended Cockburn Schooltwice a week to put together a stun-ning wall hanging on Middleton Parkand the history of the community.

At the launch event headteacherSamantha Williams said she wasvery impressed by the colourful work,which includes local landmarks.

She said it had given the pupils,who attended a Middleton Life tourof the park and woods with theFriends of Middleton Park group, aninsight into the area’s history.

Different fabrics and materialswere used, with many ideas comingfrom the pupils themselves.

Some of Middleton Life’s mem-bers also attended CockburnSchool each Friday morning tolearn the ancient craft of stainedglass and put together a fabulouswindow.

More on the window makingon page 26.

Wall hanging and windoware result of talent and fun!

Cholera, infectious diseases, poor sanitationand healthcare meant that life expectancy waslow. In 1837 many people died in their 30s.

1860s: Middleton Estate and Colliery Co cleared thetrees from the centre of Middleton park, now knownas the Clearings. The timber was used at the colliery.

In 1920s Leeds Corporation bought large amountsof land from the Middleton Estate and Colliery Co tobuild the Middleton and Belle Isle estates.

Built in 1846 St Mary’s Churchin Middleton originally had afine spire

Following the death of Miss Maude in1933, Middleton Lodge became the clubhouse for the municipal golf course.

Broom Colliery closed down in 1968, ending three centuries ofmining in Middleton. The 1973 Lofthouse pit disaster seven menwere killed, including miners from Middleton.

In 1920 Middleton Park was purchasedby the Thomas Wade Charity andleased to Leeds Council for 999 years.

In 1925 the tramwayfrom Leeds to Middleton opened.

LEFT:MiddletonPrimary’swallhanging.

Photos byAlex Smith

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I joined Mid-dleton ParkBowling Clubseven yearsago when I re-tired. I’velearnt lotsabout Middleton’s history.

Meet theML team

Bowling fanwith interestin historyRoland PillingCore group member

I’ve lived inMiddleton along time andmy memorieshave a lot tooffer resi-dents. Thearea haschanged a lot.

A lot to offerresidentsFrank WrightCore group member

I’m a long-term residentwith manyhappy child-hood memo-ries of thearea.

Many happymemoriesBrian HopeCore group member

Tenants Hall has a rich historyTenants Hall may now be asuper new enterprise centrefor the community, but it alsohas a rich history.

The hall itself dates back to1955. The building was actu-ally instigated by Middleton’sresidents and it was run bythe Middleton Tenants andHouseholders Association.

Resident Vera Humphreybelieves Middleton was firstcommunity in Leeds to have atenants’ hall.

Christine Thornton addedthat Health or All later took itover on a peppercorn rentfrom the council.

Here’s an excerpt from thecommunity association’s arti-cle in the It’s Our Paper freecommunity newsletter fromMiddleton in1985:

“We firststarted in1939, meetingin each others’houses to playwhist, haveraffles andChristmasdraws and toraise moneyfor the associ-ation by sellingsweets and

jewellery etc.“We’ve now got 1,500 mem-

bers, who each pay 50p ayear. In 1955 we got the Com-munal (Tenants) Hall, whichhas been the thriving centreof our activities ever since.

“[The] aims of the associa-tion include to give advice toall members of the communitywith social and housing prob-lems and ensure a good work-ing relationship

with all authorities and depart-ments concerned.”

Typical activities from 1955included community hymnsinging, whist drives, a Darbyand Joan Club, adult socialevenings and youth nights.

Last year saw a new centreopened thanks to £1.6 millionof central government andEuropean Union’s EuropeanRegional Development Fund

money.The building is

owned by thecouncil and runby Health for All.It aims to encour-age business andenterprise activi-ties within Mid-dleton and southLeeds as well asproviding localpeople with aplace to meet upand take part insocial activities.

The pioneer of council housing insouth Leeds - whose legacy can stillbe felt in Middleton, Belle Isle andacross south Leeds even today -has been commemorated with a his-toric blue plaque.Social reformer the Rev Charles

Jenkinson (1887-1949) was alsovicar of Holbeck and was responsi-ble for driving the clearance ofmany of the slum dwellings in thearea during the 1930s and replacingthem with state-of-the-art councilhousing. The plaque is on St John and St

Barnabas Church, Belle Isle Road,where he moved his congregationfrom Holbeck. It was unveiled by Cllr Rev Alan

Taylor, who was Lord Mayor ofLeeds earlier this year.

Plaque for pioneerwho shaped Miggy

Heritage news from the area

e e

g th

out st

t

www.southleedslife.com/middleton-life

Check out theMiddleton Lifefilm featuring oral history

interviews withMiddletonresidents online at:

HISTORY: How Tenants Hall used tolook. Photo from Health For All

BLUE PLAQUE: Commemorating Charles Jenkinson. Photograph: John Baron. Inset courtesy Leodis

ABOVE: The first committee atthe official opening on June 3,1955. RIGHT: A 1955 whist drive.


Iwas born in Middleton justafter the end of the SecondWorld War and lived there

until I was 35 years old. Life was simple then and

children played together andmade their own entertainment.I played with boys and girls inmy immediate neighbourhoodand my best friend lived nextdoor. Most of our play wasafter school, at weekends andduring school holidays.

Middleton estate was builtwith houses that had gardens,but most of our play was in thestreet and on the grass verges.Lots of the neighbourhoodshad verges on one side of thestreets and in those days,there was nothing to stop ususing them as football pitchesor rounders pitches.

The days of “No playing onthe grass” or “No ball gamesby order” did not come intofashion until much later.

Most games were com-munal. We all played foot-ball, using any ball thatwas available and coatsand jumpers used tomark the goal posts.

We played rounderswith any sort of bat andball, using the corners ofthe verges as bases. Weplayed cricket using thegarden gates as wickets,with the bowlers runningover the road to bowl.

Although we lived on a busroute, the bus only came oneway round every half hour. Weknew the timetable and had tostop play whilst the buspassed.

Other games were moreseasonal and favoured by ei-ther girls or boys. Boys en-joyed playing marbles or “tors”as we called them. They wouldoften play in the gutter andmany marbles were lost downthe gulley grates.

There was always a lot ofhanging around when the gul-

lies were cleaned as the lostmarbles were retrieved by theworkmen and given back tothe children.

Autumn saw the boys play-ing conkers – no health andsafety issues for us!

We played whip and top

decorating the tops with chalkstripes in different colourswhich gave a pleasing designas they spun round.

Skipping was popular espe-cially with the girls but the boysdid join in at times. The poorskippers were used as windersof the ropes and if there werenot enough winders, we wouldtie one end of the rope to thelamp post which meant that we

could skip with one winder.We used our mothers’ oldclothes lines as skippingropes.

Hopscotch was a game en-joyed by both girls and boysbut girls were usually betterthan the boys. We would drawin chalk a large hopscotch onthe pavement and take turns.

Of course, we had to stopplay if anyone was passingand then carry on from where

we left off. My mother wasn’t keen

on me drawing on thepavement and I was oftenmade to wash the hop-scotch off, using a mopand bucket, if it was out-side our house.

Boys would make bo-gies, best described as akind of go-kart. Not many

of us had bikes, so this wasthe next best thing. A set of

wheels were needed andthese were usually from an olddiscarded pram. A base wasbuilt from old wood whichwould sit on the chassis andthen built up to form the bogey.

A length of rope was at-tached which the driver held tosteer.

Going down hill was ratherprecarious as the bogey wouldgather speed.

There were no brakes – astrong foot was needed to slowand stop the bogey!!

There were fields at the bot-


Our community history reporters ...Middletonmemories

The old Middleton TivoliBingo Hall was once a cin-ema. It was great to go andsee ‘Roy Rogers’ and ‘FlashGordon’ as serials everyweek.

In the evenings films wereshown such as ‘King And I’,‘South Pacific’ and ‘The 39Steps’. We loved watchingthe film stars like JohnWayne, Bob Hope, FrankSinatra and Doris Day.

Flash Gordonat the TivoliVal HigginsMiddleton resident

Christine ThorntonCommunity reporter

PLAYTIME: Middleton youngsters having fun. Photo contributed by Christine Thornton

The following are excerptstaken from Middleton com-munity newsletter It’s OurPaper in 1985...

Annie and George Hayward wrote:

“Middleton is the greatestand friendliest place we know -and we should know as we’vetried living at the seaside. Wemoved some years ago to an-other district - but no way couldit come close to Middleton.

“We have been here for 50years and there is always some-one to give a helping hand andan ear to listen to your troubles.

“Of course, like everywhereelse, there is good and bad. Butto us there is much more goodthan bad.”

In the same issue, MrsMay Mann writes:

“I came to Middleton in1933. At that time the churchwas just a wooden structureand stood where the parochialhall and the library were.

“The vicar lived at 42 Mid-dleton Park Avenue.

“Where the vicarage is now,we signed many petitions for aswimming pool to be built toserve the school and the com-munity, but it never materi-alised. There were no houses inthe small streets behind theTivoli ... all fields, just a largewooden British Legion building.”

It’s Our PaperExcerpts from 1985

The greatestplace we know

Continued on page 10

Free to roam andplay

FUN TIMES: May Day inthr middle school grounds

in the 1970s - photo courtesy D&B

Rawden

SLL - July p9_sll - july p9 18/07/2012 11:51 Page 1

tom of our road where the housing fin-ished. These belonged to a local farmerwho grew corn, peas and rhubarb (wecalled it “tusky”).

We would often go roaming in thefields, making dens in the cornfields be-fore harvest time and pinching peas andrhubarb to eat. A great delicacy was tohave sugar in a paper bag, dip rawrhubarb in it and eat it as a snack. An-other snack was cocoa and sugar. Wemixed the two ingredients in a paper bagand ate it by dipping our fingers in it andlicking it off.

In the autumn, we would go “blackber-rying” at a place beyond the field wecalled Blackberry Hill. We would goarmed with jam jars to collect the fruit –no plastic boxes at that time. We wouldeat as many as we collected. My motheralways used the fruit for blackberry andapple pies.

Sometimes, we would go wandering offinto Middleton Park or the Plantation. ThePlantation was a type of scrub land wherethe Westwood estate was built. When Iwas a child, it was a kind of wasteland.

We usually went gallivanting into thepark and woods during school holidayswith a jam sandwich and a bottle of“Spanish wine” for sustenance.

This was a concoction of water towhich we added hard liquorice that wascalled “Spanish”. We would be out all dayand this had to keep us going untilteatime. There were no limits to ourjaunts. The only proviso was to be homefor tea otherwise we would be in troublefrom our parents.

These outings were like expeditions tous. They would be arranged the day be-fore; permission sought from parents andthen on the day the preparation of oursnack. We would call for all our friendswho were allowed to go and then theworld was our oyster. We ran, climbed,skipped and fell.

As children we were given free range toplay and roam. We spent lots of time out-doors and lots of time roaming free. Wewere made of strong stuff.

I think that my generation was thelast to benefit from this.

A journey throughour history

Continued from page 9

Middleton is spe-cial in severalways. Middleton

took its name frombeing in between (or inthe middle of) Morleyand Rothwell.

Middleton was notpart of Leeds, whichended at Hunslet.Rather, it was a villageand described in the19th century as achapelry in the parishof Rothwell.

A very important fea-ture of Middleton wasthat it stood on highground four milessouth of central Leeds,the water tower beingthe highest point.

This made Middletona healthy place to liveaway from the smokeof industrial Hunsletand Leeds.

In 1870-72 it com-prised of 1,797 acres,and real property£9,261.

£4,400 of that was inmines and £30 in quar-ries according to JohnMarius in his ImperialGazetteer of Englandand Wales.

St Mary’s churchwas built in 1846/7 inEarly English style.Above the tower was asteeple. The steeple orspire was removedfrom above the towerin 1939 due to miningsubsidence.

Coal Mining was im-portant and there wereextensive collieries inthe area.

Originally the coalwas transported to theriver at Thwaite Gateand then transportedup the river to Leeds.

This was not verycost effective though.

The Middleton estatemines were owned byCharles Brandling, whoalso owned the land upto Thwaite Gate.

This meant he could

build wagon ways tothe river. Charles Bran-dling needed to get thecoal to Leeds more effi-ciently to be able totender a good priceand gain the contract.

He came up with aplan to build a wagonway to Leeds (at TetleyBrewery site).

This required an Actof Parliament so thatthe land owners couldnot change theirminds. This then hap-pened in 1758 and Mid-dleton had the firstrailway in the world byAct of Parliament. Atthis time the coal wag-ons were moved byhorses hauling thewagons on rails.Charles Brandling wonthe contract and therest is history.

Middleton Railway isthe world's oldest con-tinuously working rail-

way. In 1811 the trackwas relaid with atoothed rail on oneside which was thefirst rack railway.

In 1812 MiddletonRailway became thefirst commercial rail-way to successfullyuse a steam locomo-tive, the Salamanca.

There were a varietyof different mines withabout 274 just in thepark area.

These included ‘bellpits’ which were lessthan 20m deep and var-ied in width at the basefrom 3m to 12m in di-ameter.

There were deepermines using horse andsteam winding gear.

Most of the shaftswere likely to havebeen pillar and stallworking. There are alsoover 2km of wagonways in the park.

Martin BartholomewMiddleton resident


EARLY ENGLISH STYLE: StMary’s Church. Photograph reproduced by permission Leodis.

Christine Thornton brought in thisphoto of a fancy dress parade at thespring fair at St Cross Church in themid 1950s.

Days when wewere free to roam



Our history reporters write about their community...

By 1934, how many houses had been built in Middleton?Was it 2,377; 1,540 or 997?

When I wa’ a lass...Roland PillingCommunity reporter

Q Turn over the page for the answer!

When I was a lass! Howoften do you hear thatsaid by the older gen-

eration?Well, when I was a lass the

Broom Pit was still there. Myhusband went from school at 15to work there - long gone now.

We used to go to work on thetrams through Miggy Woodsand see the seasons change,or travel down Belle Isle totown. The trams are long gonenow.

The Middleton Arms, whichwas once a hotel, a well-known

pub and a landmark for thetrams and buses, has now beendemolished and a supermarketis being built in its place.

What are they going to put onthe front of the buses now?!

The Tivoli, our own cinemawhich we went to as kids andgrown ups changed into a bingo

hall and eventually went‘up for sale’.

Middleton SecondaryModern School (as it wasknown in my day) - there’sonly half left as the seniorside was demolished andnow has houses builtthere.

We had May Days onthe school field with a MayQueen and Maypole danc-ing, long gone now.

The YWCA (or Ydub aswe used to call it - or Up-stone Hall after Miss Up-stone who was our schoolheadteacher) was awooden building then.We got married at St

Cross Church (still standing)and had our reception at theYWCA 51 years ago.

The old Tenants Hall was awell-used building.

We had a day trip to the sea-side once a year and therewere that many buses theywere parked all the way roundthe school.

We had pop and crisps and abit of spending money.

Don’t forget, those were thedays when not many familieshad cars, so it was the only timesome kids saw the seaside. Anew enterprise centre has beenbuilt in its place, which we hopewill be well used too.

We still have Middleton Rail-way, which is the oldest railwayin the world - and it’s OURS!

Middleton Lodge in the parkis long gone now. And Middle-ton Hall on Town Street housedprisoners of war but eventuallyburnt down.

Eee, when I wa’ a lass! Bythe way, I still live in Miggy!

Bowlingclub foreveryone

Well, summer’shere at last,bringing

longer, warmer daysand the Crown Greenbowling season, whichruns from April to Sep-tember.

Bowling has beentraced certainly to the13th century, althoughI’m not sure it’s been inMiddleton for that long- does anyone knowthe answer?

I joined the bowlingclub seven years agoto give me an interestwhen I retired and amnow appealing for newmembers as our num-bers have dwindled,with an age range from17 to 85 years.

There is a socialside to bowling - that’swhy it’s been so popu-lar over the centuries -.You meet new friendsand keep active.

Our club can befound on Acre Close,next to the new enter-prise centre. Contactme on 271 3852

Sandra FirthCommunity reporter

Preparation forbonfire nightusually started

during the summerschool holidays when“chumping” began,writes ChristineThornton.

This was the gath-ering things like oldwood and treebranches (chumps)which would bestored in our backgardens.

As November

loomed, we wouldguard our material incase children fromother areas stole it fortheir bonfires.

This was known asraiding and thiswould go on untilmischievous night(November 4th),which was the lastchance to raid thechumps.

Mischievous nightwas also the time forplaying tricks such as

knocking on doorsand running awayand moving dust bins- nothing too serious.

Bonfires were com-munal affairs, with alarge fire being lit onone of the grassverges. Everyoneshared fireworks andeach family wouldbring food. Potatoeswere roasted in thefire, pie and peas andparkin would beeaten. There would al-

ways be at least one‘Guy’ made.

Adults would be incharge of the foodand the fireworks.Rockets werelaunched from a milkbottle. Old furniturewas used as seating,then it was burnt.

We were allowed tostay up late and we allwent to bed tired buthappy. Bonfire nightwas something spe-cial for us children.

Bonfire night was a special time in Miggy

Middleton bowling.Photo: John Baron

Middleton has a mix of housing.

BINGO! The old Tivola Cinema. Photo by Paul Hebden

Sll- July p11_Sll - July p11 18/07/2012 11:53 Page 1

We have good memo-ries of Middleton.My sister Valerie

and I have lived in Middletonsince 1955 when I was 10and she was seven.

Buildings

We went to Middleton Pri-mary School and then to thesecondary girls school, whichwas later demolished andhousing went up in its place.

There were small shops allround Middleton, then smallsupermarkets were built.

The Tivoli cinema was soldand became a bingo hall. Alibrary, a police station and aclinic were in Middleton ParkAvenue - now there is a doc-tors’ surgery and car park.

A toilet block was on theCircus with lots of trees andgreenery.

Several flats were demol-ished and a new complexwas built on the junction ofSissons Place and MiddletonPark Grove.

New flats were built on thesite of St Cross Church Hall.A new building for the com-munity was built in the schoolyard. Flats in ‘Chinatown’were demolished, makingway for a football pitch.

St Philip’s church wastaken down and a new smallchurch has been built in StPhilip’s school yard. Homesfor the elderly were built onthe old church site.

Broom Colliery was closedin 1968 and the quarry wasalso lost near the clearings. Ahorse riding school for the

disabled has been built.The number 12 tram

stopped running throughMiddleton Woods and thenumber 12 bus took over in1959.

Growing up

Growing up in Middletonwas happy with neigh-bours and friends. We allbehaved ourselves anddidn’t shout at our elders.Our parents were a lot

stricter then. We learnedmore about life from ourparents and didn’t answerback.

At school we had to be-have, and if we didn’t we gotthe cane or slipper.

All the children had tomake their own entertain-ment. Everyone was friendlyand would help each other.Children went to the shopsfor the elderly.

Health

I feel that there were manybenefits to living in Middle-ton. When my parents, mysister and I lived in Holbeckfor ten years, we had lots ofengineering works and facto-ries with smoke coming fromthe chimneys. Also we hadcoal fires and the railwayshunting yards were nearby.

My father had lots ofchest complaints aboutthree months of every year.Our doctor asked my dad if

he would like to live in Mid-dleton as he would havebetter air to breathe andwould be in much betterhealth. We all benefitedfrom the move, as we wereon top of the hill.

We had several doctors inMiddleton and also a midwifecalled Sister Lakin who tookcare of most pregnancieswith home births. We had aclinic in the area of MiddletonPark Avenue which dealt withchildren's ailments such aswarts, teeth, eyesight and in-fections.

We all had the usual infec-tions like measles, mumps,chicken pox, scarlet fever,head lice etc, but we didn'thave scabies.

We had to go to the near-est telephone booth to callan ambulance if anyone wasseriously ill. We had no mo-biles so it took some time.

Family life

I lived with my mum, dad,Uncle Albert and my sisterValerie. My dad was a laypreacher and being blindworked at Leeds Blind Wel-fare in Roundhay Road.There he made coconut doormats. He made carpets forBuckingham Palace andArab states as well as ‘nor-mal’ carpets.

When we were young weused to play in the streetswith our friends. We playedhide and seek in gardensand played at tig, kick outball, skipping, football,cricket. When we were oldenough we went to the park.We also roller skated. Boysand girls played all these

Continued on page 13

Christine JenkinsonCommunity reporter

In 1934 a total of 2,377 dwellings had been built on the new housing estatein Middleton. They were built to replace slum housing. The estate was thebrainchild of social reformer the Rev Charles Jenkinson. A

“Growing up inMiddleton was a

happy time”


MOVIES: The Tivoli, which opened in 1934. First filmscreened was ‘A Bedtime Story’ starring MauriceChavlier. Photograph reproduced with permission of Leodis

SHOPS: Middleton Circus. Photographreproduced with permission of Leodis



What year was Middleton incorporated into the County Borough of Leeds? 1915, 1920 or 1930? Q Turn over the page for the answer!

Continued from page 12games together. Mum, dad, Valerie and I went tochurch on Sunday. Following that Valerie and I wentto the Girls Life Brigade. Boys and girls would cycleat weekends to parks etc. We went to the cinemacalled Tivoli also dancing at Tenants Hall (bopping)and went to youth clubs. The YMCA was in ThrostleRoad.

Mum, dad, Valerie and I went to Primrose Valley,Filey one week every year.

Mum had to go on holiday with her rent money,just in case she needed it for emergencies. Luckilywe never needed it.

At the age of 13 I was a paper girl, then I workedin the shop on Saturdays and Sundays. At 15 Iworked full time in the newsagent and tobacconistfor three years. Valerie worked for a fruit and vegshop when she was 14 until she trained to be anurse.

My mother worked as a tailoress until the warwhen she worked for Crabtree Brothers (CrabtreeVickers) making bomb door hinges.

She married my dad then I came along. She didcleaning jobs and also looked after our neighbour'schildren. We had five children for dinner (no schoolmeals for us).

Mining memories

We had a miner living next door and next doorbut one was a man and his son. Mr Richardson hadto leave the mine due to dermatitis. He went towork in engineering. Mr Cotton was caught downthe mine at Lofthouse when a wall of water camethrough the seam engulfing seven miners.

Six miners never came out of the mine. Mr. Cot-ton's body was found and brought out. His sonTerry was with him. Charlie Cotton told Terry to getout which he did but he wanted to go back andsave his father.

Valerie has a neighbour who worked down the pitwho has told us lots of stories. One memorable onewas about a miner whose fellow miners ate hislunch from his snap tin and replaced it with a deadrat! Another story is about going in the showers. Ifyou turned your back on your mates they took yourtowel, clothes or worse!

No school meals andmining memories

Miggy Arms:end of era ...Middleton Arms was

built as part of thepost-1918 ‘homes for

heroes’ social housing policy.Although it wasn’t a Listed

building, a lot of peoplethought that it was.

It was built as a hotel, tearoom and dance and concertroom. It also had tenniscourts to the rear of it, butthey were overgrown in re-cent years.

I spent many a happy hourin there on lots of differentoccasions as it was used forlots of different events. Peo-ple used to hire the room up-stairs for things likebirthdays, weddings, funeralsand lots more things.

I used to do keep fit inthere.

It also had a bar in theroom. Sometimes I went intothe games room to play pooland have a drink or two.Happy times!

At Christmas a lot of myfamily used to meet in theSalamanca room and have agood time together. I think itgot that name because theSalamanca was a MiddletonRailway locomotive.

Over the years it’s had lotsof landlords. About 30 yearsago, when my nieces andnephews were younger, thelandlord used to throw moneyoutside into the grounds andall the children used to golooking for it. That was atEaster time.

Over the years it wentdownhill.

Then came the no smokingpolicy - that stopped a lot ofpeople going in as well.

It’s finally closed for thelast time and has been pulleddown to make way for an Aldisupermarket.

I don’t know what peoplewill ask for now becauseeveryone who didn’t live inMiddleton used to ask for theMIddleton Arms when theycame by bus.

On another note, over theyears a lot of the shops onMiddleton Circus havechanged hands as well.

Now we’ve got too manytakeways, which has spoiledit with all the litter they create.

Ada BosomworthCommunity reporter

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: Middleton Arms. Photograph reproducedwith permission of LeodisINSET: The fateful night last November

when the Arms caught fire.Photograph: Middleton Arms Facebook page

FIRECLAY WORKS 1952: Bricks were manufac-tured here to build the housing estate in the1920s. Photograph from Leodis, courtesy Mrs C Lee


14 15

Shoppingchanges incommunityChristine JenkinsonCommunity reporter

www.southleedslife.comSouth Leeds Life - Middleton Life project July 2012

When we were youngthere were only smallshops around Mid-

dleton. The shops around the cir-

cus were the Post Office, Her-bert Brown Thrift Stores,Tallants Sweet Shop, PaynesBakery, Moby’s Fish Shop,Mrs. Teale’s Hairdressing,Kershaw’s Chemist,Gatenby’s Fruit & Veg, Hop-kinson’s, Wright’s Newsagent(who I worked for), Gallon’sGrocery, Garrit’s Bakery, Co-op Chemist, Earnshaw’sGreengrocer & Florist, Alec’sDIY, Launderette, William’sGreengrocer, Yorkshire PennyBank, Gill’s Butcher & Presto.

On Throstle Lane were All-sopp’s Grocer, Post OfficeFish Shop & the Co-op. InThorpe Street there was theNew Shop, Vernon’s FishShop, Feinen’s Off Licence,Butcher's Shop, Thornton'sGrocery Store & Allsop’s.

At Lingwell Road there wasthe Fish Shop, Sweeting’sSweet & Cigarette Shop,Baker’s, Gill Butchers Cob-bler, Lightfoot's DIY, and twoCo-ops, one for clothes andthe other for groceries.

At the Co-op, as with othergrocery shops of the time,they used to bag up sugar inblue bags. Lard and butterwere placed on greaseproofpaper and weighed.

Bacon was sliced to order,potatoes and vegetables wereweighed and poured from thescales directly into the cus-tomer's bag, unwrapped. Abarber was above the fishshop, Geoff Rushworth.

In Sissons Avenue wereGill’s Butchers, Aldred’sGreengrocer, Harry Thorn-ton's Grocery & ThompsonsFish Shop. At the side of theTivoli was Johny’s Barber &Thornton’s Tivoli Shop.

There were three shops atthe bottom of the Avenue. TheOld Village shop was inMount Pleasant and therewas a fish shop and off-li-cence on Hopewell View. MrPickles was a coal merchantat the top of Hopewell View.

Ihave been interested in the local his-tory of Leeds for many years now hav-ing lived in Middleton for a numbers of

years during the 1970s and early 1980s. Earlier this year I was pleased to be able

to become involved in the Middleton Lifeproject.

Not only did it give me a better insightinto the history of Middleton, but it gaveme the ideal opportunity to pursue mylong held interest in trams which I haveused to produce the following brief lookback at the tramways in Middleton:

Back in the 1950s I was a youngster livingand growing up in Holbeck. In those days,kids spent a lot of time ‘playing out’; televisionwas in its infancy and home computers wereonly science fiction.

‘Playing out’ took many forms – footballand cricket in the back-to-back streets, tig,hopscotch, kick-out-ball were among themany games we played.

One of the areas we sometimes walked towas Middleton Woods. We would walk upBeggars Hill, the quarry path, across CrossFlatts Park, up past the Cockburn playingfields and along a dirt track which ran overthe Hunslet/Beeston railway line and theninto the woods.

There, we might go to the pond wherethere were paddleboats; sometimes wewould collect chestnuts and conkers from thetrees in autumn. The woods were a big at-traction, not having anything like that in Hol-beck.

To get to the woods we had to cross thetram track and at this time the trams were stillrunning. It was always exciting to see a tramcome careering down the track from Middle-ton going into Leeds.

Walking along the track was fraught withdanger but we would take the chance be-

cause this added to the thrill of visiting thewoods.

Unfortunately I never had the opportunityto ride on the trams through the woods, al-though I used the trams on the No. 8 EllandRoad service and rode on trams to Mean-wood and Roundhay Park.

In those days mucky old steam trains ranon our railways. Alas, buses were beginningto replace the trams on the public transportsystem in Leeds. For a young boy growing upin this world, the trains, trams and buseswere a source of fascination. Like many otherkids of my age, I started train-spotting andcollecting bus and tram numbers.

A horse-drawn tram service started inLeeds in 1871. The first electric trams wereintroduced in 1891.

In the early 1920s, Leeds City Council hadstarted to carry out extensive slum clearance.The need for additional housing to rehousepeople from the slum clearance areas re-sulted in Middleton becoming the location forone of the large council estates that werebuilt on the outskirts of the city. Bricks from

the Fireclay Works at Broom Pit and othermaterials used in building the estate weretransported along a light railway that wasconstructed through Middleton Woods.

When the first residents moved on to thenew estate, some complained that it was setin the middle of the countryside without anytransport links. To improve this, the light rail-way was adapted for a new tram system(standard gauge of 4ft 8ins) to servethe estate. It was opened in 1925and ran from Dewsbury Road,through the woods with a tramstop in the middle of thewoods for joining or alighting;it terminated in Middleton –circular route No 12.

In 1933 Leeds pioneered anew bogie tram which was in-troduced on the Middleton routethat seated 70 passengers and im-proved passenger comfort – knownas the ‘Middleton Bogies’. These trams wereconsidered by many as the finest trams evermade in Britain.

In 1940, an extension from Balm Road toBelle Isle was introduced which terminated atBelle Isle Circus. This was followed by an ex-tension from Belle Isle to Middleton in 1949to join the Middleton route that went throughthe woods – the last tramcar route develop-ment anywhere in the UK until Manchesterbuilt their new system in the 1990s.

The tramway from Middleton to Leedsthrough Belle Isle was initially a segregatedroute – the Ring Road is on the right of the

tramway. The green corridor today is wherethe old tramway once ran.

Some other memories of the route throughthe woods:

“I rode the Middleton run on many occasions and whenthe drivers started on the run heading for Parkside, theyknocked the tram out of gear and went like hell. The tramsrocked from side to side. It was like being on a ship. Youfelt sick.”

“I used to ride on the tram to Cockburn School through thewoods from Middleton. Boy, did those trams rock their

way on that track in winter. It was quite scary.”“We used to "back" the trams (sit on the

back steel bumper) so we didn’t have topay, down to Parkside or back homeafter we had spent the evening at theCrescent Cinema. That tram trackcould tell many tales if it could speak.Some scary I might add. Great fun as

kids though.”The Labour-controlled council

finally decided to abandon thetramway system in Leeds.

On 28 March 1959 both the Middletonand Belle Isle routes were closed during thefinal act of the tragedy known as ‘The Disso-lution of the Leeds Tram-car System’ and thelast tram in Leeds ran on 7 November 1959 –a sad day indeed.

If trams could be brought back on the routethrough the woods I am sure it would be amajor tourist attraction for the area today.

When you go through the woods today youcan still find remains of the tram track –sleepers and ballast - and perhaps let your-self dream, as sometimes I do, of a tramtrundling down the track on its way intoLeeds...

TRAMsport in MiddletonSteve PeacockCommunity reporter

Middleton was incorporated into Leeds on 1 April 1920 and soon afterwards the Middleton housing estate, "a vast low-density Corporation-built cottage estate with circuses and avenues" was built using bricks from the Fireclay Works at Broom Pit. It was built on land once used for agriculture including West Farm and parts of Sissons Farm.A

Original Middleton tramroutes were:12 - Swinegate to Middletonvia Parkside, and return.12C - Swinegate - Middleton -Belle Isle - Swinegate,

(from 24-8-49).26e - Swinegate - Belle Isle -Middleton - Swinegate. (from 24-8-49).

One of the 'Middleton Bogies' built between1933 and 1935. Photograph unattributed

ON TRACK: Yes, this green island off Middleton Ring Roadused to be a tram track! Photo: Stephen Peacock

ALL ABOARD: Middleton’snumber 12 tram in 1935.Photo: courtesy Paul Hebden

SLL - July p14-15_Layout 1 18/07/2012 12:02 Page 1

My whistlestop tour through lost Middleton

Fanny Maude, MiddletonLodge and the park’s story

The story of the presentMiddleton Park starts in1920 when the owners of

the park, Leeds-based ThomasWade charity, leased the parkto the council for a peppercornrent.

The previous owners of thepark and colliery (before na-tionalisation) still had influencein Middleton and Fanny Maude- the daughter of EdmundMaude - was allowed to live inthe Middleton Lodge.

She was a great benefactorto Middleton. For instance,paying for the conversion of acottage and stables into aparish hall in 1923.

Now, nearly 90 years later,the Maude Hall (as it wascalled) is being converted backinto a house.

My mother recalled how in1933 when Miss Maude diedthe local school children filedpast her open coffin as a markof respect.

The Lodge became theheadquarters of Middleton Golf

Club until 1986 and was de-molished in 1992.

The death of Miss Maudebrought to an end an era domi-nated until then by one or otherlandowners of Middleton.

The park once boasted acafe, childrens’ playground withgentlemans’ shelter, bandstand, public toilets, tenniscourts, bowling and puttinggreens and a boating pool. Ofcourse, the bowling greens re-

main, the tennis courts are nowmulti-purpose hard courts andthe lake is used for fishing only.

All that remains of the paddleboats is the jetty with the ironmooring rings. The playgroundhas had several refurbishmentsbut is still roughly in the sameposition.

As a child in the 60s I re-member playing on the re-mains of the bandstand - it’srectangular concrete base

looking like a maze to a youngboy.

A new bandstand is currentlybeing built and soon our visitingbands will have a shelteredarea to play in again.

The old cafe (top of the woodcottages) was a magnet foryoung children. There was ahigh wooden counter with icecream, lollies and fishing netsfor sale. Sadly this too hasbeen demolished.

I have two stones that wereused for the night-time gamesof curling in the early 1900sduring the usual harsh winterswhen the lake froze over.These were also stored in thecafe.

The park was patrolled by apark keeper, in my day a MrAnderson, who kept the peaceonly with a couple of sheep-dogs.

Getting to the park was noproblem. The number 12 tramran through the woods, stop-ping at The Clearings and TheLodge. All that remains in thepark is the old track bed and asyou walk alongside the bedsome old wooden track sleep-ers can still be seen.

What have MiddletonHall, Manor Farm,Middleton Lodge,

Tramway, Broom Pit andMiddleton Railway south ofPark Halt got in common?Answer - they no longerexist apart from a few re-mains, writes MartinBartholomew.

They were once full of life;well, livestock on the farm.

In our studies of the areawe have talked to many resi-dents who remember thesewhen they were full of life.

People who we havetalked to remember LadyMaude opening MiddletonHall to the local public atWhitsuntide. Fanny Eliza-beth Maude died in 1933.

Middleton Hall was de-stroyed by fire in 1962.

Middleton Hall itself wasbuilt in 1712.

We have met the last resi-dent of Middleton Lodge.

Robin Silverwood was thatresident as he was the Stew-ard of the golf club. Middle-ton Lodge was demolishedin 1986.

Middleton Lodge was builtin the 1760's and it becamethe golf club house in 1936.

My fascination with theTramway was started when Isaw a painting of the tramnumber 12 travellingthrough the woods.

The Tramway was built in1920 and closed in 1959.The trams made in Leeds fornumber 12 route, the 265model, were some of the

most luxurious made.In 1947 Middleton was cut

off from Leeds by heavysnow and the only way sup-plies could be transportedto Middleton was by thetram.

Middleton Railway northof Town Street where thewagons had been ropehauled up the slope, is mynext interest.

This line went from TownStreet, passing the coalstaithes which were byStaithe Avenue and StaitheGardens to West Pit.

This line travelled westwith empty wagons thentravelling back eastward fullof coal.

The Tramway travellingeast terminated almost op-posite the railway line nearMiddleton Circus.

Middleton Railway wasthe first railway in the worldestablished by Act of Parlia-

ment in 1758. This year isthe 200th anniversary ofSalamaca, the first success-ful working locomotive.

I live on the Manor Farmestate. The farm was 100acres and fronted onto TownStreet - and the farm build-ings were at the top ofManor Farm Way.

Broom Pit was the lastMiddleton pit, which closedin 1968. Richard Scott toldme about his mate whoworked in Broom Pit andtold me that a miner couldwalk underground from Mid-dleton to Rothwell.

Richard also told me thatminers sometimes had towalk two to three miles toget to the coal face.

They sometimes got a liftback on the conveyorthough.

Broom Pit was the deep-est Middleton Pit at 810 feet(250 metres).

Paul HebdenCommunity reporter


HOME: Fanny Maude lived in Middleton Lodge. Photograph courtesy Leodis

HOME: Middleton’s ‘new’houses.

Photo courtesy Leodis

SLL - July p16_Layout 1 18/07/2012 12:04 Page 1


Times change, butI still love it here

IntroducingWilliamGascoigneMick McCannLeeds resident

Ever wondered whereMiddleton’s William Gas-coigne Centre got it’s

name from?William Gascoigne (1612–

1644) was one of the foundingfathers of British research as-tronomy and intellectual heir ofGalileo and Kepler whose workhe improved upon.

He sadly died in his earlythirties or who knows what elsehe would have achieved?

He was an astronomer, in-ventor, mathematician and de-signer/ maker of scientificinstruments from Middletonwho invented the micrometer(1641), telescopic sextant, andthe telescopic sight.

The relatively newly inventedtelescope was hugely im-proved and astronomy leapedforward with Gascoigne’s mi-crometer, which allowed angu-lar distances to be accuratelymeasured and was central toastronomical measurement upuntil the 20th century.

Adding this to a sextant al-lowed the measurement of thedistance between astronomicalbodies.

His introduction of crosshairsallowed the telescope to bepointed even more accuratelyand the fact that they weremoveable across the lens gaveunprecedented accuracy to themeasurement of the size of as-tronomical bodies – using thepitch of the screw and the focallength of the lens.

He was the first man to beable to accurately calculate thesize of planets.

- Mick McCann wrote HowLeeds Changed the World

From being five or sixyears old my motherwould take me and my

younger sister Irene intoMiddleton Park.

After we had played inthe playground we wouldgo and paddle in the pad-dling pool. We could seethe bottom of the pool butthese days it has been con-nected up to the big pool.

The park rangers found itcould be dangerous asthere was a mine shaftwhich I think has beencapped.

After we had played inthe park mam would takeus for a walk through thewoods on the way to theClearings. We would playhide and seek amongst thebushes.

When we got fed up play-ing in the Clearings shewould take us for a walk upto Belle Isle village along apath that runs alongsidethe tram track. Those tramswould get stuck in the snowin the winter months andthe drivers would have toshovel the snow away sothe tram could continue onits journey into town.

When we got to the endof the woods there was afarm and behind the farm

was Parkside where all ormost of the schools insouth Leeds would comefor their sports days.

The Middleton estate wasbuilt up with houses, flats,schools, clinics andchurches.

We even had a picturehouse called Tivoli. We hadsome good Saturday after-noons there.

At the corner of the juniorboys’ school there was asmall police station. Policerode about on bikes inthose days and if we werecheeky they would smackus and bring us home.

In the 50s and 60s Mid-dleton Park Avenue was alovely tree-lined street, Insummer the tree brancheswould shade us from thesun and in winter we’d getwet through under the barebranches.

In summer we would goto the fields at the bottomof Throstle Road. We usedto sail ‘boats’ in the beck.

We used to go pea pick-ing at Thorpe Hall - now thefields have had housesbuilt on them.

No corner of Middletonwas left alone for long,something was alwaysbeing built.

Middleton Tenants Asso-ciation was based in the oldTenants Hall - they wouldhave whist drives, dancingand jumble sales. TenantsHall has since been re-placed by Health For All’snew Tenants Hall EnterpriseCentre.

Where Acre Court nowstands, there was a churchhall, which also housed a li-brary, but as time went bythe hall was closed down,sold to private investments.

Wades Charity, whichowns Middleton Park, alsoowns a field on ThrostleRoad. It was given to thepeople of Middleton so thechildren could play on it,but the council bought thisfield and part of it hashouses on it.

Changes are brought inbut let us hope it’s for thebetter. The estate is good,health wise, and I havebeen through the wars buthave come out smelling ofroses. I still love where Ilive but we will not alwaysagree on everything. I havelived here since 1942 - andI’m still here in 2012!

Vera HumphreyCommunity reporter

Residents in our part ofThrostle Road were in-vited to join in the corona-

tion celebrations on 2 June1953, writes Christine Thorn-ton.

There was lots of planning andmy parents took the lead.Money was collected everyweek to pay for the event andwas spent on food, bunting, the“royal party’s” clothing and fire-works. Lots of baking was alsodone.

Weeks before the coronation,there was a competition for thegirls who wanted to be queenand Shirley Cust, who lived fur-ther up the street, was chosen.

Mrs Fisher, who lived threedoors from us, was the only per-son in the street who had a TV.

On coronation day, her housewas open to us all to watch theceremony.

We all took it in turns to bob inand out.

Gascoigne’s micrometer,as drawn by Robert Hooke

Coronation street

Coronation day in Middleton. Photograph courtesy Christine Thornton

Coronation street


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Video highlightsCommunity reporters video interview their

Our first interviewee toldus that in 1957 she hadlived with her in-laws in

Acre Road and then moved tothe Newhalls and onto Mo-torola’s Avenue. Her fatherwas in the building trade andher mother was cleaning inplaces in Middleton.

She remembered shops inMiddleton such as the Co-op,Frank Almond greengrocerand Paynes Bakery. This ladyworked at the Post Office, alsoat a private institution suppliers(hospitals, schools etc).

She then went on to LeedsUniversity and Medical Schoolswitchboard. She attended StGeorge’s Church. Children'sinfections at the time werechicken pox, measles, jaun-dice, whooping cough andpolio.

The doctors were Dr. Camp-bell and Dr. Sefton. This ladyis still attending the new Ling-well Croft surgery. One of thedoctors there was Dr. Crystal,who was also the doctor forthe England rugby union team.

The next lady settled inMoor Flatts Avenue after mov-ing around before coming toLeeds.

Her mother worked in tailor-ing for the RAF. This intervie-wee enjoyed travelling ontrams but didn't enjoy travellingfrom Hunslet to Middleton asthey rattled along on rails mak-ing a loud noise.

She remembers Elliott’sgreengrocer near to her home.Going to the park was one ofher pleasures. She had good

neighbours, but felt that peoplehave changed a lot over theyears.

A problem for people livingwhere she did was cars drop-ping off children to school andpicking them up.

When this lady was youngshe lived in Portsmouth butthey played the same gamesas Leeds children at that timelike skipping, ball games andwhip and top.

The next lady was MrsDawes of Dawes’ Bakery. Shecame to Middleton in 1948when Middleton old villagewas still fields and farms andshe remembered cows walkingdown the street.

Her husband built their newhouse on Town Street as awedding present for her.

Mrs Dawes remembersWest Farm at the end of theroad. Now there are houses onthe previous fields of WestFarm. This is now West FarmAvenue. Baileys Farm was onTown Street before the build-

ing of Middleton Hall. Following the Second World

War there were Polish familiesliving around Town Street.

Mrs Dawes’ daughter andfriends used to play on theroofs of the pig sty which sep-arated the two gardens.

We also learnt from MrsDawes that the firstTownswomen’s Guild wasstarted before the war but hadto stop when we were at war.The Guild met on BurtonRoad. The first lady to sign upwas Mrs. Aveyard and in 1958Mrs Dawes joined.

Another memory of MrsDawes’ was the MiddletonRailway running by BurtonRoad.

She remembers the Bally-walk which was a pond byManor Farm.

The hill was known as RopeHill where the railway truckswere hauled up the hill. Duringthe war there was a fire at Mid-dleton Hall.

On the Clearings was an Continued on next page

Christine Jenkinson & Martin BartholomewCommunity reporters

Som

e of

our

in

terv

iew

ees

Betty Dawes Emma Neild CarolynDawes

BarbaraRawden

DerekRawden

PARK CAFE: Photo from Leodis


Reporters’feedbackyour memories


fellow residents on Middleton’s past

Turn to page 24 for more onour oral history interviews!

> Continued from page 18

‘ack ack’ gun to protect Middle-ton from German bombers.Also Mrs Dawes remembersan Air Show on the Clearingsin the 1940s.

The next interviewee workedat the Avro Aircraft Factory inYeadon.

People helped each otherand this lady remembers awatch repairer who onlycharged for parts.

Children played with scoot-ers (horses heads made with abroomstick and wheels) anddolls houses.

Our fifth interviewee told usabout the house that they wereliving in on Winrose Hill.

This house started to sub-side with four others in 1953.There was a coal seam be-neath the house and the work-ing had not been back filled.

The five houses were demol-ished and this family had tomove to the Cranmores and re-ceived no compensation at all.

In 1963, Dennis (a faceworker at Broom Pit) was in-volved in an accident. A rockskimmed his head and he wasbrought out unconscious.

He remained unconsciousfor seven weeks in Leeds Infir-mary and was able to talk onlyafter seeing his daughter.Dennis was captain of themine’s football team.

Dennis came home in awheelchair and the footballteam never played again.

We also heard about her rel-ative that was a fireman. Dur-

ing the war an incendiary bomblanded near St Cross Church.

He dealt with it receivingslight burns and was told offwhen he got home for being sobrave.

Some of the food that peopleate was liver, heart, tripe andwarm hot-pot. Also enjoyed

was roast beef with Yorkshirepudding or stews etc. Theywere very filling. People alsoate pigs trotters, sheep brain,ducks, haggis and macaronicheese.

Rice, sago and semolinawere eaten for afters.

After the war many serv-ice personnel were nolonger needed and so were‘demobbed’. A gentlemantold us that after he was de-mobbed he worked inhaulage and then became aclerk in the LGI for 20 years.

The first area to be builtwas the old village. In the1930s the Middleton estate

was built with the aid of five ar-chitects.

Charles Jenkinson was a pi-oneer in this sort of housing forpeople who could not affordtheir own house. Middleton gotbigger and is still growing withthe New Forest Village.

There was a bus going upand down the ring road to theRex Cinema - the buses werefull because only a few peoplehad cars. Shops, doctors sur-geries, a clinic for children andadults and a dentist in the clinicarea were built.

In summer we had our Whit-suntide clothes, these werenew clothes worn from Whit-suntide.

Many mothers like oursstitched these clothes by hand.

GROUP PHOTO:Christine Jenkinsonbrought in thisphoto of Middleton youngsters.

SHOPPING: Note the advertson the side of these early

20th century shops Photo courtesy Leodis

You can watch our oral history film at

www.southleedslife.com- just click on the

special ‘Middleton Life’section on the

homepage


One day at mum’s houseI looked out of thekitchen window and

saw a boy jump out of a bed-room window and onto theground from one of two emptyhouses.

I went to see what wasgoing on - the boys had amattress on the path and were‘playing’ at jumping from thewindow. I was worried thatone of them may get badlyhurt.

I had heard about an advicecentre that had just been

started at St Cross Hall tosolve the problems tenantshad with electric bills and rentarrears etc.

I called in to see the staffabout the children in Middle-ton Park Square. We wereasked if we would start an ac-tion group for Middleton ParkSquare.

I had holes of three foot bytwo foot and two foot by two

foot in my roof. I had snow onmy aerial - and that washoused inside in my loft. Thecouncil couldn’t believe it! Ourgroup had a petition to get allthe houses in the square re-paired and sorted out.

We got quite a few housesdone and the parents on thestreet got together to form acommittee and sorted outsome activities for the childrento keep them off the streets.

After several years, StCross Hall had to be demol-ished so four people and my-

self went to see city council-lors in the Civic Hall to ask fora building to be built in theearly eighties.

Council leader GeorgeMudie told the group we couldhave the building.

The building - MiddletonNeighbourhood Family AndAdvice Centre, now known asMiddleton Community Centre- was built at a cost of£100,000.

After a few years we got a£90,000 extension. Its officialopening was 13 March 1984.

Action groups, snowand window jumpers!

Picture perfect - Broom Pit, 1913

A 1913 groupportrait of thestaff of BroomPit and Middleton Fireclay (bricks)companies. Theengine houseand windinggear of the pitare in the background.

Photograph reproduced with

permission ofLeodis

Christine JenkinsonCommunity reporter


SOUTH LEEDS at your fingertips!More articles, oral history

videos and comment on Middleton Life

and local history can be found at

www.southleedslife.com

Contribute to Middleton Lifeby using www.communityreporters. southleedslife.com - a practical step bystep guide to writing an article

SLL - July p20_Sll - july p20 18/07/2012 12:13 Page 1


Feedbackon the day

I should point out that I’mnot actually from Middleton,but I’ve lived in the area since1970 and I’ve grown veryfond of it.

I have always been inter-ested in history and while athigh school in the sixth form Idid a project on the history ofLiverpool (my home town).

I’ve not had a real chanceto study the history of Mid-dleton but had a smatteringafter helping my daughter todo some research at school.

Chance tolearn aboutwhere I liveJohn WhitworthMiddleton resident

I am the estate officer atMiddleton Park.

I’m interested in what linkscan be made between theMiddleton Life project andthe park.

I would like the park tofulfill its potential - includingits cultural heritage - to be avalued part of the local com-munity and beyond.

This looks like a very in-teresting project.

Link betweenproject andMiddleton PkGraeme AshtonEstate officer, Mid Park

Highlightingthe positivesMichael StoreyBelle Isle & Mid Together

First meeting draws in the crowds

I am part of an initiativecalled Belle Isle and Middle-ton Together which highlightsthe positives of the area andbrings people together. I’minterested in making links andlearning about our history.

Map of memoriesstarts our project

Did you know that in thetwelfth century the boundarybetween Middleton and Bee-ston became the focus of alegal dispute? Well, that’s one of the facts

about Middleton that the 35people who attended thelaunch of the new MiddletonLife local history project dis-covered in early February.The event, held at Tenants

Hall Enterprise Centre, sawlocal residents, members ofMiddleton Community Group,the Friends of MiddletonPark, representatives from

localschools and local councillorsgather to mark the start of theambitious project.People enjoyed taking part

in a fun quiz which testedpeople’s knowledge of localhistory. They marked theirmemories of Middleton’s paston a map and listed whatthey thought were importantplaces and events.

Ready for action: Christine Thornton and Steve Peacock before the initial meeting. Steve’sa man of taste - he’s about to read a copy of South Leeds Life! Photos: John Baron

CHINWAG: Members of the Friends ofMiddleton Park get together.

SLL - July - p21_Layout 1 18/07/2012 12:16 Page 1

Feedbackfrom the day

Hard timesfor health in19th century


Trip to Thackray Medical Museum

Disease and illnessin bygone times

Fancy swallowing some livesnails to eat the phlegm offyour chest and cure yourTB? Or perhaps taking mer-cury to cure syphilis? Per-haps some liquorice couldcure your whooping cough?Those were three of the

19th century ‘quack’ curesthe Middleton Life historyproject crew discovered dur-ing their trip to ThackrayMuseum on February 29.The museum highlights the

health and wellbeing of peo-ple living in Leeds from theearly 19th century rightthrough to modern day. It covers a time when there

was no sanitation or cleanwater, when people lived incellar dwellings with theirlivestock and working classpeople had a life ex-pectancy of just 25 years.In 1890 one in seven ba-

bies in Leeds died beforetheir first birthday due to thepoor conditions. Some of the conditions

people lived in just 150years ago were shocking.Conditions in Middletonwould have been pretty sim-ilar.More recently Middleton

Life member ChristineThornton recalled her fathertelling her that he had all histeeth pulled out on thekitchen table in their Middle-ton home.Members enjoyed their

fact-finding trip about howlife – and health – used tobe.

Hard medicine: Operations in bygone times were a dirty, dangerous and painful experience. Photos by group members

Museum trip highlightshealth issues of past

Vera Humphrey &Pat SmithCommunity reporters

We really enjoyedour trip toThackray Med-

ical Museum. Here aresome things we learnt:

Schools for poorchildren: John Metcalflaid the foundation stoneof the Moral and Indus-trial Training School in1846. It is now the Lin-coln Wing of St James’sHospital.

The pupils, who wereusually admitted agedseven to nine years old,were the children of un-employed or unemploy-able people.

Variously described at‘thin and deformed’,‘slender’, ‘stooping’ and‘pitted with smallpox’ thechildren, nearly 500 innumber, were taught tai-loring and shoemakingand domestic duties toboost their chances ofgetting a job.

Surgery in 1824: Han-nah Dyson was an 11-year-old girl who workedat Marshalls Mill in Hol-beck. Her leg wascrushed by machineryand we saw how sur-geons had to amputateher leg using saws andknives (pictured above,right).

There was no anaes-thetic and no means ofsterilising equipment orthe wound itself.

Sadly Hannah died 13days after the operation.

We enjoyed the mu-seum, but we wouldn’thave wanted the sur-geons to use the in-struments on us!

In 1824 a dispensary opened where the poor could obtain free medicines.From 1872 horse-drawn tramsran in the streets of Leeds.After 1894 they were replaced by electric trams.

By 1851 Leeds was growing rapidly but many of the new houses built were dreadful. Overcrowding was rife andstreets were very dirty. Rats wereeverywhere! A cholera epidemic in 1849 killed over 2,000 people

GRAFT:Photos

from thelate

19th andearly20th

century.Imageson thispage

courtesyLeeds Mu-seum andGalleries(Crowther

Collec-tion)


John BaronMagazine editor

Reflections on our trip to National Coalmining Museum

Coal mining was once one of thebest industries in the British Isles- but it was also one of the most

dangerous ones.In olden days the miners would make

wooden props to hold the roof of themine up. The props would be madefrom tree trunks.

The mines were opened up centuriesago and in those days they wereworked by not just men but women andchildren as well.

When the mines first started, the roadgoing through it would be narrow andthe roofs would be very low, so menwould have to crawl along on theirstomachs with pick axes and a small

candle to light their way. The roof could fall in and the miners

killed or trapped. There would be littlechance of them being rescued.

Some mines were flooded throughunderground springs and rivers break-ing through the walls. Many men,women and children lost their lives somine owners put flood gates in. Therewas also the risk of fire.

Due to these accidents rescue teamswere formed. It must have been a night-mare for families standing at the top ofthose pit heads waiting to hear news ofthose miners.

The pit village for Middleton Collierywas the old Belle Isle Village. Cottagesat the side of the pit were called Water-loo Cottages.

My mother in law and the Tipple fam-ily lived in the last of these cottages. Myfather in law Walter Tipple drove thecoal train.

Hard labour forall the family

Middleton was built around coal. There is evidence of coal mining dating back to the Middle Ages in theshaft mounds, waggonways and similar archaeological features resulting from early mining activity in

Middleton Woods. The earliest pits were bell pits in the 17th century or earlier.Later the 1,200 acre Middleton Hall estate supplied coal to Leeds but was disadvantaged in the trade bypoor roads. Deep mining arrived with the advent of steam engines which pumped water out of the minesand kept the workings dry and made it possible to raise coal quickly from greater depths. In 1780 a New-comen engine was installed at Middleton. The market for coal grew as Leeds and its industries expandedand the mine employed 90 hewers and 60 putters by 1808. The Middleton Railway was founded in 1758 by

England's first railway Act. Its purpose was to transport coal from the mines to the centre of Leeds.

Middleton’s rich mining history

Vera HumphreyCommunity reporter

Would you like your six year old son ordaughter working down the mine, tied toa stake for 14 hours a day to stop themescaping the pitch black conditions?

That was the question posed to mem-bers of the Middleton Life group as theywent deep underground at the NationalCoalmining Museum near Wakefield.

Middleton’s well known for its min-ing heritage and it was a fascinatingtour around the workings of an actualmine about how things used to be forpeople working in mines in the past200 years or so.

We donned miners’ helmets and aGhostbusters-style backpack and flash-light and were taken down into the depthsof a mine as deep as Blackpool Tower istall.

We heard about the squalid and hotconditions where whole families wereforced to work in the 1800s and of thedangerous working conditions they faced.

Our guide told us about the HartleyMine disaster in Tyne and Wear whichkilled 204 miners, the youngest aged just10.

We heard of how whole familiesworked down the mines, with the fatherdigging for coal in ‘pillar and stall’ works,the mother pulling a heavy sledge of coal(she was called the ‘hurrier’ as the father

was often telling her to hurry up). The youngsters, often as young as six,

would act as ‘doorstoppers’, opening thedoors to the ‘pillar and stall’ shafts.

With only one candle between them all,it would be the child who would sit in thepitch black all day.

To stop the frightened children from try-ing to get out, some would be tied to thedoor.

It was hot, filthy, hard labour in ap-palling conditions.

It wasn’t until 1842 that women andchildren aged under 10 were no longerallowed to work in mines. 1842 was thedate the pit ponies – often ShetlandPonies – were introduced.

The Miners’ Welfare Fund was set upin 1920.

It made you think what the people ofMiddleton who worked down the minemust have been going through.

Fancy a lifedown t’pit?

TRIP: National Coalmining Museum.TRIP: National Coalmining Museum.

Broom Pit was the deepest Middleton

pit at 810 feet andlongest lasting of theMiddleton collieries. Operations at the pit

ended in 1968.

WORKING: Rare photo of Middleton miners in working clothes



Interviewsare videoed

Oral history

Two oral history sessions inMarch saw our group membersinterviewing fellow residentsfrom Middleton Elderly Aid andthe Middleton Methodist Churchcoffee morning about their mem-ories of Middleton and generallife in the community.

Check out page 18-19 formore info on the interviews.

Leodis talk on old Miggy photosMore than 20 people attended an openevening meeting about the work of the‘Leodis’ online archive of old Leeds photo-graphs back in March.Rose Gibson, from Leodis, explained that

Leodis was a place where people couldfind an archive of photographs from Mid-dleton, but also the rest of south Leedsand, indeed, the city. Rose told people how they could search

the archives, how to go on guided toursaround the site and how to post commentsand reminiscences on photos, as well ascreating your own albums.

Some of the photographs she showeddrew much discussion from the audience. Photos included the old Tivoli Cinema,

and a 1939 photo of advertising hoardingsfor businesses like Ovaltine, Nestle andLeslie Howard in the movie Pygmalion onthe side of Gibbs’ Butchers. A 1948 photoof Middleton Golf Clubhouse, trams, a1916 image of Middleton Old Village anda more recent one of Middleton Arms fol-lowed. The old images were truly breath-taking and generated much discussion.

The evening ended with a brief introduc-tion to writing an article for South LeedsLife magazine for core members.

Check out more about Leodis:www.leodis.net

Leodis talk

DISCUSSION: Core groupmembers pour over amap with workshopleader Meena Jeewa.

PHOTOS: ChristineJenkinson, Chris-tine Thornton and Valerie Higgins(above) take a tripdown memorylane.MAPPED OUT:Brian Hope andFrank Wright scrutinise an oldmap (left).

Photos: YvonneDeane & John Baron

Exploringthe rich history ofcommunitySince February our community volun-teers have been meeting regularly to ex-plore Middleton’s history.

Using old maps, the internet and theirown memories they have tracked thechanges over centuries.Here’s what the group discovered dur-

ing some of the early workshops held atTenants Hall:

• People started coming to Middleton in the 1930sfrom Hunslet for the good of their health – therewas fresh air here and it was nice and clean. Hun-slet and Beeston had the jobs, men from Middletonworked there. The jam factory in Beeston was amajor employer.• Moorhouse Jam Factory in Beeston – in the sum-mer apparently you could smell strawberries in Mid-dleton?• There is a fishing community in the park/lake andhas been for a long time.• There used to be 10 stone cottages on one side ofthe lake.• A tram system used to go through the woods –there were beautiful views. Christine Thornton tookthe number 12 tram from school.• Christine was part of St John’s AmbulanceBrigade. They trained every week above the Co-opon Lingwell Road.• Football pitches: ‘Farmer Wards’ in the park werediscussed – but don’t exist any more?• Hunslet is where all would go play rugby matches.• There was a ‘Tardis’-style police box where thenew clinic is, the old clinic is now the car park.• Open shelter in the park used to be popular.• General tension between Belle Isle and Middletonwas mentioned. Some people from Middleton do notuse the ‘hub’ because it is in Belle Isle. • Locals are referred to as ‘Miggyites’ and Middle-ton as ‘Miggy.’

Workshop activities

Video training: Kerrieand the group.


Members enjoyed a trip tothe world’s oldest continu-ously working commercialrailway on Saturday, April21.

Unlike our trip to Mid-dleton Park, the weatherstayed mostly dry at Mid-dleton Railway.

We were treated to atalk on the history of therailway by one of the vol-unteers, Dave, who toldus it was founded in 1758and is now a heritage rail-way run by volunteersfrom The Middleton Rail-

way Trust Ltd since 1960.It was built to carry

coal from the pits in Mid-dleton woods/park intoLeeds.

We also enjoyed a rideon the railway – if youhaven’t had a go, do – it’sa lovely little trip!

One of our members,Martin, said that whenthey were building the M1motorway, the powers thatbe apparently originallyconsidered some sort ofrailway crossing as themotorway went acrossMiddleton Railway’s line.Imagine that – a railwaycrossing on the motorway!

Can anyone shed anymore light on this?


Middleton Park on agenda two sessions

History and murderat Friends’ park talk Railway

has lots of history

By gum, did it rain!Everyone wassoaked to the skinas they spent anhour and a halfslipping on muddywoodland paths todiscover more ofMiddleton Woods’past as a centre ofindustrial and min-ing activity.

The April 18 tripwas led by hostsAlan Shaw and JimJackson from theFriends of Middle-ton Park, who

kindly braved thedownpour and re-sultant quagmireto give up theirtime to show peo-ple some of thehistorical hotspotsof the area.

It proved incredi-bly interesting. Ba-sically, if you see alarge hole in theground, it’s proba-bly a former min-ing shaft! It’samazing the thingsyou can just walkpast and not notice

in the woods thatprobably have a lotof history behindthem. And some ofthe paths you walkon probably dateback centuries andwere used as min-ing tracks.

The group wasjoined by ten verypolite and well-be-haved pupils fromMiddleton Primary,who were a creditto their school indifficult condi-tions!

The long history of MiddletonPark - which includes death,mining and some really colour-ful stories - was featured in atalk to Middleton Life by a cou-ple of community stalwarts.Alan Shaw and Jim Jackson,

of the Friends of MiddletonPark group, spoke to 15 resi-dents on a warm Marchevening about the landmarkevents which have shaped thehistoric park and its rich miningheritage, which at one pointsaw a network of deep miningpits under the park estate.Mr Shaw kicked off his talk by

focussing on Middleton’s firstmention in the history books -the Domesday Book in the11th century. The first mention of coalmin-

ing in the park wasn’t until1632, he said.In the twelfth century the

boundary between Middletonand Beeston became thefocus of a protracted legal dis-pute between WilliamGrammary and Adamde Beeston. Thedispute was overwhere theboundary laythrough thedense woodlandwhich then cov-ered the area. Thedispute was settled in

1209 by "single combat" andthe construction of a boundarybank and ditch, a stretch ofwhich can still be seen in Mid-dleton Woods.The murder of Emily Young in

1934 drew much discussion.Apparently she lived in Garnett

Drive, off Dewsbury Road,met a male friend and

was strangled.Alan showed pho-tos of the twotram stops in thepark - and alsothe number 12

tram. It was notedwith irony that the

number 12 bus now

comes through Middleton!Jim Jackson focused on min-

ing. He said there was no evi-dence to support the popularmyth that the monks from Kirk-stall Abbey mined in the park.The first pits in Middleton wereshallow ‘bell pits’ followed bydeeper mining from the 1700sThe park is now a scheduled

monument by English Heritagedue to its coal mining past. By1755 wooden ‘waggon ways’ran from the woods to thestaith at Thwaite Gate in Hun-slet, ahead of the railway.There were accidents a

plenty - four were killed in1733, one in 1745.

Middleton colliers of the 1770s aged over60 years of age couldearn 2s a day for a nine-hour shift.A 1790s miner couldexpect to earn three tofour shillings a day for anine-hour shift

Park trip: It rained and it rained!

Middleton Park Photo courtesy FOMP.Middleton Park Photo courtesy FOMP.

SOAKED: Steve Peacocklooks for shelter.

Photo: Alex Smith

sll - July p25_SLL - July p25 18/07/2012 12:23 Page 1

Cockburn pupils riseto radio challenge

Planningthe newpanels

Window is areal wonder!

Connecting the genera-tions has been an inter-esting - and important -part of the project.

Middleton Life mem-bers visited CockburnSchool in Beeston inApril to be interviewedby pupils Jennifer Lan-caster and Jessica Wal-ton about theirmemories of Middleton.

The hour-long inter-view was condensedinto a 20-minute ’broad-cast’ online as part of aradio programme put to-gether by pupils. Theyasked questions about avariety of things.

Topics included shop-ping in Middleton in the‘olden days’ to changesin technology andlifestyles.

Members enjoyed an-swering the questionsfrom the children, whichcovered everything fromcentral heating to play-ing out.

Jennifer and Jessicawere gently quizzed onhow they view the areaand their lives now.

Members of MiddletonLife spent a couple oflively sessions planningthe panels which nowform a focus at TenantsHall Enterprise Centre.

We looked at Middle-ton’s history in four mainperiods, dating backhundreds of years rightthrough to the presentday.

There was a rich dis-cussion about the kind ofthings we wanted to in-clude in the panels.

We quickly came tothe conclusion that wecouldn’t cover every-thing, but the panelsnow create a fascinatingguide to Middletonthrough the ages.

We also discussedwhich photographswould work best, withmembers bringing intheir own family photo-graphs and pictures ofthe area and some oldmementos such asChristine Jenkinson’s oldRation Books from theSecond World War.

As part of our finalsessions membersplanned what input theywere going to have atthe main launch event.

ABOVE: Paul,Sandra andChristineprepare for questions.

LEFT: Pupils Jennifer Lancasterand JessicaWalton setthe agenda.


Every Friday morning since the end of Aprila group of Middleton Life members havebeen learnind a new skill at CockburnSchool- making stained glass windows.

And this window is a special one cele-brating Middleton’s history and landmarksthat will hang at Tenants Hall EnterpriseCentre.

The class carefully drew out the windowin great detail, deciding which images andlandmarks to use and which ones wouldn’tfit. The window includes images of the Mid-dleton miner, Middleton Railway, trams andbluebells from Middleton Woods.

Each piece of glass is selected for thedesired colour and cut to match a section ofthe drawing.

It was hard but rewarding work for theteam, supervised by Cockburn’s Kath Pen-chion. Members included MartinBartholomew, John Bates, Pat Benatmane,Paul Hebden and Roland Pilling. They wereably assisted by parent/volunteer PaulCrawshaw.

sll - July p26_sll - July p26 18/07/2012 12:24 Page 1


We’ve been Middleton Life 2012

Thank you for your contributions!

Participating groups, organisations and services

Graeme AshtonS AtkinsonP & M BarberAlison BatesCllr Judith BlakeP BowlerCharlotte BrittonEmma BrothwoodL CaleyR&J CooperPeter & Marlene DaleGeoff DriverIvor DykesLisa FirthRiose Gibson (Leodis)J GradyCllr Kim GrovesJane HaswellErica Hartley

Jean HaughtonMargaret HebdenR & S HemingwaySheila HugginsDeacon Al HenryJim JacksonFrances JonesP MackintoshMick McCannPat McGeeverNick RoseAlan ShawPat SmithNuala StantovMichael StoreyMadge TyldsleyHarriet WalshJohn Whitworth

Other participants/volunteers

Cockburn radio interviews

Cockburn School/South Leeds CLC

Oral history interviewees* Middleton Primary wall hanging

l Cockburn Schooll Friends of Middleton Parkl Health for Alll Leeds City Councill Leeds Library and Information

Services (www.leodis.net)l Leeds Museums and Galleriesl Middleton Elderly Aidl Middleton Railway Trust

l Middleton Methodist Church l Middleton Primary Schooll National Coalmining Museuml South Leeds CLCl South Leeds Life groupl Thackray Museuml West Yorkshire Archive

Service

Core Group and community reportersMartin BartholomewJohn BatesPat BenatmaneAda BosomworthSandra FirthPaul HebdenValerie HigginsBrian HopeVera HumphreyChristine JenkinsonCarole McNightStephen PeacockRoland PillingChristine ThorntonFrank Wright

Betty DawesEmma NieldBarbara & Derek Rawden

Marlene SilverwoodRobin SilverwoodCarolyn Smith

Chloe FarrarMegan HoulgateJoshua MarsdenRyan NunnConnor OldfieldDanielle Milner

Shannon MounteneyKaci RaynorEllie SilverwoodKassidy SunderlandMrs Kate Timpson

Stained glass windowMartin BartholomewJohn BatesPat Benatmane

Paul CrawshawPaul HebdenRoland Pilling

Middleton Life project teamJohn Baron – South Leeds Life Deane Associates – Project management andproduction supportApple Box –Workshop leaderMair Education –

Oral history training andworkshop supportKerrie McKinnon – Film training & editingAlex Smith – Photography and trainingAndy Edwards – Graphic design

Jennifer Lancaster Jessica Walton

Middleton churchyard Photo by Alex Smith.Middleton churchyard Photo by Alex Smith.

* includes core group above

Peter NuttallKath Penchion

Anna Clapham



*Terms and conditions: The ticket is for two adults, two children. The winners will be drawn at random after the closing date. No alternativeprizes will be offered. Tickets are subject to terms and conditions set by The Middleton Railway Trust.

South Leeds Life has teamed up with the Middleton Railway Trust to offerTWO family day rover tickets as prizes in an exciting competition. To

have a chance of winning one of the tickets, simply tell us:

It’s competition time...

How long has Middleton Railway been run by volunteers?And send your entries to Middleton Railway competition, South Leeds Life, Tenants Hall Enterprise Centre, Acre Close, Middleton, LS10 4HX or email themto [email protected]. Closing date is August 13, 2012.

www.middletonrailway.org.uk

Tel: 0845 [email protected]

Open every Saturday and Sunday ’til the end of Novemberand every Wednesday in August

Railway celebrates steamThe world’s oldest working railway cel-ebrated 200 years of steam by draw-ing in bumper crowds to a specialevent.

Middleton Railway, which runs fromits station in Moor Road, Hunslet,through to Middleton Park, once pio-neered the engines that powered theindustrial revolution and establishedBritain’s place as the foremost econ-omy in the world.

200 years on from the first time thecommercial steam locomotive Sala-manca trundled down its tracks, thevolunteers at the railway held a specialweekend with a fleet of engines from

different eras on display. A vintage bus ferried enthusiasts

from Leeds train station and Leeds busstation to the Middleton Railway, takingin the sights. Organisers attracted1,000 people over the two days.

John Blenkinsop’s Salamanca trun-dled down Middleton’s tracks at Mid-dleton some 17 years beforeStephenson’s more famous Rocket.Middleton Railway ferried coal fromMiddleton’s mines - the last of whichclosed in 1968 - into the River Airenear the city centre.

The railway has been run by a trustmade up of volunteers since 1960.

ONTRACK:Images

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