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| A blue plaque at The Tetley |
My brief visit to Old Edlington on 17th October 2024, mainly to look at the dark red sandstone used in St. Peter’s church, proved to be my last day out for very nearly four weeks, with my next trip being another British Listed Buildings Photo Challenge in Leeds on 13th November – when I would celebrate my 64th birthday by having a meal at Khao Gaeng Thai in Kirkgate Market.
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| My British Listed Buildings Photo Challenge |
When planning my route using Google Map and Street View, I soon realised that the old industrial areas around Hunslet, Leeds Dock and on the east bank of the River Aire - to the south-east of the city centre - have been radically changed by the building of the ring road and slum clearance in the second half of the C20 and recently with massive apartment blocks.
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| The area around Hunslet on the 1893 OS map |
As with my previous trips to Leeds in August and October, I was also very aware that I would not see many buildings that would be of great interest to readers of this Language of Stone Blog, in its strictest sense, but nonetheless I hope that my description of this day out on the buses and trains appeals to everyone who has an interest in historic architecture.
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| The area around Hunslet on Google Map |
Leaving Leeds railway station by the exit that leads to Granary Wharf, I crossed Unity Bridge and on Neville Street, I immediately stopped outside the offices of the Direct Line Group, where there are large slabs of volcanic green slate from the Borrowdale Volcanic Group in Cumbria and purple Welsh slate, which contain thin beds of green volcanic ash.
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| Slabs of volcanic green slate and purple Welsh slate |
Continuing to Victoria Bridge (1837-39), I got my first sight of the very coarse grained and pebbly Rough Rock, which may be from the Bramley Fall quarry that was set near to the south bank of the River Aire just upstream from Kirkstall Abbey, which is built with this stone.
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| Rough Rock used at Victoria Bridge |
From the bridge, I had a view of the Grade II* listed former Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company warehouse (c.1776), where the main block was designed by the company engineer Robert Owen with Rough Rock again being used for this building and for the retaining walls of the locks.
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| The former Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company warehouse |
Taking the path on the south bank of the river, I headed east until I came to Victoria Mills (1836 and 1847) on the opposite bank which, along with the buildings mentioned above, was not part of my Photo Challenge. The 1893 Ordnance Survey (OS) map describes it as Victoria Ware Mills (dry saltery) and the Historic England (HE) description refers to dye and linseed oil.
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| Victoria Mills |
A little further down the path next to the car park for ASDA House, a section of a wall with a arched doorway has very surprisingly been retained during the redevelopment of the south bank of the river. Looking at the side by side view of the 1893 OS map, this would seem to relate to the Sunday School that was sited next door to the Methodist church.
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| A section of wall with a doorway |
Walking along Salem Place, the former Salem Unity Reformed Church (1794) is another example of the use of Rough Rock and, together with the attached Sunday school, has survived the wholesale redevelopment of an area that had been dominated by the Tetley Brewery since 1822, when Joshua Tetley acquired the brewery that William Sykes had operated since 1792.
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| The former Salem Unity Reformed Church |
The brewery was demolished in 2012, with only the Art Deco office building (1931) left standing, which was converted into The Tetley contemporary art gallery in 2013, but this has since closed and the building, which is still named The Tetley, is owned by Kirkstall Brewery.
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| The former offices of the Tetley Brewery |
Although not a listed building, it retains many of its original Art Deco features that were designed by the architects Kirk and Tomlinson, including the ornate wrought iron lift shaft, but on this occasion I just took photos of the exterior and the foundation stones at the main entrance.
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| A foundation stone |
The Tetley is at the centre of yet another very large modern development in Leeds, Aire Park, which is a 10 hectare site that has a large green space at its centre, but will be dominated by vast blocks of soulless apartments and offices, some of which will include retail units.
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| A view of Aire Park |
Taking a couple of photographs of the equally uninspiring landscaping, which includes large rough blocks of sandstone and gabions, I continued to Crown Point Road, where the Grade II listed boundary walls and gates to Chadwick Lodge were part of my Photo Challenge.
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| The boundary wall and gates at Chadwick Lodge |
I didn’t inspect the stone but, looking at my photos, the plane bedding and yellowish colour of the sandstone suggests that it is from the Elland Flags, which was obtained from several quarries on the north side of Leeds, but it looks like Rough Rock has been used for Chadwick Lodge.
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| Chadwick Lodge |