Post Hill Leeds

[telecat]

A piece of land bought and paid for by the Yorkshire Post for Motor sport. Taken over during the war and not given back to the club. Now Leeds City council seem to like messing anybody using it for anything but dog walking and locals using it as a "party" venue. Sorry but the "war Dept" and the land they requisitioned needs to be sorted out. too many people lost out and the use of the area by passing to to "local" authorities has lead to loss of amenities. Allowing building on this area is just not in keeping with it's original use.

[johnnyboxer]

Edited February 14, 2016 by johnnyboxer

[telecat]

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/west-leeds-post-hill-built-by-newspaper-s-readers-1-5847218

 

[telecat]

"A Portrait of Farnley" by the Farnley Local History Group says.

"In 1925 Leeds Motor Club were looking for land on which to construct tracks for speed and freak climbing conditions. A Mr. Fred Langton "discovered" the hill, and the Yorkshire Evening Post arranged to purchase the land, and present it for the permanent use of the Leeds Motor Club, as a centre for motoring events.

Officials of the club announced that as a compliment to the Yorkshire Evening Post the hill would be named Post Hill. The site was cleared of shrubs and small trees and there was ample stone to lay a rough track. The inclined length of the hill is 527ft and rises 200ft. The steepest gradient is 1 in 1.6

On 24th July 1926 the hill was formally presented to the club by Mr. R. R. Whittaker, editor of the Evening Post. Sir Charles Wilson, MP, officially declared the hill open. There was an estimated crowd of 10,000 spectators when racing began"
 

[telecat]

Looking at the Maps of 1810 It seems that the Quarry was where the Houses were Built and Post Hill Itself was not actually Quarried until after the War. Even then it seems to be a fairly small area. The 1800's Quarry was known as "Mary Harrisons Quarry" And Harrisons was a local Building company. It's ironic that the area is under Housing. As stated the Yorkshire Post themselves state they bought the land presumably off Harrisons, and it was Renamed "Post Hill". Previously it was Park Springs. The Land was used during the war for a POW camp although I would expect that to be the Quarry and also AA batteries. After the war it was transferred to Harrisons and that's were the Lease must have started.

[sparks2]

Hi
I know Post Hill quite well, so read the above with interest although I can't add much.

But I can offer an explanation as to how the POW / AA (anti-aircraft) battery confusion may have come about.

Towards the end of the war (1944/1945) and in the immediate post war years some of the AA battery sites around northern towns
were used to house Italian and no doubt some German prisoners of war.

The 'prisoners' worked on local farms during the day and were pretty much free to come and go as they pleased.
After the war the process of returning POWs took some time that in many cases stretched to years.

Indeed, many chose not to return, maybe they had nothing to return to, they just integrated / married into the local community and made their life here.

Of course, when an AA battery site was turned over to house POWs it would cease to function as a gun site but by then the risk
of raids was small.

Regards
Sparks

Edited February 22, 2016 by sparks2