Pottery Field
This area was the industrial heart of Hunslet and indeed Leeds. Between 1758 and 1947 coal was transported by horse-drawn wagons or steam locomotives from Middleton to coal staithes close to the centre of Leeds by the Middleton Railway (the line originally terminated slightly further north than the one shown on the map here). Close by in 1840 the North Midland Railway opened its line from Derby to a station on Hunslet Lane, providing Leeds with its first rail links to the Midlands and London. In the 1840s and 50s The Railway Foundry was the largest locomotive builder in Britain, prompting the growth of more loco manufacturers in the vicinity: Hunslet Engine, Kitson, Manning Wardle and Hudswell Clarke. Other well-known companies also established here, including John Fowler, McLaren, Hathorn Davey, Alf Cooke and E.J.Arnold. Pottery Field takes its name from the Leeds Pottery which was established here in 1770 and made creamware with an international reputation.
The map below shows the street pattern in 1932. Hover over Red circles to show places listed in a 1936 trade directory. Yellow circles denote pubs. Click on Blue circles to read more about a particular place.
The map below shows the street pattern in 1932. Hover over Red circles to show places listed in a 1936 trade directory. Yellow circles denote pubs. Click on Blue circles to read more about a particular place.
An 1829 print showing the northern end of the Middleton Railway with Christ Church in the background
Image copyright of Leeds Library and Information Services
Leathley Road
Hunslet Road
Grape Street
Pearson Street
Dewsbury Road
Meadow Lane
Hunslet Lane
Kidacre Street
Jack Lane
The coal staithe on Kidacre Street, which was the northern end of the Middleton Railway (undated)
Image copyright of Leeds Library and Information Services
St. Jude's Mission Room, Myrtle Street. Built in 1875. In the 1940s it was used as an air raid shelter (undated)
Image copyright of Leeds Library and Information Services
Image copyright of Leeds Library and Information Services
Middleton Railway
Scale one inch to about 120 yards
N
Bonded warehouse, Hunslet Lane Goods Yard (1964)
Image permission of Sheila Bye
Image permission of Sheila Bye
Former Pottery Field Methodist Mission Hall on Leathley Road/Pearson Street (photo 2010)
An evocative photo, probably from the late 1940s/early 1950s, looking towards Jack Lane. The train is on the LMS line, with a footbridge on the left and the Middleton railway on the right. The former Parkfield Picture Palace (it closed in 1946) is in the centre background (see map above for viewpoint)
Image provided by Roy Townsley
Image provided by Roy Townsley
