Rodley to Leeds – 26th April 2018
Our walk today started at Rodley, walking east towards Leeds. The weather was dry – a mixture of sun and cloud with a following wind. The wind soon eased as the trees and landscape protected us. We soon came to the Fallwood Marina and the three rise locks at Newlay. Passing Bramley Fall on our right, we reached another three rise set of locks at Forge and the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey came into view to our left. The Abbey was built between 1152 and 1182 and is an example of early Cistercian architecture. We had a stop for cakes and ice cream at the Hollybush Conservation Centre cafe with an amusing set of planters in the garden. We carried on under bridge No. 222 – a Grade II listed bridge built around 1780 – and passed through Armley and past the Aire Valley Marina and the Leeds Industrial Museum. At Oddy Locks we saw a set of murals, called “Fragments from the post-industrial state” by Graeme Willson painted between 1981 and 1985. Next came Castleton Mill with curved bays at each end. As the canal, river and railway are funnelled together we saw the Italianate towers of the former Tower Works which produced pins and needles for the textile industry. These are based on the Lamberti Tower in Verona, the Campanile of Florence Cathedral and a tower in San Gimignano in Tuscany. By contrast at Office Lock is the modern Bridgewater Place tower – the tallest building in Yorkshire. At our destination, Granary Wharf we see Candle House – a 23 storey round tower – named after the candle and tallow warehouses which used to stand there. The canal ends here, emptying into the River Aire through Lock No.1 alongside the stone built Leeds and Liverpool Canal Warehouse completed in 1777. We then found The Hop on the wharf for a well earned rest and drink before being picked up by our coach and return to our hotel in Shipley. After a quick wash and change, we reassembled in the Noble Comb for our evening meal.