| Title | Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) |
| Date | c1900s |
| Location | Guiseley |
| Photo ID | M016 |
| Comment | Cuddy Hill, now called Back Lane. ‘Cuddy’ was a local name for a donkey, this was part of an old route to Bradford via the Coach Road. |
F094 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), c1900s.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – c1900s
The house on the left is still standing and has been extended, this is a short distance from the junction with Park Road.
The buildings in the background on the left were part of Fred Twistleton’s farm and were demolished around 1960 to provide more land for Guiseley School.
On the right the houses were home to Belgian refugees during the 1914-1918 War. A metal ring was attached to one of the houses at the front, it was used for tethering donkeys, this part of Back Lane was known as “Cuddy Hill” cuddy being an old word for donkey.
Houses and bungalows now line this section of the Lane (October 2012).
X176 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), c1900s.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – c1900s
Cottages on Back Lane, the view looks towards Claughton’s boot factory, the mill chimney is visible.
The house on the left is still there but the cottages have been replaced by bungalows (March 2013).
I368 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), 1966.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – 1966
This image shows the rear view of cottages on Back Lane.
I369 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), 1966.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – 1966
This image shows a view of the fronts, the grass in the foreground is now (February 2015) the garden of a bungalow on the opposite side of the lane, to the left is a footpath which leads to Cavendish Grove and Renton Lea.
X177 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), c1970s.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – c1970s
Cottages on Back Lane, this view is unchanged except for the vehicles and external alterations to the houses (March 2013).
The street on the right is Pendragon Terrace.
Y43 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), 2000.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – 2000
This was the site of the Yorkshire Electricity Board depot, before that Cotopa Mill was on the site.
The site of 1.48 hectares (3.65 acres) is advertised for sale, graffiti on the wall reads “Say no to 117 flats”.
It is now the Aldersyde residential development (April 2013).
Editor’s Note: The Cotopa Mill was the scene of an explosion during 1941 in which four young women were killed and one seriously injured.
To view further details of this disaster, please – Click Here.
Y44 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), c1970s.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – 2000
This housing development is on the site of the former Silver Cross pram works.
Bryant Homes are advertising the area as “Saxon Wells”.
Y45 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), 2000.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – 2000
New homes being built on the former Silver Cross pram works site.
FF061 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), 2004.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – 2004
New houses under construction on Back Lane, the wall on the right is the end of a row of stone terrace houses facing onto Pendragon Terrace.
FF062 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), 2004.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – 2004
The house on the left is a short distance past the junction with Park Road.
FF063 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), 2004.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – 2004
Houses under construction at the junction of Back Lane and Aldersyde Road.
The Aldersyde estate was built on the site of Back Lane Mill, in the 1930s it was occupied by Cotopa who used a chemical process to colour cotton.
During the 2nd World War they were manufacturing dummy hand grenades for use by the Home Guard when an explosion occurred which killed 4 girls and severely injured another, this was in September 1941.
Production continued on the site until a fire on 31st December 1948 ravaged the building until nothing remained.
The site was then used by the Electricity Board.
FF064 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), 2004.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – 2004
New houses being built on Back Lane.
V445 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), 2016.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – 2016
Looking down Back Lane from Park Road.
Photographer Edwy Harling.
A797 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), 2016.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – 2016
24 Back Lane, the donor of these photos Colin Stanforth, was born there and told us “It didn’t have a porch or double glazing but there was a stone to the left of the door, on a level with the lintel with the legend “Maple Cottage EB 1935 HS”, which I believe was the date of the conversion from a barn. Number 28 on the other hand is the original farm house of the row and has a date stone of 17??. I think this possibly makes it one of the oldest continuously inhabited houses in Guiseley. Number 18 which is at the right end of the row was a more modern addition and was the farmhouse in my time “
A798 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), 2016.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – 2016
On the left, just after the parked car is approximately the position of the end wall of the Cotopa Mill, scene of a terrible explosion in which four girls were fatally injured and one severely injured during 1941.
The end terrace house towards the top of the view was Dixon’s confectioners shop until the late 1950s.
A797 – Back Lane (Cuddy Hill), 2016.
Back Lane (Cuddy Hill) – 2016
Numbers 18 to 28 Back Lane, 28 is the white house on the right.
Previous Comments:
Re X177
Colin
The building jutting out on the right was a Confectionery shop (Dixon’s) until the mid 50s
31 August 2016.
Re A799
Laura Lakin
Really interesting. We live at 28 Back Lane. Our date stone reads 1725 HSP. We discovered the initials stand for Henry and Susanna Popplewell who we presume built the property all that time ago.
18 February 2021.
Re A797
Brian Codd
Memories come flooding back at the photo and comments from Colin Stanforth.
No: 24 Maple Cottage was the family home of my grandparents Eva and Herbert Stanforth, Colin (my Uncle) and his sister Marjorie Codd (my Mother) who incidentally is still going strong at the age of 99.
On a side issue my father (Maurice Codd) made the gate you can see in the photo whilst he and my mother lived there in their early days of married life which would have been around 1944. The ‘S’ in the gate stands for Stanforth.
It’s not done too bad has it ?
15 April 2021.
Consolidated by Jack Brayshaw. 06 February 2022.
Last updated: 06 February 2022.
