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Home » Rawdon » Landmarks Rawdon » Canada Estate

Canada Estate

Canada Road 1907
Title Canada Estate
Date 1907
Location Rawdon
Photo ID W984
Comment The bottom of Canada Road taken in 1907. Behind the photographer is the Harrogate Road, to the right the road lead to Rawdon and to the left Yeadon. The first house was later to become Hardwicks Hardware Store with a large window on the gable end. See D959 below.

The Canada estate consists of Canada Road, Canada Drive, Canada Crescent & Canada Terrace.

In the 1800’s there was only Canada Road – originally the area was called Crosshills. The houses on Canada Road were originally “club” properties i.e built by a club of local people who helped each other build their own home, a very early form of a local building society. The land was bought from John Marshall of Yeadon. Some had looms upstairs at a time when domestic cloth production was a useful source of income in many parts of West Yorkshire.

Between 1919 – 1928 private builders began to build the Canada estate, adding to the area, the Drive, Crescent and Terrace, previously fields, the council sold of plots of land.

Canada Road c1907

L685 – Canada Road, c1907.

Canada Road – c1907

A similar image to the one above of the bottom of Canada Road. Here we see that the ivy on the front of No:1 Canada Road has crept around the gable end.

Canada Road Undated

E077 – Canada Road, Undated.

Canada Road – Undated

The property behind the lamp post was a public house named The Lantern, later renamed the The Fox and Hounds until the licence passed to the Stone Trough on Harrogate Road and these premises became a shop & Off licence, finally in the early 1980’s it became a private home.

Canada Road Undated Primitive Methodist Chapel

X772 – Canada Estate, Undated.

Top of Canada Road – Undated

Rawdon Primitive Methodist Chapel, Canada Road, Rawdon.
Before the large chapel was built the Primitive Methodist’s met in this small building on Canada Road. It cost £300. It is now two private houses. In 1867 the large stone built chapel was erected on the Harrogate Road, next to Littlemoor School. It had a caretaker’s house at the side. Locally it was known as ‘Rigg’s Chapel’ as the Rigg family (local butchers) had a great deal of input into the building. It closed in 1973 and the land was sold for building.

Canada Estate Undated

D959 – Canada Estate, Undated.

Bottom of Canada Road – Undated

Bottom cottage facing onto Harrogate Road, Hardwick’s Hardware shop. Currently (2021) “Bubbles” launderette shop.

Canada Estate 1919/1928

FBA012 – Canada Drive, 1919/28.

Canada Drive – 1919/28

Having sold off the fields as building plots by 1919 developers began building, here we can see Canada Drive under construction.

Canada Estate 1925

FBA004 – Canada Drive, 1925.

Canada Drive – 1925

This view shows new houses and bungalows, land on the right would eventually also be built upon.

Canada Estate Undated

J390 – Canada Road, Undated.

Canada Road – Undated

Looking up Canada Road, at the top the road name changes to Larkfield Road. To the right we can see the houses on Larkfield Crescent.

Canada Estate Undated

FF174 – Canada Road, Undated.

Canada Road – Undated

Situated on Canada Road, the inn originally called The Lantern, here we can see the name has changed to The Fox and Hounds. The group of people seen here in the doorway included Mrs. Harrison, Fred Baly, Mary Booth and her daughter.
The inn closed on January 1st 1933 and the licence passed to the Stone Trough on Harrogate Road. This building is now (2021) a private home and can still be recognised by the steps and hand rails.

“The picture shows my grandmother Ethel Emma Booth at the back, my Uncle Thomas as a boy standing in the front, my father Eric being held, by who I think, is his Aunt Nelly (sister-in-law) to my grandmother. The elderly lady on the left of the picture is, my great grandmother, Thomas Allan’s wife.

My father Eric was born in 1914 and I think the photograph was probably taken 1915/16, making it over 100 years old. I understand the photograph was found, after May’s had left, when the new owners were clearing out the attic. It was passed on to my dad who of course knew it from his childhood.”

This taken from the Wharfedale Observer, March 10th 2017. Shirley Gale wrote into the paper with the photograph and the above information. In April 1922, Reuben Bernard Waite Pullan became temporary licensee after Thomas Booth’s death ( March 1922). This became a permanent post a month later.

Additional research by Helen M.

14 January 2023

Canada Estate c1947

J321 – Canada Road, c1947.

Canada Road – c1947

Looking down Canada Road towards Harrogate Road with Larkfield Crescent on the left and off to the right Markham Avenue (with the telephone box). In the distance a lovely view of the moors.

Photographer Marmaduke Milner, donated by the Swain Family of Rawdon.

Canada Road 1960s

L455 – Canada Road, 1960s.

Canada Road – 1960s

Canada Road in the 60s.

Donated by Charles Lideard donated by his daughter Christine Hogg.

Canada Estate 1962

S154 – Canada Road, 1962.

Canada Road – 1962

Stephanie and Carl May outside their father’s off licence shop at 36 Canada Road.
Above the door is the sign “Arthur James May licensed to sell beer and porter to be consumed off the premises”.

Donated by Stephanie May.

Canada Road 1962

L387 – Canada Road, 1962.

Canada Road – 1962

Looking down Canada Road.

Photographer Charles Lideard, donated by his daughter Christine Hogg.

Canada Road 1962

S159 – Canada Road, 1962.

Canada Road – 1962

Outside 36 Canada Road, Arthur James May sitting on the steps to his off licence store, with him is his son Carl May on his bicycle.

Donated by Stephanie May.

Canada Road 1962

S148 – Canada Road, 1962.

Canada Road – 1962

Stephanie and Carl May, snow on the ground winter in Aireborough, outside the shop at 36 Canada Road, the business of their father Arthur James May.
The children have their sledge ready to enjoy the snow, ironically behind them is an advertisement for “Wall’s” ice cream.

Donated by Stephanie May.

Canada Road Undated

L911 – Canada Road, Undated.

Canada Road – Undated

Here we see a Royal Mail post box fitted into the garden wall of No: 1 Canada Road, next to where Hardaker’s Iromongers shop used to be.

Canada Estate 2016

K651 – Canada Road, 2016.

Canada Road – 20216

Larkfield Road merging into Canada Road with long distance views in the background. Just right of centre on the sky line you can just see the white building of the Royalty public House.

Photographer Edwy Harling.

Previous Comments:

Re S154
hannah1
The licence passed to the Stone trough when it was built 1920/30 and then it became a shop and bakery( i think it was Claughton’s) it did later become an off licence and was run by Mr. May and after that two more owners. It was then sold and became flats.
09 July 2013.

Re FF174
Mike59
My great, great, grandfather William Pratt also lived in Canada Road (row) His daughter Mary married Thomas Booth and they were landlord/lady of the Fox and Hounds, certainly in the 1910’s( as I have a picture dated 1914).
03 September 2013.

Re S154
Hannah1
The property then became a shop called Claughton’s, serving homemade breads and cakes and other confectionery as well as an off license. Mr. May took it over after the war, and it continued as a shop till into the 1980’s.
When the shop closed down the license went down to the Stone Trough at the bottom of Canada Road.

Arthurcharles
Hello Hannah. Interesting comments. Did you go to school in Rawdon at the time? For the record my mother Mrs. May worked for the Claughton’s before they retired in the mid 1950’s We lived next door to the shop No: 37 Canada Road. My brother Carl was born there in 1954. Soon after we all moved to No: 36 to run the shop. It was very run down & my mother convinced my dad to give up work in a Leeds tailoring firm to run the shop together. Tragically, our mother passed away in 1959, but not before she helped dad revive the fortunes of the shop. The Clark family were our staunch family friends of the time who lived across on Canada Crescent. They lived next door to Emma & Fred Harrison with daughter Jillian. Emma ran the shop alongside dad for many more years. It was a unique shop serving the local community with groceries, beer & spirits. I was always called on to serve children with the 1d (penny) sweet tray. Anymore memories you have most welcome.
Stephanie May 29 June 2017.

Re S154
Shirleylambert
I have just discovered that my fourth great uncle William Pratt was a well-known character in Rawdon and his daughter Mary Booth used to run the Fox and Hounds pub, he was a hand loom weaver and poacher and used to drink beer from a saucer so he didn’t get too drunk.
05 April 2017.

Re S154
Graham Branston
Deeds i have seen for a property on Canada Road show the name dates from the late 18th/early 19th centuries. The houses were originally “club” properties i.e., built by a club of local people who helped each other build their own homes, a very early form of a local building society. Some had looms upstairs at a time when domestic cloth production was a very useful source of income in many parts of West Yorkshire. Just as there are several streets in Rawdon using the name Canada there are three places in Canada called Rawdon. Browse the internet for more info about them if you are interested. The shop/off-licence is long gone, but was once very popular.
03 January 2018

Re S154
Val Ryan
My mother moved from Larkfield Ave, to one of the old weavers cottages near the bottom of Canada Road, in the 1970’s.
In the attic there are still rows of wooden hooks where they would hang the wool and signs of weaving industry carried out there. They are very warm well built cottages. As a child on Larkfield Ave, I would often go over to the off-licence owned firstly by the Claughton’s and then the lovely Mr. May and daughter Stephanie. I used to buy ice cream and “pop” mainly and we would take back the empties to get money back to spend on penny sweets. Loved that shop and the fish and chip shop (Dennison’s) and the tiny little wooden lock up hut shop belonging to Mrs. Flesher who lived in one of the semis opposite. Happy times bag of scraps from the fish shop and some penny sweets from Mr. Mays! Just remembered that there was a small cobblers too think he was Mr. Smith.
4 January 2018.

Re General
David Freeman
Mays shop used to be Claughton’s, it was most pleasant to see the May kids we all went to RL or the Town Street School ( National). Those of us in Canada’s Poucher’s, Woods, Nevilles, Womerslie’s, Clarks, Luty’s, Elliotts, Chews, Browns, Yeadon’s, Dorothy and Sandra Harrisons, Cowleey’s, Hardwicks, Rhodes both geoffrey and then Janet and that large family the Schofield’s, Palister’s, Hawkins and a few more, the friend of Maureen Clark-Wiggins. Down Canada Road, PC Jay and family, the Callard’s, Bolton’s next to the Pocher’s in the terrace. Midgerley’s. The picture Stephanie has stirred my old bones thank you.

Two more families kids I knew from Canada, Daultons and the Chews and a girl and her sister no name lived opposite the Cowleys in Canada Road went to RL Littlemoor and Benton.

The commercial shops in Canada Road, top to bottom Kennie Fleshers sweety sunday shopnext it old man Rhodes cobbler from Batter Lane, Newbolds Fish and Chip shop, May’s off-licence formerly Claughton or Laughton’s (mixed my names up with Mrs. Claughton’s haberdashery Batter Lane next to Mrs. Bartlett grocers, then in Canada Road, Cowleys greengrocers with a van service and finally Hardwicks hardware store next to Stone Trough, the Sunday papers were by Mr. Clarke of Canada Crescent. The Harrogate Road sweeper from Apperley Bridge to Yeadon Airport (Micklefield Lane, Harrogate Road and Victoria Avenue was grandad Sunderland the Clarks family grandad.

In the end terrace house on the crescent Mr. Brown and family did not live there but in Markham Avenue, however, he kept his motorcycle and side car in the garage. The house in the 50’s was occupied by the Mallinson’s of which both brothers started up the 17th Airedale Scout troop at Rawdon St. Peter’s.
The later occupants were the Chews , Mr. Chew was a fulltime fireman, but lived on the bell in his house, and could be seen off shift, the bell rings for a call out dashing down to Rawdon Fire Station on his bicycle.
06 July 2018

Re J321
Grandma 1
The girl on the black bicycle is Judith Wood.
21 January 2020.

Re S154
Beverley
Used to love going to my Mays and buying black jacks and fruit salad sweets. Think I got 8 for a penny. And we used to take pop bottles back for a little money. I went every time I visited my grandma on Canada Crescent. Later on I made more than full use of the fish shop too. Gorgeous fish and chips were eaten sat on the wall just outside. Brings back lovely memories.
30 October 2021.

Consolidated by: Elaine Ellwood. 25 March 2021.
Last updated: 26 October 2023 – Photo ID: K651 & L455. 30 August 2023 – Photo ID: L685, X772, L911. 01 February 2023 – Photo ID: W984. 14 January 2023 – Photo ID: FF174 – Additional text. 25 October 2022 – All images updated.

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