A465 – Freak Weather, 1933.
Kirk Lane – 1933
A person is walking through the snow on Kirk Lane, behind, on the left three children are making snowballs.
A464 – Freak Weather, 1933.
New Road Side – 1933
New Road Side after heavy snowfalls during the severe winter of 1933.
This view is looking in the direction of Rawdon, a gasometer and chimney which were part of Yeadon Gasworks on Gill Lane are behind the stranded vehicles.
A man with a spade (standing between the car and lorry) seems to be trying to dig out the lorry, several bystanders are watching him.
B249 – Freak Weather, 1936.
Yeadon Dam – 1936
Hordes of people are skating on the frozen Dam.
The Fire Brigade would flood the frozen lake at the instigation of Charles Ives of James Ives & Co., to provide a smooth surface for skating, car headlights would be switched on to illuminate the scene when darkness fell.
The only warning sign in view advises “No dogs allowed except on leash. No cycling”.
V58 – Freak Weather, 1936.
Yeadon Dam – 1936
A group of people wearing ice-skates are brushing snow from the ice so skating could begin.
The woman on the left at the front was Zoe Whitelock, she married J Robinson who was a grandson of William Murgatroyd.
In the centre is Charles Waite (wearing striped scarf) with his wife on the right, she was the cousin of Zoe Robinson.
R094 – Freak Weather, 1950s.
Yeadon Dam – 1950s
In the foreground a couple are skating together, a crowd are on the ice, some watching and others skating themselves.
FF206 – Freak Weather, 1968.
New Road Side – 1968
This photo was taken during an unseasonable downpour which caused flooding.
In the centre is a West Yorkshire Road Car Co., bus en-route to Otley, service No: 50. On the left but not in view is the Woolpack Inn, the low building was used by the Air Cadets.
The stone building with the apex roof was once the Church of England School fronting on to Henshaw Lane, now Economy Spares.
The flat roofed brick building is on the opposite side of Henshaw Lane at the entrance to Sizers Court, now the premises of Opticaid UK.
This view is now obscured by new buildings and vegetation (September 2014).
The cottages to the right of the telephone kiosk are still standing, the red vehicle on the right is turning out of Henshaw Lane.
FF207 – Freak Weather, 1968.
New Road Side – 1968
The road is flooded following a cloudburst, the car is in front of the North Eastern Gas Board Showroom.
D168 – Freak Weather, 1968.
Kirk Lane – 1968
A freak hailstorm caused this flood, on the right is the junction with Whack House Lane, where the white car is.
Photographer Charles Lideard, donated by his daughter Christine Hogg.
B433 – Freak Weather, 1968.
Kirk Lane – 1968
Another vehicle is backed up against the perimeter wall of Leafield Mill.
A freak hailstorm caused flooding, this is Kirk Lane around midday.
Several vehicles are in difficulty, Leafield Mill is in the background.
D498 – Freak Weather, 1968.
Kirk Lane – 1968
April 24th 2014 – Wharfedale Article.
This article was published in the newspaper and told of a freak hailstorm on July 2nd 1968.
J06 – Freak Weather, 1968.
Kirk Lane – 1968
Flood water has swept down Kirk Lane.
This followed a freak hailstorm, it was reported that a woman was swept down the Steep by flood water and needed medical treatment.
Scene on Kirk Lane, people are trying to dig out vehicles at the junction with Whack House Lane on the left. Leafield Mill is in the background
J05 – Freak Weather, 1968.
Kirk Lane – 1968
Scene on Kirk Lane, people are trying to dig out vehicles at the junction with Whack House Lane on the left. Leafield Mill is in the background.
B432 – Freak Weather, 1968.
Kirk Lane – 1968
Z16 – Freak Weather, 1968.
Kirk Lane – 1968
Boys clearing hailstones which had laid 3 feet deep following a freak storm which blocked Kirk Lane.
Cars were abandoned, the hailstones froze together to form a solid mass.
K468 – Freak Weather, 1968.
Harrogate Road – 1968
Traffic driving through flood water on Harrogate Road, on the left is the garage at the junction with Green Lane.
Previous Comments:
Re A464
wintwalk
I think this photo is looking roughly South from a point on NEW ROAD near junction with the present Barfield Avenue.
(New Road Side is between Rawdon Traffic Lights and JCT roundabout)
23 March 2013.
electricalphil2005
I was working at Austin Hayes Ltd, on Cemetery Road,(The tin hat factory) we called it as kids. The sky went dark and we went out into the yard to see what was happening. A huge inky black cloud was over Yeadon, coming from the direction of Bradford. Then the cloud burst and the huge hailstones came battering down on us. We promptly scampered back in an grabbed a tin hat apiece so we could watch without getting our heads knocked off.
We asked the Boss, a chap called Ronnie Hayes to switch off the power to the factory at the substation in the yard, to give us a chance to get the flood water under control but he refused to do it because YEB said they would charge him if they had to come out to restore the power and the seal.
All the mains services were coming up from under ground and the water was still rising, we were up to our knees almost, the rats were paddling out in tin hats!
We ended up downing tools and walking out it was impossible to work in those conditions.
Walking down Cemetery Road, I was amazed at the number of birds that lay dead in the gutter. They had literally been hail stoned out of the trees.
After walking down Hawthorn Avenue, on to old Haworth Lane then on to Queensway, the flood waters caught up with the storm drains, and the drain covers started popping like corks one after the other rising up on columns of water two feet high, it was scary stuff.
12 May 2013.
DavidDowker
Remember it well. I was at Benton Park school by the side of the boys gym with a school mate cant remember who, when lightning hit the conductor on the side of the building just feet away from where we stood the flash was unbelievable as it shot down to the ground, I went home after school to find my strawberry patch was just stalks sticking out of the ground from the onslaught of the hail stones as big as golf balls.
23 August 2013.
spgregor5
Remember it very well. Was at Aireborough Grammar School. The sky went a strange greeny black and then the heavens opened. Kirk lane was still full of hailstones when we went home from school.
13 November 2013.
Robert
Remember very well, we were at Guiseley swimming baths for a school swimming lesson and the hail started just as we were getting on the coach to go back to Yeadon South View school. We were sent home from school for the rest of the day.
25 October 2017.
Paul Andrew Tipper
It’s one of the few days that really stick out in my mind from Infants’ School. I was 7 years old and in Miss Prichard’s class in Whetley Infants’ School. The sky went black as night. Miss Prichard drew the curtains in the classroom – I’ll never forget it – huge curtains and huge windows. I still don’t really understand why she drew those curtains that morning. Probably to shield us from the flashes of lightning ….
16 February 2020.
Rae Pratt
I had just got home from Four Gables Nursing Home with my new baby, when the heavens opened, we thought it was the end of the world and thought poor little thing he has only been on this earth for 6 days!!
22 March 2018.
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Consolidated by Jack Brayshaw. 08 October 2021.
Last updated: 29 January 2023 – All images updated.
