Yesterday, on a fine a sunny afternoon I took a walk with a party of enthusiasts, something over thirty in total, around Parlington. The “Walk and Talk”, was a Heritage Open Day function, promoted by Leeds Civic Trust, Leeds City Council, along with English Heritage, and like many others around the country was in celebration of some of our great architectural history, enabling people to explore places not normally open to the public. Parlington of course was one of many houses lost during the twentieth century and an air of mystery surrounds the estate, not least the virtually hidden location of the Hall, or the remains of it.
Starting out from the old army ramps on Parlington Drive, we followed the route outline in red on the accompanying plan, taking in the Triumphal Arch, the Ice House, then a comprehensive discussion on the site of the old hall with many old photographs to explain how it was in its former glory, along with a walk round the gardens and under the magnificent cedar of Lebanon, and an equally old, split leaf beech. From the old hall site we progressed round past the former gamekeeper’s cottage and along Parlington Lane, through the long tunnel, beneath the gardens of the hall, locally named the “Dark Arch”, then down to the sister structure to the tunnel, the “Light Arch” and on past the old pinfold quarry, over the style and back into the shallow valley down which runs the river crow, an unlikely name for such a small stream! The tour finished at the round building, sadly partly collapsed these days, a far cry from how it would have been when built in the early nineteenth century. See earlier post here about the round building.
After the three hour stint, running over as it did by almost half an hour, I and a few others concluded the afternoon walk with a refreshing beer in the Arabian Horse!