"The Manor 5"

A walk of Approximately 8Km or 5Miles taking in the villages of Kellington and Beal.

Warning this walk takes you on a main road for two short sections. Please walk on the right hand side of the road to face oncoming traffic.

           We start our walk the decked area of The Kellington Manor Hotel, formally Squires and Treetops, which name now, is retained by The Treetops Restaurant. This was the old manor house built in 1892 by John Poskitt and then passed onto the Toulson family. The building was bought in 1985 by a local builder Dave Arnold and converted into the Hotel/ Restaurant as we know it.

           On leaving Kellington Manor Hotel turn right down Whales Lane. The large on your left is Firs Cottage this was built on Thomas Wood’s old demolished house site in 1843 at a cost of £168-6-5p.

           Carry on until you pass “The Firs” directly opposite a farm entrance. This imposing house was built in 1856 by Samuel Hirst who called it “My beautiful House” but did not live there for his wife preferred “Home Farm”. George Jordan the farm manager moved in and boarded farm labourers.

            On leaving “The Firs” you will come to a fork in the road take the right one down Broach Lane towards Whitley & Eggborough. On the left is “Home Farm” now Meadow lodge Nursing Home, this was the home of Samuel Hirst. He was born in Stubbs Walden and came to Kellington aged 27 in February 1831. He had Home Farm built in 1832 just after he arrived. Additional buildings have been added over the years, as the original must have been a modest size for a person of his standing.

           Turn around and walk back down Kellington Main Street. Shortly on the left you will see Kellington Parish Hall which is quite recent only built in 1909. The parish hall has just been referbished and now acts as a focal point for the village activities. Carry on past Manor Garth and on to your right is the Old Wesleyan Chapel built in 1844 this was built on the site of Maynards Croft. At the crossroads go straight ahead past the Red Lion down Inngs Lane. Ignore the right turn and go down the track ahead.

           Now we are into open country. Shortly the track splits and we take the left-hand track towards the River Aire. A stile will take you onto the raised river banking.

          The river Aire starts at Aire Head, near Malham, in North Yorkshire and empties into the River Ouse in East Yorkshire at Airmyn, in,'myn' being the old English word for 'river mouth'. Less than 20 years ago the river Aire was "dead" below Keighley, No fish able to survive the pollution from the raw sewage outflows at Knostrop and Esholt. In the 1980s the Thatcher government created the privately owned Yorkshire Water. The upper reaches now sport Chubb, bream, roach, perch, pike and several other species. 

          From here we con see Eggborough Power Station to the right. Ferrybridge to the left and 4 mites further over to the right Drax. Drax has six 660 MW generating units, with a maximum capacity of 3,870 MW, producing around 24 TWhr (86.4 petajoules) annually. It is the largest single electricity generator in the United Kingdom, producing around 8% of total demand, and the second largest coal-fired plant in Europe. It has a maximum potential consumption of 36,000 tonnes of coal a day, it takes around 7 million to 11 million tonnes annually, mostly from UK Coal, and generates around 1.5 million tonnes of ash each year. Eggbrough is smaller built in the 1960s and owned by British Energy. Its has 4 turbines which can produce a total combined output of 1960 MWs. On a good day, incidentally, all three of these power stations can be seen from Stoodley Pike, a hill no less than 67 miles away in Todmorden, West Yorkshire.  Kellingley Colliery, the last Deep mine in Yorkshire is on your left. Carry on until a footpath is on your left. Down and follow until we regain the River Aire at Beal. Drop down the banking and onto Ings Lane via Farmer Breirs Farmyard. If you have a dog or dogs please keep them on a short lead as this is a working farm with many farm animals. A style on the left takes you onto the road and finally to a T-junction. Turn left into Broad Lane and then left again past the Village Hall. Stop and look at the old Methodist Chapel on your right. Stop and check the time. The foundation stone was laid 11 May 1871.

          Carry on until you reach the last building on the right. This was the old Beal Council School, now converted into flats. The building was built between 1875-77 by local builders Job Adams, Rob Wright and Tate of Knottingley at a cost of £1,859-10s. When the school first opened on 1st May 1877 Mrs. Wright who used to run a small independent school in the village became the schools first headmistress. For over a hundred years the school provided education to the local villages of Birkin, Beal, Kellingley and Kellington. Children were taught there until in November 1979 when the new school was opened at kellington. This school continues the tradition of good education and learning for the village children.

          Turn right down School Lane. After about a mile turn left at the T-junction. After the right hand bend you should get a glimpse of Beal Carrs. In 1999 this area was flooded and the land began to sink forming a unique and permanent wildlife reserve. At the time of writing a total of 147 different species of birds have been seen on and around the water, 11 types of butterflies, 8 types of dragonfly and damselfly and 8 species of mammal. Beal Carrs can boast to be one of Yorkshire’s best birdwatching sites has it has become a favourite stopping off place for migrating birds. Heavy boots may disturb them so we will leave them alone for the time being and carry on back to the Manor.

          Continue past a road on the left and then take the road uo to Kellington Church. This church is dedicated to St. Edmund, King of East Anglia who was martyred in 870 by the Danes. The Church is Norman dating back to the 13th century but little of this building remains. Originally in the hands of the Templars then passed on to the Knights Hospitallers of St. John in 1312. During the Reformation of Henry VIII gave it to Trinity College, Cambridge. The Enclosure act of 1845 shows a great deal of land in the ownership of Trinity College. Between 1st Oct 1990 and 7 Jan 1991 the church tower was dismantled and rebuilt, the interior excavated and a two-metre strip around the church excavated. An insight of former time was gathered by the archaeologists from York University while the work was in progress. This work was due to the then British Coal mining coal from the coal reserves underneath. The structure was stabilised before any subsidence could begin. Kellington Church lays claim to a stone coffin slab which is thought to be from a Knight’s tomb and a mysterious Serpent Stone. If you ask Andrew the landlord nicely he may tell you about it. As you walk down the path towards the rear gate you will see on your left hand side about halfway down the graves of Samuel Hirst, Mary Ellen Wright, John and Sarah Poskitt (took over from Samuel Hirst) and the Croysdale monument. From here you can see your starting point (not long to go). Go through the rear gate and follow the footpath across the field. A gap in the hedge will direct you to the main A645. This was the main road to the East/West road until the M62 was built.

          Stop a while and have a look across the road. To the south lies three of the main east-west trade links. First is the railway at Whitley Station that was opened in 1848. The first train to run on the then Wakefield, Pontefract & Goole Railway, part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, was on 29 Mar 1848. It seems possible that all the community would have gathered along the line to watch the first train pass. Now only a few commuter trains a day and several coal trains for Drax & Eggborough pass, though a handful of seasoned train spotters gather on the platform occasionally. Next the Aire & Calder Navigation this section opened in 1826 to link the River Calder and the sea at Goole. If you decided to travel to Leeds this way it’s 21 miles and you will have to negotiate 10 locks. To the Ocean Lock, and the open sea, at Goole it’s only 13 miles and only 3 locks. The company's chief engineer William H. Bartholomew devised the successful compartment boat ("Tom Puddings") system for the transport of coal from the Yorkshire collieries to Goole in the second half of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. They still carried coal from Kellingley Colliery to Ferrybridge Power Station until about 2003, when they were eventually retired. Beyond the Canal lies the M62. This is the main Trans-Pennine east-west road route. We all have been on motorways so I won’t say any more. You probably came here on it?

          On your right is Kellington Windmill. A windmill on this site was mentioned in the Doomsday Book. Kellington Windmill and its outbuildings have recently been refurbished to give this rural scene. The “village” pond, if you can call it being a long way from the village centre, is home for ducks & Geese. Samuel Hirst paid £350 for the windmill in 1851. The mill was last used as a mill in 1923. Worth a bit more now I should imagine. Continue along the road until the next left turn and down to your starting point and a well earned drink.

Well I hope you have enjoyed a short journey around this part of Yorkshire and I hope you will return again to see us soon.

Tom Yates February 2006