| Catalogue Finding Number | WYHER/13127 |
| Office record is held at | Historical Environment Record, West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service |
| Held Outside WYAS | THE RECORD DESCRIBED IS HELD AND ADMINISTERED BY THE WEST YORKSHIRE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT RECORD PLEASE CONTACT THEM ON 0113 535 0157 IF YOU WISH TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO VIEW THIS RECORD |
| Title | Desk-based assessment at Vickers Tank Factory, Crossgates, Leeds |
| Description | Waterman CPM prepared an Archaeology and Built Heritage Assessment (a desk based exercise) in October 2007. The report was compiled to assess the potential importance, nature and survival of any archaeology in the area of the former Vickers Tank Factory, Manston Lane, Crossgates, Leeds (SE 3756 3455) prior to the redevelopment of the site for residential housing with a proposed link road to connect to Thorpe Park to the south.
Approximately 50m to the north of the site is a crop mark of a possible Bronze Age ring ditch (PRN 627). The classification of this site as a round barrow is thought to be suspicious and this site along with another 100m to the east of the development site (PRN 1352) may both represent cultivation marks. Both of these sites are both classified as Class III sites due to their association to the medieval settlement of Manston (PRN 4977). 200m to the north east of the proposed link road is a crop mark of a fragment of a possible Prehistoric or Romano British field system (PRN 2526). Crop marks of s linear ditch and an angular ditch of uncertain date (PRN 6330) are also present 400m south east of the proposed link road.
The projected line of the Scheduled Ancient Monument of Grim’s Ditch (PRN 5025) is located 500m north of the development site. Manston medieval ‘Vill’ (PRN 4977) recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 is located north of the site. To the south east corner of the main site is the former Manston Old Colliery (PRN 4978). Workings associated with this site are shown on the First Edition Ordnance Survey mapping of 1851, but not on subsequent editions. A cast iron bridge of the former Leeds and Selby Railway is located c.400m to the east of the proposed link road and Post Medieval narrow ridge and furrow (PRN 4974) is located c.500m to the south of the proposed link road.
In the western corner of the site are the gates which provided access to the former Royal Ordnance Factory (later Vickers factory). These loop hole walls (PRN 7776) are a remnant of local defence in the Second World War. The Barnbow National Shell Filling Factory (PRN 4981) is located to the north east of the site. The site of a former Second World War searchlight battery is located c.200m to the north east of the site.
The built heritage in the search area is represented by a grade II listed (LBS Ref. 466038) dovecote of 16th century date at Manston Hall Farm. In the route of the proposed link road is the 19th century Grade II listed (LBS ref. 466037) Lazencroft Farmhouse. c.375m to the south of the site is the Grade II* listed Austhorpe Hall.
The Royal Ordnance factory on the proposed development site was constructed from 1939 and production started in 1940. The site began to manufacture Centurion tanks at the beginning of the Cold War. And in 1986 during Government privatisation the factory was purchased by Vickers. |
| Date | 21st century |
| Extent | contact the West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service for information on what is available |
| Level | Item |