Post Hill
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Post Hill is a designated Leeds Nature Area on the western end of Farnley, and partly in
Pudsey Pudsey is a market town in the City of Leeds borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is located midway between Bradford city centre and Leeds city centre. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it has a population of 25,393. History T ...
. It is situated mostly east of Pudsey Beck and Farnley Beck, between Wood Lane in the north and Troydale Lane in the south, and forms part of the West Leeds Country Park. The area of 28.04 hectares consists largely of a hillside covered in woodland and some grassland. Openings offer views across West
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
, in particular from the top of the hill which at an altitude of about 125 m a.s.l. is one of the highest points in the local area. The site is protected by
Fields in Trust Fields in Trust is a British charity set up in 1925 as the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA), by Brigadier-General Reginald Kentish and the Duke of York, later King George VI, who was the first president, which protects parks and green s ...
through a legal "Deed of Dedication" safeguarding the future of the space as public recreation land for future generations to enjoy.


History

The name of the area originates from the newspaper
Yorkshire Evening Post The ''Yorkshire Evening Post'' (''YEP'') is a regional daily newspaper covering the City of Leeds. Founded in 1890 it is published by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, National World. Despite being having coverage and being sold across West Yorkshire ...
, which acquired the area and sponsored
motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...
speed and climbing events on the site from 1926. The western aspect of Post Hill, laid with a cobbled track up the hillside, was said to be the steepest
hill climb Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the firs ...
in the world. Before the acquisition, the northern part of the area was known as Park Spring, and the southern part as Jonas Wood. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Post Hill was the location of
POW POW is "prisoner of war", a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. POW or pow may also refer to: Music * P.O.W (Bullet for My Valentine song), "P.O.W" (Bull ...
camp No. 91, where Italian and German prisoners were held to work on farms in the surroundings. After the war the camp was used for
displaced persons Forced displacement (also forced migration or forced relocation) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR defines 'forced displaceme ...
from Europe. In 2002 Post Hill passed into the ownership of Leeds City Council and is being returned to its natural state.


Flora

Most of Post Hill is covered in oak-birch woodland, in the southern part there are stretches of semi-natural ancient woodland that has contained trees since before the year 1600. Tree species include oak, birch, ash, hawthorn, hazel, yew, and field maple. In the undergrowth, bluebells, brambles, bracken, hart's tongue fern, and woodrush are found, as well as ramsons (wild garlic), lesser celandine, wood anemone, yellow archangel, and sweet cicely. Two large areas of acid grasslands and meadows remain on the eastern side of the beck, and one west of it, adjacent to Pudsey Road. Wildflowers in these meadows include bird's foot trefoil, oxeye daisies, autumn hawkbit, tansy, and red clover. Fungi such as sulphur tuft and stinkhorn are also found.


Fauna

The woodlands are home to roe deer and to various species of birds, such as great spotted woodpecker and tawny owl, as well as several species of bat, among them Leisler's bat. Along the beck, mallards, kingfishers, grey wagtails, water rails, and grey herons can be observed. Brown trout are breeding in the waters, as are mayfly. Newts are found in the still water ponds.


Tourism and sports

A nature trail of about 2 miles, funded by National Lottery Awards For All Fund, is routed through the site, and several other paths are available. Parking for visitors is possible at Wood Lane. Motorcycle trials, organised by West Leeds Motor Club, are still held in the area, but ad-hoc motorcycling is strictly prohibited. Post Hill is also the location of running events.


References


Literature

* {{Coord, 53, 47, 34, N, 1, 38, 20, W, display=title Farnley, Leeds Pudsey Hills of West Yorkshire