Proposed course of the railway track between Hirst Wood and Shipley

2.12   SHI c.1845 LBR

Part of the line east of Bingley to Shipley, c.1845

Linen backed paper   Scale 5 chains: 1 inch   Size: 78* 45 cm

Condition: fair

Keywords: Shipley, Bingley, railway, Hirst Wood, Saltaire

Another section of the Leeds & Bradford Railway between Shipley and Keighley line (the Shipley-Colne line). It is one of a series of such plans. The line opened in 1847 and I have derived the presumed date from this fact. The relationship of the line to Shipley and the Leeds-Liverpool Canal is clearly shown. The junction of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal with the Bradford Canal (now closed) is also visible.

The nearby River Aire to the north is not mapped. Interesting features are the positions of Hirst Lock and Dixon Mill. The famous triangular railway station at Shipley is not yet constructed although the mapped junction of the proposed line with the Leeds & Bradford Railway shows why a triangle was a necessary shape. Local historian Tony Woods has pointed out that the map shows the land before quarrying took place to create the space at the appropriate elevation for the station. This must have dramatically changed the landscape viewed from the eastern end of Kirkgate/Otley Road looking east. He assumes there was a schedule to go with the plan but this is now missing. 

The map also shows the location of the future Saltaire but pre-dates its construction. I presume the presence of a railway line, as well as a canal, was an important factor in Sir Titus Salt’s selection of this site for his new mill.