Description and History of Site:-
Built in 1857 by Samuel Smith, tanner, of Meanwood, on a five-acre site adjacent to Meanwood Beck. By 1861 it employed 52 men, by 1867 sixty. In 1888 it was said to form 'the chief support of the inhabitants of Meanwood', and had 300 tanpits, in a square yard surrounded by 2-storey buildings. Now redeveloped as residential housing. This is an old site that at various dates has been known as Wood Mills, Meanwood Paper Mill, Highbury Works and Meanwood Tanneries. On 17th September, 1737, William Smith, his nephew also William and Thomas Smith, executors of Ann Smith of Easby, N. Yorkshire, sold to Thomas Leigh of Leeds, merchant, Wood Mill Farm and two water corn mills, stated to be commonly known, or called by the name of, Woodside Mills all in Chapel Allerton, occupied by Andrew Greenwood, and used for the grinding of corn or grain. By 1782 this mill, served by the same goit as the Whalley Tannery, was being used by Thomas Martin as a paper mill and in 1797 approximately one acre of land adjacent to the mill, which was part of the waste lands of the Manor of Headingley cum Burley, was enclosed and rented to Thomas Martin. The purpose of the enclosure was to enable Thomas Martin to make a larger dam which, when constructed, was as it is today. The rent, fixed at £5. 5s. 0d. per annum, was to be used for the teaching and instructing of six poor children at the Headingley cum Burley School in reading, writing and arithmetic. Thomas Martin died in 1806 aged 71 and was succeeded by his son James who took over the business. His son, also James, born in 1816 and described as a paper manufacturer in 1855, opted not to purchase the business after the death of his father in 1850. In 1855 this mill was being used by William Hill and Son as a bleach works and in the following year it was bought by Samuel Smith the younger, described in the deed of conveyance as a tanner, from the trustees of James Martin. (Was he the Mr Smith, or the son of the Mr Smith, referred to by Edward Oates as occupying his tannery in 1850?) When Samuel Smith the younger bought the site all the buildings, apart from a house, cottages, workshops and one other building, were on the Headingley side of the beck. In 1857 Samuel Smith had converted the mill into a tannery, the very extensive new buildings across and on the Meanwood side of the beck being, more or less, as they are today. When built it was one of the largest tanneries in Leeds and had 300 pits and was capable of dealing with 70,000 hides. In 1856 Samuel Smith agreed to buy the land on which the dam had been extended in 1798 for £200 plus interest at the rate of 4% per annum until completion of sale, which did not take place until 10th May, 1870, the interest then being £108. 16s. 0d.After the death of Samuel Smith the younger in 1880, the firm was carried on by trustees until his son, also Samuel, attained his majority in 1883 and he was joined by his brother William in 1889. Later the Smith family withdrew from the tanning trade and it was the son of Samuel Smith the younger who became better known as Samuel Smith, brewer, of Tadcaster. After the Smith brothers ceased to work the tannery it was empty for a while and then the buildings were used as a piggery. For many years the site was used by Robert Jowett & Sons, Fellmongers, and from 1967 by Robert Barker & Sons (Fellmongers) Ltd. It is of interest to note that the lane shown on a map of 1886, running by the side of the dam and leading to the tannery buildings, was called School Lane - the name used today for the lane from Monk Bridge Road to Highbury Mount and probably so called because of the connection with the enclosure of land near the dam and the Headingley School. The nearby back to back housing on the Highbury's was built to house workers at the tannery.The site was redeveloped as residential housing in the about 2000.

Further Reading and References:-
Hopwood, W A. Meanwood. 1981. Manuscript copy in Leeds City Library.
Ward, M F. Industrial development and location in Leeds North of the River Aire, 1775 to 1914. PhdThesis, Leeds University, 1972.

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Key Words :- watermill corn paper tannery

Viewing the Site :- Can be viewed from the public road

Address :- Mill Pond Lane, Meanwood, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6 4RA
Grid Ref :- SE 28386 37065
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.829079 , Long -1.570213
Local Authority :- Leeds Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Site refurbished to residential housing
Site Dates :- 1857 - c2000
Record Date :- 1 December 2015

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © John Suter