Middleton Park is a public park in Middleton, Leeds

Leeds

Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

, West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....

, England. It covers an area of , nearly a square mile of which are ancient woodland

Ancient woodland

Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...

. There is also a small lake, recreational areas and a golf course. The reclaimed site of "Middleton Broom" Colliery has been incorporated into the park. By its northern boundary is the South Leeds Stadium, home of Hunslet Rugby League Club

Hunslet Hawks

Hunslet Hawks is a professional rugby league club based in Hunslet, West Yorkshire, England. The club, sometimes known as 'the Parksiders' after their former stadium, are currently champions of Championship One.-History:-Early years:...

. The Middleton Railway

Middleton Railway

The Middleton Railway is the world's oldest continuously working railway. It was founded in 1758 and is now a heritage railway run by volunteers from The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd...

 runs between Moor Road, Hunslet and Park Halt.

History

Middleton Park is a remnant of the manorial estate which existed after the Norman Conquest. Middleton is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. At the northern end of park there is an earthwork

Earthworks (archaeology)

In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...

 from 1204 demarcating the boundary between Middleton and Beeston. Lords of the manor included the Grammarys, Creppings, Leghs and Brandlings. The Brandlings cleared land and built Middleton Lodge in about 1760, creating a country estate. The Brandlings exploited the underlying coal and were responsible for building the Middleton Railway

Middleton Railway

The Middleton Railway is the world's oldest continuously working railway. It was founded in 1758 and is now a heritage railway run by volunteers from The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd...

 to transport the coal into Leeds.

Since 1919 it has been in the ownership of Wade's Charity who lease it to Leeds City Council for a peppercorn rent. It has been one of Leeds many public parks since 1919.

Archaeology

The area contains a large number of "shaft mounds" which are thought to mark sites of medieval mining. Survey work was done in 2007–2008 to discover more about the mounds, which seem to represent various mining techniques, including bell pit

Bell pit

A bell pit is a primitive method of mining coal, iron ore or other minerals where the coal or ore lies near the surface.. A shaft is sunk to reach the mineral which is excavated by miners transported to the surface by a winch and removed by means of a bucket, much like a well. It gets its name...

s, cog and rung and whim gins

Whim (mining)

A whim, also called a whim gin or a horse capstan, is a device similar to a windlass used in mining for hauling materials to the surface. It comprises a capstan or a wide drum with a vertical axle. A rope is wound around the drum, with both ends traversing several pulleys and hanging down the mine...

. The professional archaeologist Martin Roe led the team from the Friends of Middleton Park and the South Leeds Archaeology Group.