From Janice S
Wednesday, 15 August 2007

Has anyone got any idea what's going on with Tan Pits? The car park is full of builders' vans, their cars and piles of bricks although I thought they were allocated car space on Station Road, in the fenced off area used for storing building stuff. People who are lucky enough to have garages can't access them during the day, and dirty water was being pumped out across Albert Street so pedestrians had to wade through it if they were crossing the Tan Pits entrance.

It seems to have been a building site for a couple of years now. I thought at one stage they were building a swimming pool at the back of Kebcote - there was so much water coming from somewhere!

Posted by Kath B
Wednesday, 15 August 2007

Janice,

It is my understanding that this land still belongs to Calderdale Council. I assume that the developers have been given permission to use this land. The land off Station Road I believe was for the workers' materials when Bridgegate was being pedestrianised.

Whether the Council is charging rent to this private developer is not clear.

Posted by Joseph S
Friday, 24 August 2007

"It seems to have been a building site for a couple of years now. I thought at one stage they were building a swimming pool at the back of Kebcote - there was so much water coming from somewhere!"

I understand from the builders that there was an enormous pool/lake/stream under the mill when they dug down for the foundations as they built out above the old Kebcote shop. Its caused all sorts of structural problems to the build. No idea whether or not it ever got sorted.

The builders seem to be the same lot who did Hebble End, is that right?

From Janice S
Tuesday, 28 August 2007

Regarding the water under the land, that does make sense. It only occurred to me after I'd posted the first message that the car park is called 'Tan Pits' because it was used for tanning animal hides and tan pits need to have a source of water to wash the hides. There's a big water tank under the undergrowth near the '100 steps' on the right hand side of Commercial Street and a drainpipe running down from it, going under the road. There's also a well behind Jackson's Mill so there's probably underground water coming down from the hill.

It looks like the builders will be finished soon - more 'luxury apartments' to let. The top floor looks a good place to grow tomatoes!

From Zilla Brown
Tuesday, 28 August 2007

As far as I can remember from a local history walk around Birchcliffe - the whole of the hillside has many (probably forgotten) underground cisterns and pipes as there was/is such an abundance of water in the hillside area that it had its own independent supply.

See also: Garden Street Car Park

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