St Aidan's
St Aidan's is a 400 hectare nature reserve in West Yorkshire, England, that is managed by the RSPB.
Location
St Aidan's is adjacent to the Aire and Calder Navigation. The reserve can be accessed via a network of paths, some of which run alongside the River Aire. It is approximately 2 miles from Woodlesford railway station.
Nearby are the residential areas of Allerton Bywater, Mickletown, Methley, Woodlesford, Swillington and Great Preston, all of which lie within an area bounded by three motorways: A1(M), M62 and M1.
Wildlife
St Aidan's is home to many species of bird including the bittern, great crested grebe, little owl, marsh harrier, and Eurasian Skylark.
Dragline
There is a dragline known as "oddball" at St Aidan's. Oddball was built in 1948 and weighs 1200 tons. The group Friends of St. Aidan's BE1150 Dragline claim that it is the largest preserved walking dragline excavator in Western Europe.
History
The reserve was originally an opencast coal mine. In 1988, there was a slope failure on the banks of the River Aire, resulting in a massive flood. Mining operations were suspended and remedial works costing £20,000,000 were required to drain the quarry and reroute the river. Mining work was subsequently completed and then the quarry was converted into a wetland.
Ownership of the land was transferred in 2010 from UK Coal to St Aidan's Trust, a charity administered by Leeds City Council. The trust then leased it to the RSPB for 99 years on a peppercorn rent. The reserve officially opens to the public on 25 May 2013.
Unfortunately due to access disagreements the reserve closed again in April 2014 [1] until planning issues can be overcome. The RSPB are still working on the site to protect the environment and it can accessed by various rites of way, but the car park and visitor centre are closed.
References
- ↑ Yorkshire Evening Post "Leeds nature reserve in legal limbo after land ownership row" 22 April 2014 http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/leeds-nature-reserve-in-legal-limbo-after-land-ownership-row-1-6572133
External links
- RSPB: St Aidans
- Guardian: Former Leeds opencast mine will become country's largest wetland area
- The River Aire slope failure at the St. Aidans Extension Opencast Coal Site, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
- St Aidan's Trust Annual Report and accounts 2008
- Derelict places - Oddball dragline
- Friends of St Aidan's Dragline
Coordinates: 53°44′56″N 1°24′31″W / 53.749015°N 1.408653°W