Welcome To Pitfall

I’ve no idea why, but Pitfall Street, a few yards downstream from Leeds Bridge, has long been my favourite street in Leeds. No reason for it. It’s only a few yards long, blink and you miss it as you pass on the Calls.

But I’ve used it in many books – I think it’s there in every Simon Westow – and it has much more history than anyone would imagine today.

Look at it from Leeds Bridge and it’s a gap between building. But look down towards the waterline and you’ll see the openings in the stonework. They let in water for the Leeds Water Engine, designed and built by engineer George Sorocold.

The engine powered the water through lead pipes up to a reservoir in a relatively high point in Leeds, up neat St John’s Church on the far side of the Headrow. From there, pipes made of elm went to the houses of those who paid for it. Piped water was a revelation for the time.

However, Pitfall had been in use long before that – there’s no record of its origin-  with a pair of cloth fulling mills powered by water flowing along the Aire; it might originally have been a path leading to the mills; that makes as much sense as anything. The fulling mills were replaced by a rape seed mill, one of several around town. That in its turn, became the housing for the water engine.

How did Pitfall acquire its name? I wish I knew. It certainly has a sinister aspect. For many years it was simply Pitfall; the Street is much more recent.

But it still holds some kind of magic for me.

And just to remind you, Them Without Pain is published in hardback on September 3. Nod’s as good as a wink, right?