The reason for the title of this post will become obvious as we progress through West Yorkshire. To the north of Normanton is the village of Stanley, where the Great Northern Railway had a station on the branch towards Methley and Castleford.
Stanley station was actually in Lake Lock.
Stanley itself is about a mile away, to the southwest.
At nearby Stanley Ferry, 'Tom Puddings' were transferred by rail to the Aire & Calder Canal.
Stanley Ferry is where the canal crosses the River Calder by means of both old and new aqueducts.
British Waterways had a depot at Stanley Ferry, with a dry dock.
A couple of 'Tom Puddings' on display at Stanley Ferry during the 1992 Waterways Festival.
Cawood Hargreaves had these more modern versions.
Beside the place called East Moor, a suburb of Wakefield, is Broadreach Flood Lock, where more exhibits of the 1992 Waterways Festival were on display.
These included a restored Humber keel.
Less than a mile away, but much higher, is Heath Common, a historic hamlet just outside Wakefield. The Jolly Sailor pub has long since gone.
However, there's still a pub at Heath Common and it's a good 'un. The Kings Arms is owned by Ossett Brewery now and I've nicked this picture from their web site - hope they don't mind.
Just below Heath was the junction with the long closed Barnsley Canal.
Here's Lovers' Bridge over the Barnsley Canal at Heath, around 1904.
We are skirting around the southern edge of Wakefield (we'll be going there in a future posting, but not for a long while yet). Soon we come to Sandal Magna, where there was once a castle. All that remains is this motte.
Sandal was once served by West Riding trams. Here car 27 passes the Castle Inn. It's still in business today and there's more info here.
Sandal station was on the Doncaster-Wakefield line and was served also by GCR trains heading to and from Barnsley.
A mile to the east was Walton Colliery. This NCB Hudswell Clarke loco was found there (Photographer unknown, photo in my collection).
Sandal and Walton station, on the Midland Railway route to Normanton, was nearby.
Two miles or so to the west is the picturesque village of Newmillerdam.
Back in the 1970s, the village of Newmillerdam was famous in real ale circles for the Pledwick Well Inn. It is still going today and has a Facebook page.
A jaunt across country will see us back alongside the Aire & Calder Canal, at Calder Grove.
Here, there's an excellent pub, the Navigation Inn.
Just to the south was Crigglestone Colliery.
Crigglestone station, now vanished, was on the L&YR Wakefield to Barnsley ine.
Soon we come to Bretton Park, where we're greeted by a friendly little rabbit.
Bretton Hall sits in the middle of the park.
Within the grounds is the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, with works by Henry Moore and others.
The lower picture shows "The Anvil" and that concludes this rather long post. Back soon, heading vaguely west. Follow progress here.
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