Topography and Natural History of Lofthouse and Its Neighborhood; with the Diary of a Naturalist and Rural Notes Volume 2

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1885 edition. Excerpt: ... LOFTHOUSE AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS.. AN ELEVATED position it may be observed that the country. Mr or ten m'les round Lofthouse, ""pii? presents an uneven, undulated jf, f aspect, everywhere enclosed and cultivated, and diversified by plantations and hedge-row timber. The village is situated between the Pennine Hills on the west and the great plain of York on the east, and it is equidistant between the west and the east coast. The strata in the immediate neighbourhood consist of alternating beds of clay, gravel, sand, sandstone, shale, and coal, the latter being in many places on or very near the surface. On the eastern edge of the district there is a narrow tract of the Magnesian Limestone running north and south, and beyond that the New Red Sandstone. These strata supply stone for building and other purposes, clay The height of Lofthouse above the sea-level is 300 feet, which is about equal to the height of the limestone ridge which forms the eastern horizon. for bricks and tiles, lime for mortar and manure, and coal for fuel, in unbounded quantity. Stretching from Pontefract towards Leeds there is a peculiar surface fresh-water deposit, consisting, near the former place, of fine brown sand which is extensively mined and quarried for moulding and other purposes, and, more towards Oulton and Leeds, of sand with pebbles and boulders. At Methley, Oulton, and Bell Hill, the sand of this bed is worked much for building and plastering, and the pebbles for garden walks and carriage roads. In this deposit fossil remains of Bos longifrons and other animals have been found. The building-stone is largely worked at Oulton, Rothwell Haigh, and Thorp, and sent away in blocks and sawn slabs to various parts of the...