Riverside Thwaite
Thwaite House overlooks the Aire and Calder Navigation and the River Aire. Whilst water from the river provided power for the waterwheels, the Navigation provided a convenient method of transport. Most of the materials used at Thwaite were delivered by sailing barges on the Navigation. After 1930 motorised barges with diesel engines started to replace the sailing barges. These of course were not dependent upon winds or tides.
The steam crane located on the banks of the river is a Scotch Derrick made by Butter Bros. of Glasgow. It was installed in 1946 and can carry a 3 ton load. The crane was used to unload the barges. It would take several hours to unload a barge delivering a cargo of 100 tons of chalk.
In about 1920, a light rail track was laid to take materials from the wharf to the mill in trucks. This no longer exists. Before this, horses and carts were used to transport the stone around the site. The warehouse was used for storing the finished product - sacks of whiting or tins of putty.
Next to the warehouse was the orchard and the pathway leading down to Dandy Row. Although Dandy Row has long since been demolished, it is still pleasant to follow that path down the island and to observe the abundance of wild flowers, butterflies and birds.
Thwaite Mills, totally surrounded by industry and only 2 miles from Leeds City Centre, has become a haven for wildlife including kingfishers, herons, foxes, rabbits, woodpeckers, waterfowl and many more.