Streethouse is a small former mining village surrounded by farmland some distance east of Wakefield. It is wholly unremarkable and not especially attractive, consisting largely of a ribbon of houses strung out along either side of its principle street, along with a small, modern brick-built church and a post office, but no historical buildings to speak of. It does however have the advantage of being encircled by countryside, and has a rather prettier neighbour, the village of Sharlston (technically three villages, Old Sharlston, Sharlston Common and New Sharlston), which has existed since at least 1574 and boasts several attractive buildings.
Streethouse railway station is one of a handful of post-Beeching Axe new stations, opened in 1992 when the line between Wakefield and Pontefract was reopened to passenger traffic by West Yorkshire Metro. It is thus a modest affair, consisting of two platforms (which passengers can only move between via the adjacent level crossing), a pair of waiting shelters, and no amenities, but its very existence should be cause for celebration. From the station, we bear right along Whinney Lane, shortly passing Streethouse War Memorial on the left. On reaching Woodside View on the left, turn into it but then immediately bear right along a signed public footpath to Weeland Road. Thus, we almost immediately leave Streethouse behind, and do not return until the very end of the walk. For now, we instead follow the path towards Sharlston, shortly crossing the railway track and proceeding along the edge of two fields to reach the aforementioned Weeland Road.
Cross the road and continue straight ahead along The Green, passing the Sharlston Colliery Memorial on the corner, which is another of the pit-wheel memorials we have become so familiar. The Green passes through Sharlston Common; on the left, below ground level, are the remains of Sharlston Common coal and ironstone workings. These are a scheduled ancient monument and date from the medieval period, although virtually no trace of them is visible. When a well-trodden path appears on the left, follow this, bearing right at a fork to reach Sharlston Dam, a reservoir built during the nineteenth century to provide water to Sharlston Colliery and the houses built around it.
Sharlston Dam.
Now used for fishing, it is one of the loveliest spots on the walk. Turn left and follow the path clockwise around the dam, eventually reaching a car park for the angling club that uses it, and then cross this to return to The Green and turn left.
Immediately turn left and walk across a grassy open space (presumably the actual village green) to reach Lidget Lane. Continue straight ahead along this, passing Sharlston Hall on the left. This handsome Grade II*-listed former manor house dates from the fifteenth century, with extensions added during the sixteenth and seventeenth, and is now used as a farm. Just after this, turn right along another signed footpath (Back Lane) and follow this as it eventually bends right and ends at – once again – The Green. Turn left and follow the road until it ends at West Lane, then turn right, passing the White Horse public house on the corner and follow the lane back to Weeland Road. Turn right and walk to the Church of St. Luke the Evangelist, in front of which Sharlston War Memorial can be seen.
The Church of St. Luke the Evangelist.
Turn left opposite the church, following Cow Lane past an extension of the churchyard, then take the next right turn along Eastville Road.
Follow Eastville Road as it becomes Hammer Lane and curves left past Sharlston Community School. The lane eventually becomes a track and crosses a bridge over the railway track, before running past a field on the left and ending at High Street. The last third of the walk consists almost entirely of paths across and between fields, as we loop across farmland on our way back to Streethouse. We cross High Street and continue straight ahead along a signed public bridleway, following this between fields and passing a pair of lakes on the right. The land to the left of the bridleway was the site of Sharlston Colliery. When the bridleway reaches a junction of paths, turn right and follow a path alongside a stream (after heavy rain, this path is particularly muddy and at one point starts to merge with an adjacent marsh). When the path ends at another, turn right and then at the next junction turn right again to follow a path slowly up and over a hill, walking between a band of trees on the left and fields on the right.
When the path ends at Mill Lane, cross straight over and continue along another signed public footpath to Old Snydale, a village that looks pretty from a distance, but which will not have the opportunity to explore in more detail on this walk. Instead, after crossing a wooden stile, we turn right and follow a divergent route along a track between hedges. When this reaches a farm track, continue straight ahead along a footpath that runs beside a field and over the crest of a hill, eventually entering a wood. Shortly, Syndale Cemetery appears on the right, where the path becomes Red Lane. Like most cemeteries, this is a pleasant green space, although it is modest in size and acks a cemetery chapel. Continue past it, crossing the railway track to return to Streethouse, then walk to the end of the lane and turn right along Whinney Lane. A short distance further on, we pass the unobtrusive if architecturally uninteresting Streethouse Methodist Church on the left, before returning to the station.
If it seems unfair to describe Streethouse as the sort of place that probably almost nobody visits and which few people who don’t live there have heard of, it is nevertheless probably true. We will shortly be visiting a somewhat more famous location as we head further east along the line, but before that we have another stop, at the small town of Featherstone.
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