Horbury Lagoons - The Mill Field Lagoons

The name Mill Field (or Millfield) Lagoons and Horbury Lagoons seem to apply to the same area of washlands and lagoons situated east of Horbury Junction, with railway lines to the north and west, the River Calder, Lupset Pond Stretch to the south. The M1 splits the lagoon area in two with Wakefield Lagoon being east of the motorway towards Lupset between the river and the railway. I believe on the eastern side of the motorway, the Horbury or Millfield Washland extends to the north of the railway embankment but the railway effectively splits it in two.

The names of the lakes do not appear on any of the modern OS maps that I have consulted.

Horbury Lagoon (also called Mill Field or Millfield Lagoon). © John S. Sargent 2010.

This large lagoon or lake is an old gravel pit and is now owned by Wakefield MDC.

Access via Millfield Road and Forge Lane. The railway from Horbury Junction to Wakefield runs by on the north bank and the M1 motorway is to the east.

Formerly used by Horbury Sailing Club, the lake was also known at one time as Horbury Sailing Lake. The sailing club has now changed its name to Wakefield Sailing Club and its location to Pugneys Country Park.

Blue Lagoon (also known as Roberts' Lagoon) is to the west of the much larger Horbury Lagoon. It is a long, narrow fishing lake at the end of Forge Lane. The name is derived from a large engineering works, Charles Roberts & Co. Ltd., now no longer there. It is just to the west of Horbury Lagoon. Access via Millfield Road and Forge Lane. Read more.... (external link)

Photograph © John S. Sargent 2010.

Wakefield Lagoon
is situated just to the east of it, separated from the other lagoons by the M1 motorway. Access is via Millfield Road and Green Lane.
Photograph © John S. Sargent 2010.

Situated on the north bank of the River Calder, the Wakefield Lagoon is directly opposite the Calder Wetlands that are on the south bank of the River Calder between the river and Denby Dale Road (A636).