Kirkstall | |
---|---|
Location within West Yorkshire | |
Population | 20,673 [1] |
Metropolitan borough | |
Metropolitan county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | LEEDS |
Postcode district | LS3, LS4, LS5 |
Dialling code | 0113 |
Police | West Yorkshire |
Fire | West Yorkshire |
Ambulance | Yorkshire |
UK Parliament | |
Kirkstall is a north-western suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, on the eastern side of the River Aire. The area sits in the Kirkstall ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central and Headingley parliamentary constituency, represented by Alex Sobel. The population of the ward at the 2011 Census was 21,709. [2]
To the west is Bramley, to the east is Headingley, and to the north are Hawksworth and West Park. Kirkstall is around 2 miles (3.2 km) from the city centre and is close to the University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University. Its main visitor attraction is Kirkstall Abbey. Another landmark is St. Stephen's Church designed by the architect Robert Dennis Chantrell. Richard Oastler, a reformer and fighter for children's rights, is buried in a crypt under the church's east end.
In the 12th century Cistercian monks founded Kirkstall Abbey, a daughter house of Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire. The Abbey House Museum opposite the abbey tells the story of the community and the town. Henry De Lacey, Baron of Pontefract, gave the land for the foundation of the abbey, and Kirkstall has a few roads named in his memory. The Abbey Light Railway, which connected the grounds of the abbey with the Bridge Road commercial area, was closed down in 2012.
The name of Kirkstall comes from a Northern dialect of Old English word 'Kirk' ('church') and Old English stall ('place') and means 'site of a church'. [3] The traveller John Leland spelt the name as "Christal" in his writings of 1536. [4]
During the English Civil War, the bridge over the Aire at Kirkstall (referred to in a contemporaneous account as 'Churchstall') was destroyed by Royalist troops from Leeds. After discovering this, a Parliamentary force led by Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron - from Otley - had to cross the river upstream at Apperley Bridge before retaking Leeds in January 1643. [5]
Kirkstall was historically an important centre of industry. Kirkstall Forge lays claim to being the longest continually used industrial site in Britain founded in the 13th century by the Cistercian monks of the abbey, and a number of printers. The earliest known activity on the site was a medieval mill race which supplied water to power the corn mill at Kirkstall Abbey. Iron production took place at the forge from the 1580s onwards. During the late 18th century the reconstruction of the upper and lower forges allowed 'shovel and spade production' to commence. A railway was built at the forge in 1830 and sustained growth at the plant. The First World War brought about large scale growth, providing axles for military vehicles and by 1930 most lorries and buses made in the UK had a Kirkstall back axle casing. In 2002 the owners of the site, the Dana Holding Corporation announced the closure of the works, shifting production to India and Spain. [6] The site is undergoing major redevelopment, as is the old Waide's Printers & Kwik Save site. Printing has, like iron-founding, suffered a decline, several printing companies remain.
Until 1976 when it was closed, Kirkstall was dominated by a coal fired power station. [7] It was replaced by larger power stations away from town at Ferrybridge, Eggborough and Drax. The power station was demolished in the early 1980s. [8]
Kirkstall Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery set in grounds which are now a public park on the north bank of the River Aire. It was founded in about 1152 and took over 75 years to construct. [9] It was closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under the auspices of Henry VIII. [10] The ruins have been painted by artists such as J. M. W. Turner and Thomas Girtin.
Kirkstall's amenities are stretched along Kirkstall Road and Abbey Road. There are several pubs, a supermarket and several other shops around it on the site of the former Waddingtons factory.The Kirkstall Bridge Shopping complex contains many stores. A small shopping precinct is situated adjacent to the A65 and Kirkstall Lane has become dilapidated in recent years,[ opinion ] soon to be rebuilt on with houses and shops. [11]
St Stephen's C of E (VA) Primary School has a coat of arms that reflects Kirkstall's rich history. [12]
Kirkstall is situated on the A65 road which links it to Leeds city centre, Guiseley, Yeadon and Ilkley. This is crossed in the town centre by the B6157 road between Stanningley and Moortown. The latter crosses the River Aire on the Grade II listed Kirkstall Bridge.
There are two railway lines: The Bradford line passes along the Aire Valley and has a railway station at Kirkstall Forge which opened in June 2016. The Harrogate line passes near Kirkstall and Headingley station is a few minutes walk from the centre of Kirkstall. The former Leeds tramway ran through Kirkstall until it was dismantled in 1959, a substation used by the tramway is still visible on Abbey Road. There are many bus routes through Kirkstall. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal also passes through Kirkstall close to the river and its tow path provides walking, running and cycling routes to Leeds and also west to Rodley and Shipley.
Company | Route | Destinations |
---|---|---|
First Leeds | 33 & 34 | Leeds city centre, Horsforth, Rawdon, Guiseley, Yeadon, Menston, Otley |
First Leeds | 49 | Monkswood Gate, Oakwood, St James' Hospital, Leeds city centre, Bramley |
First Leeds | 50 50A | Seacroft, Harehills, St James' Hospital, Leeds city centre, Hawksworth, Horsforth |
Keighley Bus Company | 60 | Leeds city centre, Rodley, West Yorkshire, Greengates, Thackley, Shipley, Saltaire, Bingley, Keighley. |
First Leeds | 91 | Pudsey, Bramley, Headingley, Meanwood, Chapeltown, Harehills, Halton Moor. |
First Calderdale & Huddersfield | 508 | Leeds city centre, Thornbury, Odsal, Shelf, Halifax |
Yorkshire Coastliner | A1 | Leeds city centre, Horsforth, Leeds Bradford Airport. |
The Kirkstall Brewery site was converted into a large hall of residence for students of Leeds Metropolitan University. Other developments in Kirkstall include the Morrisons shopping complex, off the A65 road, by the river.
Filming of The Beiderbecke Affair took place partly in Kirkstall, using houses around Abbeydale Oval with other scenes shot throughout the area and Moor Grange.
The Kirkstall Festival takes place every year in the grounds of the abbey [15] on the second Saturday in July since 1981. It is a festival of music, local arts and crafts, and is organised by volunteers of the KVCA (Kirkstall Valley Community Association).
Kirkstall is rich in historic sites and monuments. St. Stephen's churchyard has fine 19th century grave markers. Other landmarks include an elegant early 19th century stone monument on the A65 road near the Kirkstall Forge site. A plaque on the monument indicates that Kirkstall is 200 miles from London and 200 miles from Edinburgh.
The re-located 19th century drinking fountain near the demolished police station at the junction of Abbey Road and Bradford Road proclaims 'Drink and be Grateful'. The fountain's little garden had been neglected for many a year until local community gardening group Kirkstall-in-Bloom made it their initial project in 2012. [16]
In 2015 Kirkstall was subject to major flooding, affecting over 3,000 properties. The River Aire banks broke leaving vast areas of Kirkstall under deep water, reaching record levels according to the Environment Agency. [17] [18]
During the floods which reached national news, two local men were pictured at a pub the ‘Kirkstall Bridge Inn’ in the beer garden submerged in water drinking pints, the image has since become viral. [19]
Kirkstall Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in Kirkstall, north-west of Leeds city centre in West Yorkshire, England. It is set in a public park on the north bank of the River Aire. It was founded c. 1152. It was disestablished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII.
The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, 92 miles (148 km) in length. Part of the river below Leeds is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation.
Airedale is a valley, or dale, in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. It is named after the River Aire, which flows through it. The upper valley, from Malham Cove to Airton, is known as Malhamdale, named after the village of Malham. At Airton the valley widens and becomes Airedale proper. The river flows past Skipton on to Keighley, Bingley, Shipley, and Leeds.
Yeadon is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
Horsforth is a town and civil parish in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, five miles north-west of Leeds city centre. Historically a village within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it had a population of 18,895 at the 2011 Census. It became part of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in 1974. In 1999, a civil parish was created for the area, and the parish council voted to rename itself a town council. The area is within the Horsforth ward of Leeds City Council, which also includes the southern part of Rawdon.
West Park is a suburb of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, north of Headingley. It is a mixed area of private suburban housing and suburban council estates. The name derives from its main park containing playing fields together with a conservation area of grassy meadow ending in woodland. The largest housing estate in West Park is Moor Grange.
Hawksworth is a small, early twentieth-century council estate in the Kirkstall ward in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
The Wharfedale line is one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. The service connects Ilkley with Leeds and Bradford, and is operated by Northern Trains. West Yorkshire Metrocards are available for use on the line, covering Zones 3–5. The line is served predominantly by four-coach Class 333 electric multiple units.
The Airedale line is one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area centred on West Yorkshire in northern England. The service is operated by Northern, on the route connecting Leeds and Bradford with Skipton. Some services along the line continue to Morecambe or Carlisle. The route covered by the service was historically part of the Midland Railway.
The Abbey Light Railway was a 2 ft narrow gauge railway in Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Built by enthusiasts, the Railway ran from the nearby Bridge Road commercial area into the grounds of Kirkstall Abbey, operating most Sundays.
Headingley railway station is off Kirkstall Lane in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, on the Harrogate Line, 3 miles (5 km) north west of Leeds. The station was opened in 1849 by the Leeds & Thirsk Railway, later part of the Leeds Northern Railway to Northallerton.
Richmond Hill is a district of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The district lies a mile to the east of the city centre between York Road, East End Park and Cross Green. The appropriate City of Leeds ward is Burmantofts and Richmond Hill.
Burley is an inner city area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, 1 mile (1.6 km) north-west of Leeds city centre, between the A65 Kirkstall Road at the south and Headingley at the north, in the Kirkstall ward.
Kirkstall Forge railway station is a station serving the Kirkstall area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is on the Leeds to Bradford Line between Leeds City and Shipley and was opened on 19 June 2016, near the site of an earlier station with the same name.
Kirkstall Forge is a 57-acre mixed-use development located in Kirkstall in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The site is one of the oldest most continuously used industrial sites in England. It was operated by Kirkstall Forge Engineering, a metalworking business. It was a working forge until 1995 when the site was bought by Commercial Estates Group who have had plans approved to build 1,050 homes, 300,000 sq ft of office space, 100,000 sq ft of leisure and retail and a primary school. In June 2016 a railway station was opened on the site served by trains between Leeds and Bradford.
Kirkstall is a historically important area of Leeds. Its history can be seen in its abbey, its industrial remains and its regeneration.
Kirkstall Road Viaduct is a Grade II listed railway viaduct carrying the Harrogate line over the A65 Kirkstall Road, the River Aire, and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Burley, Leeds, West Yorkshire. It was built in 1849 by the engineer Thomas Grainger for the Leeds and Thirsk Railway. The viaduct, which is approximately 440 m (0.27 mi), is a significant local landmark due to the wide, shallow nature of the valley it crosses.
Kirkstall is a ward in the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It contains 48 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, one is listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, two are at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The ward contains Kirkstall, Burley and Hawksworth, all suburbs of Leeds. The River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal pass through the ward, and the listed buildings associated with these are weirs, sluices, locks, and a canal bridge. The most important building is the ward is Kirkstall Abbey, which is listed, together with associated structures. The other listed buildings include houses and associated structures, churches and items in churchyards, public houses, a school and a former Sunday school, a commemorative arch, road bridges, a railway viaduct and station, former mill buildings, buildings associated with a former forge, and a war memorial.
Newlay is a suburb of Horsforth, in West Yorkshire, England. Originally a hamlet, it is now part of Horsforth parish in the City of Leeds District, and has its own conservation area. Newlay is situated on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, some 5 miles (8 km) north west of Leeds city centre.