Adel, Leeds
Encyclopedia
Adel is a suburb
in North Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, England
. It is situated between Cookridge
, Holt Park
, Weetwood
and Alwoodley
. To the north are the villages of Arthington
and Bramhope
and the market town of Otley
. In common with many areas of Leeds it is not easy to define the boundaries of Adel, but Adel Church and the two schools are well to the east of Otley Road, the A660
, although the post office is on that road. There is one pub in Adel and there is a restaurant/pub on the Otley Road around the corner from Gainsborough Avenue(Adel).
Adel is situated near the site of a Roman
fort, the ancient road from Tadcaster
to Ilkley
passing nearby. (The footpath by the side of Long Causeway was said to be made from the original Roman stones, until they were removed by the council in the 1960s because they were unsafe. Some of the footpath has been replaced, starting at the junction between Long Causeway and Stairfoot Lane, and continuing up to the entrance of Bedquilts playing fields.)
The Roman name for the area was Burgodunum. It is probable that a Saxon village sprang up around the fort and that a church was been built in the village. Adel is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book
as Adele. Another spelling used until 1816 is Addle. They derive from the Old English adela ‘dirty, muddy place’.
The parish of Adel stretched to the River Wharfe
in the north and included Adel, Arthington
, Breary, Cookridge
and Eccup
.
In 1152 the nearby Cistercian abbey at Kirkstall
was founded. At the same time, the church of St John the Baptist was built in Adel to replace the older Saxon building.
, Adel parish church
, is described as "one of the best and most complete Norman churches in Yorkshire". It is a grade I listed building; the sundial, mounting block and several memorials are grade II listed.
It was built 1150-1170 and has been little altered since, although a bell-cote was added in 1838-39 by R. D. Chantrell
. The doorway, protected by a modern wooden roof, has an ornately carved arch; inside, there are 81 decorative corbels on the north and south walls, and the chancel arch has 37 grotesque beakheads. The medieval font has an oak canopy by Eric Gill
, and a leper's window survives in the chancel.
The doorknocker of Adel Church is a replica, as the original has been stolen. Because of thefts of stones from the graveyard, all the church's paving stones are engraved with crosses.
The paternal grandparents of The Duchess of Cambridge married at Adel Church in December 1946.
Adel is a mainly residential area of Leeds close to Adel Crags and the Meanwood Valley Trail
and has a distinctive countryside feel. Adel also has two primary schools, St John the Baptist Primary School and Adel Primary School.
Adel is within the Adel and Wharfedale ward of Leeds City Council
and the Leeds North West
parliamentary constituency.
Close to Adel Church is York Gate, an old farmhouse with a landscaped garden and a pavement maze in the driveway. The gardens are open to the public on regular occasions.
Also close to the church is the Adel Memorial Hall and sports ground. The hall was opened on 14 November 1928 as a memorial to those killed in WW1
. The engraved 20 ton stone outside the hall was moved from Adel Moor in May 1922 and erected on the site of the then future hall. The hall is home to the Bowmen of Adel, who hosted the Scorton Arrow
in 1962, 1967 and 1970. Adel is home to Headingley Golf club, the oldest golf
club in Leeds.
Just to the west is the University of Leeds
sports grounds and Bodington Hall
, the university's largest hall of residence.
Adel is linked to Leeds
city centre by buses, including the 28, operated by First Group.
Asda
in Holt Park
is incorrectly called 'Asda at Adel', perhaps because, although geographically incorrect, the term Adel is a historical term that can be traced back many centuries, where as the term 'Holt Park' does not predate the area itself.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
in North Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated between Cookridge
Cookridge
Cookridge is a suburb of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is a mixture of suburban, twentieth-century private housing and a very small amount of council housing bordering Tinshill. It is in the Adel and Wharfedale ward of City of Leeds metropolitan district, and the Leeds North West...
, Holt Park
Holt Park
Holt Park is a medium-sized low-rise 1970s housing estate in the northwest suburbs of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately from the Leeds city centre situated between Tinshill, Cookridge and Adel, and is at the edge of the Leeds metropolitan urban fringe, bordering the green belt...
, Weetwood
Weetwood
Weetwood is an area between Headingley and Meanwood in north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is bounded on the north by the A6120 , on the west by the A660 , on the east by Meanwood Beck and to the south by Hollin Lane...
and Alwoodley
Alwoodley
Alwoodley is a civil parish and suburb of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is north of central Leeds. The name Alwoodley is said to be a corruption of 'Aethelwaldley', as it was originally known in the Middle Ages, meaning the woodland clearing , at Aethelwald's farm...
. To the north are the villages of Arthington
Arthington
Arthington is a small village in Wharfedale, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is a civil parish which, according to the 2001 census, had a population of 561 and is in the LS21 postcode district with Otley as its post town...
and Bramhope
Bramhope
Bramhope is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England, north of Holt Park and north east of Cookridge....
and the market town of Otley
Otley
-Transport:The main roads through the town are the A660 to the south east, which connects Otley to Bramhope, Adel and Leeds city centre, and the A65 to the west, which goes to Ilkley and Skipton. The A6038 heads to Guiseley, Shipley and Bradford, connecting with the A65...
. In common with many areas of Leeds it is not easy to define the boundaries of Adel, but Adel Church and the two schools are well to the east of Otley Road, the A660
A660 road
The A660 is a major road in West Yorkshire, England that runs from Leeds to Burley-in-Wharfedale where it meets the A65. The A660 is approximately long, and crosses the watershed from Airedale to lower Wharfedale...
, although the post office is on that road. There is one pub in Adel and there is a restaurant/pub on the Otley Road around the corner from Gainsborough Avenue(Adel).
History
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
fort, the ancient road from Tadcaster
Tadcaster
Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. Lying on the Great North Road approximately east of Leeds and west of York. It is the last town on the River Wharfe before it joins the River Ouse about downstream...
to Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
passing nearby. (The footpath by the side of Long Causeway was said to be made from the original Roman stones, until they were removed by the council in the 1960s because they were unsafe. Some of the footpath has been replaced, starting at the junction between Long Causeway and Stairfoot Lane, and continuing up to the entrance of Bedquilts playing fields.)
The Roman name for the area was Burgodunum. It is probable that a Saxon village sprang up around the fort and that a church was been built in the village. Adel is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Adele. Another spelling used until 1816 is Addle. They derive from the Old English adela ‘dirty, muddy place’.
The parish of Adel stretched to the River Wharfe
River Wharfe
The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. For much of its length it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The name Wharfe is Celtic and means "twisting, winding".The valley of the River Wharfe is known as Wharfedale...
in the north and included Adel, Arthington
Arthington
Arthington is a small village in Wharfedale, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is a civil parish which, according to the 2001 census, had a population of 561 and is in the LS21 postcode district with Otley as its post town...
, Breary, Cookridge
Cookridge
Cookridge is a suburb of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is a mixture of suburban, twentieth-century private housing and a very small amount of council housing bordering Tinshill. It is in the Adel and Wharfedale ward of City of Leeds metropolitan district, and the Leeds North West...
and Eccup
Eccup
Eccup is a village in the north of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is just north of Adel and east of Bramhope and Golden Acre Park. It is home to Eccup reservoir, the New Inn Pub, and the village set of the soap Emmerdale, and it is surrounded mainly by farming land....
.
In 1152 the nearby Cistercian abbey at Kirkstall
Kirkstall Abbey
Kirkstall Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in Kirkstall north-west of Leeds city centre in West Yorkshire. 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 the auspices of Henry...
was founded. At the same time, the church of St John the Baptist was built in Adel to replace the older Saxon building.
Adel Church
The Church of St John the BaptistJohn the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
, Adel parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
, is described as "one of the best and most complete Norman churches in Yorkshire". It is a grade I listed building; the sundial, mounting block and several memorials are grade II listed.
It was built 1150-1170 and has been little altered since, although a bell-cote was added in 1838-39 by R. D. Chantrell
Robert Dennis Chantrell
Robert Dennis Chantrell was an English church architect, best-known today for designing Leeds Parish Church.- Early career :Chantrell was born in Newington, Southwark, London...
. The doorway, protected by a modern wooden roof, has an ornately carved arch; inside, there are 81 decorative corbels on the north and south walls, and the chancel arch has 37 grotesque beakheads. The medieval font has an oak canopy by Eric Gill
Eric Gill
Arthur Eric Rowton Gill was a British sculptor, typeface designer, stonecutter and printmaker, who was associated with the Arts and Crafts movement...
, and a leper's window survives in the chancel.
The doorknocker of Adel Church is a replica, as the original has been stolen. Because of thefts of stones from the graveyard, all the church's paving stones are engraved with crosses.
The paternal grandparents of The Duchess of Cambridge married at Adel Church in December 1946.
Adel today
Meanwood Valley Trail
The Meanwood Valley Trail is a waymarked footpath and annual footrace route in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It runs for a distance of from the statue of Henry Rowland Marsden, 1878, on Woodhouse Moor, close to the University of Leeds, through Headingley, Meanwood and Adel to Breary Marsh,...
and has a distinctive countryside feel. Adel also has two primary schools, St John the Baptist Primary School and Adel Primary School.
Adel is within the Adel and Wharfedale ward of Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
and the Leeds North West
Leeds North West (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds North West is a parliamentary constituency in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire which is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
parliamentary constituency.
Close to Adel Church is York Gate, an old farmhouse with a landscaped garden and a pavement maze in the driveway. The gardens are open to the public on regular occasions.
Also close to the church is the Adel Memorial Hall and sports ground. The hall was opened on 14 November 1928 as a memorial to those killed in WW1
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The engraved 20 ton stone outside the hall was moved from Adel Moor in May 1922 and erected on the site of the then future hall. The hall is home to the Bowmen of Adel, who hosted the Scorton Arrow
Scorton Arrow
The Antient Scorton Silver Arrow is an archery tournament that was incepted on Sunday 14 May 1673 in the village of Scorton in Yorkshire, England. Twenty-two archers competed in the first event for the prize of a silver arrow. This was won by Henry Calverley of Eryholme on Tees, who had provided...
in 1962, 1967 and 1970. Adel is home to Headingley Golf club, the oldest golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
club in Leeds.
Just to the west is the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
sports grounds and Bodington Hall
Bodington Hall
Bodington Hall is a site owned by the University of Leeds, which contains the university's main playing fields and its largest hall of residence. It is also used for conferences. Known as Bod within the university, it is located between Lawnswood and Adel, approximately 4 mi north of the main...
, the university's largest hall of residence.
Adel is linked to Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
city centre by buses, including the 28, operated by First Group.
Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
in Holt Park
Holt Park
Holt Park is a medium-sized low-rise 1970s housing estate in the northwest suburbs of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately from the Leeds city centre situated between Tinshill, Cookridge and Adel, and is at the edge of the Leeds metropolitan urban fringe, bordering the green belt...
is incorrectly called 'Asda at Adel', perhaps because, although geographically incorrect, the term Adel is a historical term that can be traced back many centuries, where as the term 'Holt Park' does not predate the area itself.
External links
- Adel Association Website, local information
- Adel Crag Community Association website, local information
- St John's church website
- Yorkgate garden website
- Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland scholarly description of church carvings including many detailed photographs
- The Ancient Parish of Adel at GENUKIGENUKIGENUKI is a genealogy web portal, run as a charitable trust. Its aim is "to serve as a "virtual reference library" of genealogical information that is of particular relevance to the UK & Ireland"...
- Leodis View photographs of Adel on the Leeds photographic archive.