Burley, Leeds
Encyclopedia
Burley is a suburb
of north-west Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, England
, characterised by the red brick terraced housing, much of which was built in the period 1899 - 1903 and green spaces. Sometimes called 'The Cardigan Triangle , it stretches north from the main Kirkstall
Road, towards Hyde Park
and Headingley
. It is served by Burley Park railway station
and regular bus routes along Kirkstall Road, Cardigan Road and Burley Road.
The area has a smaller student population than do the surrounding areas of Headingley and Hyde Park. It has few pubs or bars, perhaps due in part to the Methodism of the one-time landowner in this area. However, there is a large cinema and restaurant complex at Cardigan Fields Leisure Park. Yorkshire Television
and Radio Aire broadcast studios and the Home Office
's Immigration offices are all located on Kirkstall Road in Burley.
A feature of the area, which gives the area a large part of its identity and character is Burley Model Allotments, which is right in the heart of Burley. The site, numbering over 100 plots in all and bisected by Beechwook Crescent, was once a quarry. The allotment gardens have existed since 26th August 1892 when Leeds City Council obtained the site. The site was replanned in 1956 and 1957 and on the 26th June 1958 the allotments were re-opened as Burley Model Allotments by the then Lord Mayor of Leeds Aldrderman Mrs Mary Pearce (JP).
Several mills along the River Aire
were built in towards the end of the 19th century, some of which still remain today. Housing for the workers in these establishments and those in surrounding areas inevitably followed, with homes being built further up the bank.
Burley remained largely a working class area for many decades, however the growth of both the University of Leeds
and Leeds Metropolitan University
(formerly Leeds Polytechnic) in the latter 20th century brought a growing student population to Burley as well as surrounding areas such as Hyde Park
, Woodhouse
and most notably Headingley
.
Today, Burley is growing in popularity with young professionals & families.
It's served by a number of small supermarkets (Iceland, Asda, Co-op & Aldi), as well as smaller chains such as One-Stop, Costcutter & Premier.
A number of shops and restaurants are also in Burley, the main shopping area being Kirkstall Road & Burley Hill. Viva Cuba & Sheesh Mahal are both award-winning restaurants (both located on Kirkstall Road).
As well as the Virgin Active gym, there's also a Fitness First gym, a 5-aside football centre (Goals), and a nine hole golf course.
The Leeds/Liverpool canal & River Aire run alongside Burley's Southern boundary, and are popular with walkers, cyclists and fishermen.
and Burley Road. It is also situated close to the Leeds Inner Ring Road
. Burley has its own Railway Station, Burley Park
which opened in 1988 and connects Burley with Leeds city centre
, Headingley
, Horsforth
, Harrogate
, Knaresborough
and York
by rail services which run approximately every half hour. The First Leeds
15, 18, 18A, 33, 33A, 49, 50 and 50A bus services link Burley with Leeds city centre
, Bradford
, Farsley
, Horsforth
, Ireland Wood
, Tinshill
, Kirkstall
, Headingley
, Bramley
, Garforth
, Guiseley
, Menston
, Otley
, St James' Hospital and Seacroft
. Until 1959 the Leeds Tramway
ran through Burley, the proposed Leeds Supertram
would have run close to Burley, through Headingley
and Hyde Park
.
Burley is characterised by the many red brick Victorian terraces built throughout the area. These include both small back to back
houses and larger through terrace houses. As well as this, the twentieth century saw the building of many private houses in the area, including many large semi-detached
houses around the Burley Wood area. There are also small pockets of twentieth century council houses in Burley including a small estate of prefabricated concrete houses on Burley Road close to the Yorkshire Television studios and a small estate further North heading towards Kirkstall.
, in which houses of Burley Road were portrayed to be Belfast
. Belfast at the time was considered by Yorkshire Television
to be too dangerous to use for filming so instead they used housing adjacent to their Leeds Studios, these have since been demolished. The Haddon Hall public house was used for filming in the Beiderbecke Tapes while Burley Park railway station
is sometimes used as Hotton railway station in Yorkshire Television soap opera Emmerdale
. Occasional scenes from Fat Friends
were also shot in Burley.
(aka Scary Spice) from the popular girl band - The Spice Girls
.
Melanie was born in Leeds in 1975. She originally lived in Harehills for a very short period; however, her mother Andrea and father Martin soon moved to Burley where Melanie spent all of her life up until she made it big in the band. Melanie attended Kirkstall Valley Primary School (known then, as Kirkstall Primary & Middle School.), which is also situated in this Leeds suburb.
Melanie still owns the Burley house that she grew up in before her Spice Girls
success. To date, her father still resides here.
The Haddon Hall Public House, which used to be located on Bankfield Road was used for the filming of the Beiderbecke Tapes.
Queens ARLFC, who play in the Pennine League Premier Division, have their headquarters based at Burley Social Club. They also run a reserve side.
Football:
Burley United represent the area, who play their games at West Park football fields, playing in division 1 of the Sunday League.
Rugby Union:
Burley RUFC play in Yorkshire Division 4, currently playing their games next to Kirkstall Abbey
.
Headingley Stadium:
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
, Leeds Carnegie and the current Superleague Champions Leeds Rhinos
play at the Headingley Stadium
which lies close to the area.
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...
of north-west 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...
, characterised by the red brick terraced housing, much of which was built in the period 1899 - 1903 and green spaces. Sometimes called 'The Cardigan Triangle , it stretches north from the main Kirkstall
Kirkstall
Kirkstall is a suburb of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, on the eastern side of the River Aire. To the west is Bramley, to the east is Headingley and to the north is West Park. Kirkstall is around from the city centre and is close to the University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan...
Road, towards Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Leeds
Hyde Park is an inner-city area of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, situated between the University of Leeds and Headingley.It is mainly in the Hyde Park & Woodhouse ward, though some areas of what is often considered to be Hyde Park lie within the Headingley Ward . The boundary is...
and Headingley
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road...
. It is served by Burley Park railway station
Burley Park railway station
Burley Park railway station in Leeds, West Yorkshire is the first stop on the Harrogate Line, north west of Leeds railway station towards Harrogate and York. The station was opened on 28 November 1988.The line is heavily used by commuters into Leeds...
and regular bus routes along Kirkstall Road, Cardigan Road and Burley Road.
The area has a smaller student population than do the surrounding areas of Headingley and Hyde Park. It has few pubs or bars, perhaps due in part to the Methodism of the one-time landowner in this area. However, there is a large cinema and restaurant complex at Cardigan Fields Leisure Park. Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
and Radio Aire broadcast studios and the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
's Immigration offices are all located on Kirkstall Road in Burley.
A feature of the area, which gives the area a large part of its identity and character is Burley Model Allotments, which is right in the heart of Burley. The site, numbering over 100 plots in all and bisected by Beechwook Crescent, was once a quarry. The allotment gardens have existed since 26th August 1892 when Leeds City Council obtained the site. The site was replanned in 1956 and 1957 and on the 26th June 1958 the allotments were re-opened as Burley Model Allotments by the then Lord Mayor of Leeds Aldrderman Mrs Mary Pearce (JP).
History
Burley grew from a humble village during the latter stages of the industrial revolution. Parts of the original village can still be seen at the junction between Burley Road & Haddon Road, as well as the area around Burley Lodge.Several mills along the River Aire
River Aire
The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England of length . Part of the river is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation....
were built in towards the end of the 19th century, some of which still remain today. Housing for the workers in these establishments and those in surrounding areas inevitably followed, with homes being built further up the bank.
Burley remained largely a working class area for many decades, however the growth of both 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...
and Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
(formerly Leeds Polytechnic) in the latter 20th century brought a growing student population to Burley as well as surrounding areas such as Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Leeds
Hyde Park is an inner-city area of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, situated between the University of Leeds and Headingley.It is mainly in the Hyde Park & Woodhouse ward, though some areas of what is often considered to be Hyde Park lie within the Headingley Ward . The boundary is...
, Woodhouse
Woodhouse, Leeds
Woodhouse is a largely residential area just north of the city centre of Leeds and home to the University of Leeds. It is in the Hyde Park and Woodhouse ward of City of Leeds metropolitan district. It was described in 1853 as a "large and handsome village"...
and most notably Headingley
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road...
.
Today, Burley is growing in popularity with young professionals & families.
Amenities
Burley has several pubs & members clubs (The Cardigan Arms, Aire of the Dog, Burley Social Club, Burley Liberal Club, Burley Conservative Club, The Merry Monk).It's served by a number of small supermarkets (Iceland, Asda, Co-op & Aldi), as well as smaller chains such as One-Stop, Costcutter & Premier.
A number of shops and restaurants are also in Burley, the main shopping area being Kirkstall Road & Burley Hill. Viva Cuba & Sheesh Mahal are both award-winning restaurants (both located on Kirkstall Road).
As well as the Virgin Active gym, there's also a Fitness First gym, a 5-aside football centre (Goals), and a nine hole golf course.
The Leeds/Liverpool canal & River Aire run alongside Burley's Southern boundary, and are popular with walkers, cyclists and fishermen.
The Cardigan Fields Complex
Located on Kirkstall Road, the Cardigan Fields Complex is home to a multi-screen Vue cinema, Evolution Nightclub, Virgin Active Gym, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Nandos, 10-pin Bowling, a pub and other restaurants.Transport
Burley is linked to Leeds city centre by the A65A65 road
The A65 is a major road in England. It runs north west from Leeds in Yorkshire via Kirkstall, Horsforth, Yeadon, Guiseley, Ilkley and Skipton, passes west of Settle, then continues through Ingleton and Kirkby Lonsdale before terminating at Kendal in Cumbria....
and Burley Road. It is also situated close to the Leeds Inner Ring Road
Leeds Inner Ring Road
The Leeds Inner Ring Road is part-motorway and part-A roads in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which forms a ring road around the city centre. It has six different road numbers that are all sections of longer roads...
. Burley has its own Railway Station, Burley Park
Burley Park railway station
Burley Park railway station in Leeds, West Yorkshire is the first stop on the Harrogate Line, north west of Leeds railway station towards Harrogate and York. The station was opened on 28 November 1988.The line is heavily used by commuters into Leeds...
which opened in 1988 and connects Burley with Leeds city centre
Leeds City Centre
Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, England. It is within the Leeds Central parliamentary constituency, represented by Hilary Benn as MP since a by-election in 1999...
, Headingley
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road...
, Horsforth
Horsforth
Horsforth is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England, lying to the north west of Leeds. It has a population of 18,928....
, Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
, Knaresborough
Knaresborough
Knaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...
and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
by rail services which run approximately every half hour. The First Leeds
First Leeds
First Leeds is one of the bus companies serving the area of West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
15, 18, 18A, 33, 33A, 49, 50 and 50A bus services link Burley with Leeds city centre
Leeds City Centre
Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, England. It is within the Leeds Central parliamentary constituency, represented by Hilary Benn as MP since a by-election in 1999...
, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Farsley
Farsley
Farsley is a commuter town in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England 6 miles to the west of Leeds city centre, and 4 miles east of Bradford. It was formerly in the municipal borough of nearby Pudsey....
, Horsforth
Horsforth
Horsforth is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England, lying to the north west of Leeds. It has a population of 18,928....
, Ireland Wood
Ireland Wood
Ireland Wood is a small residential area in north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately to the north west of Leeds city centre. The original planning for Ireland Wood began in 1950....
, Tinshill
Tinshill
Tinshill is a district of Leeds, 4 miles north of Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated between Horsforth and Cookridge. When the estate was planned in the 1940s it was originally known as the 'Cookridge Tower Estate'. The estate predated surrounding estates such as...
, Kirkstall
Kirkstall
Kirkstall is a suburb of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, on the eastern side of the River Aire. To the west is Bramley, to the east is Headingley and to the north is West Park. Kirkstall is around from the city centre and is close to the University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan...
, Headingley
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road...
, Bramley
Bramley, Leeds
Bramley is a district in west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is an old industrial area and home to a lot of 19th century architecture alongside 20th century council housing in the east and private suburban housing to the west. It has its own railway station which is on the Caldervale and...
, Garforth
Garforth
Garforth is a town within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. The 2001 Census lists 23,892 residents in the Garforth and Swillington ward - 80.57% of which are homeowners, 20% more than the average for Leeds. Garforth itself has 15,394 of those people...
, Guiseley
Guiseley
Guiseley is a small town in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Situated south of Otley and Menston, it is a suburb of north west Leeds. At the 2001 census, Guiseley together with Rawdon had a population of over 21,000. The A65, which passes through the town, is the...
, Menston
Menston
Menston is a village and civil parish in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Along with Burley in Wharfedale, Menston is part of Wharfedale Ward in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford. It has a population of 4,660.-Landmarks:...
, 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...
, St James' Hospital and Seacroft
Seacroft
Seacroft is an outer-city suburb consisting mainly of council estate housing covering an extensive area of east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is east of Leeds city centre and lies in the LS14 Leeds postcode area....
. Until 1959 the Leeds Tramway
Leeds Tramway
Leeds Corporation Tramways formerly served the city of Leeds, England. The original trams were horse-drawn, however by 1901 electrification had been completed. The tramway opened on 29 October 1891-Routes:...
ran through Burley, the proposed Leeds Supertram
Leeds Supertram
The Leeds Supertram was a proposed light rail/tram system in Leeds and West Yorkshire in England.-Initial proposals:Proposals for the reinstatement of trams or a light rail system in Leeds which were withdrawn in 1959 have been ongoing since the 1970s with various plans for varying light rail...
would have run close to Burley, through Headingley
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road...
and Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Leeds
Hyde Park is an inner-city area of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, situated between the University of Leeds and Headingley.It is mainly in the Hyde Park & Woodhouse ward, though some areas of what is often considered to be Hyde Park lie within the Headingley Ward . The boundary is...
.
Housing
Back-to-back houses
Usually of low quality and high density, they were built for working class people and because three of the four walls of the house were shared with other buildings and therefore contained no doors or windows, back-to-back houses were notoriously ill-lit and poorly ventilated and sanitation was of...
houses and larger through terrace houses. As well as this, the twentieth century saw the building of many private houses in the area, including many large semi-detached
Semi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
houses around the Burley Wood area. There are also small pockets of twentieth century council houses in Burley including a small estate of prefabricated concrete houses on Burley Road close to the Yorkshire Television studios and a small estate further North heading towards Kirkstall.
Appearances in Popular Culture
Perhaps Burley's most notable appearance in popular culture was it providing the back drop for television drama Harry's GameHarry's Game
Harry's Game is a British television miniseries made by Yorkshire Television for ITV in 1982. It is based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Seymour, which was published in 1975.The three-part serial starred Ray Lonnen as Capt...
, in which houses of Burley Road were portrayed to be Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. Belfast at the time was considered by Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
to be too dangerous to use for filming so instead they used housing adjacent to their Leeds Studios, these have since been demolished. The Haddon Hall public house was used for filming in the Beiderbecke Tapes while Burley Park railway station
Burley Park railway station
Burley Park railway station in Leeds, West Yorkshire is the first stop on the Harrogate Line, north west of Leeds railway station towards Harrogate and York. The station was opened on 28 November 1988.The line is heavily used by commuters into Leeds...
is sometimes used as Hotton railway station in Yorkshire Television soap opera Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
. Occasional scenes from Fat Friends
Fat Friends
Fat Friends is an ITV drama , following a group of overweight people, their laughter and pain and addresses the absurdities of dieting in our modern age. The drama looks at people and how they relate to one another and use body weight as an excuse for all sorts of failings in their relationships,...
were also shot in Burley.
Notable residents
Arguably the most famous celebrity from Burley to have struck stardom worldwide is Melanie BrownMelanie Brown
Melanie Janine "Scary Spice" Brown , often better known as Mel B, is an English pop singer-songwriter, actress, author and television presenter...
(aka Scary Spice) from the popular girl band - The Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
.
Melanie was born in Leeds in 1975. She originally lived in Harehills for a very short period; however, her mother Andrea and father Martin soon moved to Burley where Melanie spent all of her life up until she made it big in the band. Melanie attended Kirkstall Valley Primary School (known then, as Kirkstall Primary & Middle School.), which is also situated in this Leeds suburb.
Melanie still owns the Burley house that she grew up in before her Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
success. To date, her father still resides here.
Arts
Several times a year, local artists open their homes as galleries to display their work as part of Triangle Art Day.The Haddon Hall Public House, which used to be located on Bankfield Road was used for the filming of the Beiderbecke Tapes.
Sport
Rugby League:Queens ARLFC, who play in the Pennine League Premier Division, have their headquarters based at Burley Social Club. They also run a reserve side.
Football:
Burley United represent the area, who play their games at West Park football fields, playing in division 1 of the Sunday League.
Rugby Union:
Burley RUFC play in Yorkshire Division 4, currently playing their games next to Kirkstall Abbey
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...
.
Headingley Stadium:
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
, Leeds Carnegie and the current Superleague Champions Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
play at the Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
which lies close to the area.