Meanwood
Encyclopedia
Meanwood is a suburb and former village of north-west Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, England
.
derivation: the Meene wude was the boundary wood of the Manor of Alreton
, the woods to the east of Meanwood Beck
. Dwellings and farms near the wood were known by a variety of names including Meanwoodside until 27 August 1847 when the parish of Meanwood was established and the woods became known Meanwood Woods.
A skirmish, between Royalist
and Parliamentarian
forces, took place in Meanwood, during the English Civil War
. It is said that the "Beck ran red" , with the blood of the fallen, hence, the place name "Stainbeck".
The Meanwood Valley was a place of industry as long ago as 1577 and continued up to the 19th century. The Meanwood Beck provided water and power for corn, flax, and paper mills, dye works and tanneries. There were numerous quarries.
In 1830 a turnpike road was established down the Meanwood Valley to Leeds. Public transport followed from 1850 and electric trams in 1890, meaning that it was practical for people to travel to work from greater distances, encouraging both industrial buildings and housing.
There is a shopping centre with a Waitrose
Food & Home store on Green Road, the site of a tannery which is believed to date from 1700. To the west along the road towards Meanwood Park are some houses built for tannery workers and the Meanwood Institute, built about 1820, but opened as the Institute in 1885, a Grade II listed building.
There are a number of 19th-century industrial buildings in Meanwood Valley along the Meanwood Beck, and 19th-century terraced housing on the valley side leading to Headingley
, Weetwood
and Woodhouse
, along with an area of woodland known locally as The Ridge
.
New estates have been built with grand, suburban housing, the Woodleas, the Stonegates and the Bowoods. 20th-century council housing mixed with open space forms the opposite side of the valley leading up to Scott Hall
.
It is also home to Meanwood Valley Urban Farm
.
Sugarwell Court
on the Meanwood Road, is the former Cliff Tannery
, an 1866 Grade II listed building converted into a university hall of residence. Nearby is a former Baptist school, a brick Grade II listed building dating from about 1886.
house, Meanwood Towers. Designed by Edward Welby Pugin, and built in 1866 - 1867, this private house was commissioned by Thomas Stewart Kennedy and was originally called Meanwood House. Mr Kennedy commissioned the German organ-builder Edmund Schulze
to build him a pipe organ
. In 1869, it was installed in a specially-built 800-seat wooden concert hall or 'organ house'. However, after eight years, there were problems with the organ house and the Schulze organ was loaned to St. Peter's Church, Harrogate
; 2two years later, in 1879, it was sold and presented to St. Bartholomew's Church, Armley
.
In keeping with its grand design, the house was built tall chimneys, but in 1969 these were shortened for safety reasons. Most of the original house survives, but converted into flats.
was a 17th century manor house sometimes known as Carr House. It was greatly extended 1880-1881 by architect Edward Schroeder Prior
for Thomas Clifford Allbutt. It was used by the City of Leeds as a residence for judges during trials at Leeds Crown Court, but is now private dwellings.
Carr Manor gives its name to a 1950s estate of private houses and a primary and high school.
In 1919, 80 acres of land to the south of Meanwood close to Woodhouse Ridge was sold by the Model Farm to Leeds Corporation. The Farm Hill housing estate was developed on the land. The area was often referred to informally as the 'white houses' because of the colour the concrete was rendered. The estate became a concentration of bad press for Meanwood very quickly. Most of the original houses were demolished in the late 1980s and many of the residents were relocated to the Beckhill
estate. The opening credits to police drama Parkin's Patch
began with a scene shot at Farm Hill.
The area was redeveloped in 1990 as a series of two- and three-bedroom semi-detached houses and bungalows, around half of which are privately owned. A small number of the original 1920s houses remain on the fringes of the estate. The Model Farm, after which the hillside and estate is named, is still standing today (situated off Farm Hill South) with a number of fields used as pasture for horses. Many of the streets in the area are still known as Farm Hill. The estate also hosts the much newer Meanwood Valley Urban Farm
. A network of woodland and field foodpaths connect the estate to Potternewton Lane, Buslingthorpe Lane and Woodhouse Ridge.
In 2000, a further estate of residential houses was build on the opposite side of Meanwood Road, centered around Boothroyd Drive. Although the Farm Hills and Boothroyd Drive are contiguous, the Meanwood Road divides the older and new estates and represents a political and postal boundary. Houses on the Farm Hill have an LS7 postcode, whilst houses on the South side of Meanwood Road have an LS6 postcode.
Woodhouse Community Sports and Social Club is sandwiched between the two developments (despite its name, the club house and pitches are in Meanwood, not Woodhouse
). The club hosts cricket (Woodhouse Cricket Club) and amateur rugby league(both Headingley Hawks and Woodhouse Warriers).
parish church is Holy Trinity Church, a Grade II* listed building consecrated in 1849, designed by William Railton
in the lancet
Gothic style. Its clock was designed by Edmund Beckett
and made by Edward John Dent
who was responsible for Big Ben
. It has three faces, as there was open country to the east.
The Methodist Church was built in 1881 in a modified Gothic style, and enlarged seven years later to accommodate a further 120 seats.
runs through it, crossed by many small footbridges. The southern end has a children's playground and an area with picnic tables. To the north west Meanwood Park borders onto the Hollies, a separate park with sloping woodland containing many rhododendrons and azaleas. The Hollies has gardens including the National Plant Collection
of Philadelphus. The Meanwood Valley Trail
passes through Meanwood Park. It is believed that the artist John Atkinson Grimshaw
based some of his fairy paintings in Meanwood Park.
Race (a cross country race that has been going since 1996), amateur
cricket
and rugby league
. The Meanwood Cricket Club has existed since 1870, and their present ground since 1895. Meanwood Cricket Club are currently members of the Dales Council League where the club enjoyed a successful period from 1989-2002. The cricket club won the League Cup a then record six times - appearing in eight finals in the space of 12 years - and also claimed a League and Cup double in 1998.
(of the ill-fated Scott expedition
to Antarctica) often resided in Meanwood. There is a monument to his bravery located close to Holy Trinity Church. The Lawrence Oates school (closed 1992 ) was named after him.
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...
.
Origins and History
The name Meanwood goes back to the 12th century, and is of Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
derivation: the Meene wude was the boundary wood of the Manor of Alreton
Chapel Allerton
Chapel Allerton is an inner suburb of north-east Leeds, from the city centre, West Yorkshire, England. The Chapel Allerton electoral ward includes areas otherwise referred to as Chapeltown and Potternewton - the suburb is generally considered to be only the northern part of this...
, the woods to the east of Meanwood Beck
Meanwood Beck
The Meanwood Beck is a stream in West Yorkshire, England, which flows through Adel, Meanwood and Sheepscar into the River Aire in central Leeds. In older texts it was sometimes referred to as the Sheepscar Beck, however that term has fallen out of use....
. Dwellings and farms near the wood were known by a variety of names including Meanwoodside until 27 August 1847 when the parish of Meanwood was established and the woods became known Meanwood Woods.
A skirmish, between Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
and Parliamentarian
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
forces, took place in Meanwood, during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. It is said that the "Beck ran red" , with the blood of the fallen, hence, the place name "Stainbeck".
The Meanwood Valley was a place of industry as long ago as 1577 and continued up to the 19th century. The Meanwood Beck provided water and power for corn, flax, and paper mills, dye works and tanneries. There were numerous quarries.
In 1830 a turnpike road was established down the Meanwood Valley to Leeds. Public transport followed from 1850 and electric trams in 1890, meaning that it was practical for people to travel to work from greater distances, encouraging both industrial buildings and housing.
Geography and buildings
The 1841 census listed 144 houses, including three large ones, Carr House (Carr Manor), Meanwood Hall and Whalley House (now demolished). Most properties were stone cottages, now gone, with the exception of a few houses on Monkbridge Road. Hustler's Row remains as a group of 1850 stone cottages named after John Husler, a quarry owner.There is a shopping centre with a Waitrose
Waitrose
Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...
Food & Home store on Green Road, the site of a tannery which is believed to date from 1700. To the west along the road towards Meanwood Park are some houses built for tannery workers and the Meanwood Institute, built about 1820, but opened as the Institute in 1885, a Grade II listed building.
There are a number of 19th-century industrial buildings in Meanwood Valley along the Meanwood Beck, and 19th-century terraced housing on the valley side leading to 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...
, 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 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"...
, along with an area of woodland known locally as The Ridge
Woodhouse Ridge
Woodhouse Ridge is a strip of woodland on the South West hillside of the Meanwood valley in urban area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Locally known as 'the Ridge', the area is notable as a significant area of mature woodland in an otherwise highly developed urban area...
.
New estates have been built with grand, suburban housing, the Woodleas, the Stonegates and the Bowoods. 20th-century council housing mixed with open space forms the opposite side of the valley leading up to Scott Hall
Scott Hall, Leeds
Scott Hall is a suburb of north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, adjacent to Chapeltown and Meanwood. It is made up largely of council housing and has an industrial past, with a number of disused factories to the west in Meanwood Valley.-Location:...
.
It is also home to Meanwood Valley Urban Farm
Meanwood Valley Urban Farm
Meanwood Valley Urban Farm is a City farm in Leeds established in 1980. The farm is sited on Meanwood Beck and occupies . The entrance is on Sugarwell Road, LS7 2QG. It demonstrates organic farming and sustainability to members of the public, and introduces schoolchildren to various aspects of...
.
Sugarwell Court
Sugarwell Court
Sugarwell Court is a hall of residence of Leeds Metropolitan University located off Meanwood Road in the Meanwood area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. There are currently 7 blocks based on site, which are alphabetically placed around the campus, called Airedale, Bishopdale, Coverdale, Deepdale,...
on the Meanwood Road, is the former Cliff Tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
, an 1866 Grade II listed building converted into a university hall of residence. Nearby is a former Baptist school, a brick Grade II listed building dating from about 1886.
Meanwood Hall
Meanwood Hall is a grade II listed building. It was built about 1762 for Thomas Denison, extended in 1814 for Joseph Lees, and further developed in 1834 for Christopher Beckett. In 1919 it was bought by the city council to form the nucleus of Meanwood Park Hospital which accommodated men, women and children with learning disabilities. It served the city of Leeds and other areas of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and at its maximum in the 1960s had 841 beds. After the hospital closed in 1997, the hall was converted to housing, and further housing developments now fill the hospital grounds.Meanwood Towers
In the middle of an estate of inter-war semi-detached houses behind Stonegate Road stands a Victorian GothicGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
house, Meanwood Towers. Designed by Edward Welby Pugin, and built in 1866 - 1867, this private house was commissioned by Thomas Stewart Kennedy and was originally called Meanwood House. Mr Kennedy commissioned the German organ-builder Edmund Schulze
Edmund Schulze
Heinrich Edmund Schulze was a German organ builder. He was the last of five generations of the Shulze family to build organs, starting with Hans Elias Schulze , Edmund's great-great-grandfather...
to build him a pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
. In 1869, it was installed in a specially-built 800-seat wooden concert hall or 'organ house'. However, after eight years, there were problems with the organ house and the Schulze organ was loaned to St. Peter's Church, Harrogate
St. Peter's Church, Harrogate
St. Peter's Church, Harrogate is a parish church in the Church of England located in Harrogate.-History:The church was formed out of the parish of Christ Church, High Harrogate....
; 2two years later, in 1879, it was sold and presented to St. Bartholomew's Church, Armley
St. Bartholomew's Church, Armley
St Bartholomew’s Church, Armley is a parish church in the Church of England located in Armley, West Yorkshire-History:The first chapel at Armley was built in 1630 but not consecrated by Richard Sterne the Archbishop of York until 1674...
.
In keeping with its grand design, the house was built tall chimneys, but in 1969 these were shortened for safety reasons. Most of the original house survives, but converted into flats.
Carr Manor
Carr ManorCarr Manor
Carr Manor is a Victorian grade II listed house in Meanwood, Leeds, England, designed by Edward Schroeder Prior and built for Thomas Clifford Allbutt M.D. . In 1881 it replaced Carr Manor House, though retaining the 1796 stable block...
was a 17th century manor house sometimes known as Carr House. It was greatly extended 1880-1881 by architect Edward Schroeder Prior
Edward Schroeder Prior
Edward Schroeder Prior was an architect who was instrumental in establishing the arts and crafts movement. He was one of the foremost theorists of the second generation of the movement, writing extensively on architecture, art, craftsmanship and the building process and subsequently influencing...
for Thomas Clifford Allbutt. It was used by the City of Leeds as a residence for judges during trials at Leeds Crown Court, but is now private dwellings.
Carr Manor gives its name to a 1950s estate of private houses and a primary and high school.
Farm Hill
Early photographs show the Model Farm which occupied the hillside, with fields in which rhubarb was grown. The area also hosted Sugarwell Hill Mill which had a distinctive round chimney.In 1919, 80 acres of land to the south of Meanwood close to Woodhouse Ridge was sold by the Model Farm to Leeds Corporation. The Farm Hill housing estate was developed on the land. The area was often referred to informally as the 'white houses' because of the colour the concrete was rendered. The estate became a concentration of bad press for Meanwood very quickly. Most of the original houses were demolished in the late 1980s and many of the residents were relocated to the Beckhill
Beckhill
Beckhill is a small council estate in the Meanwood area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK, which has received negative local publicity in the past, but is now the subject of urban regeneration. The area is situated south of Stainbeck Road and north of Potternewton Lane...
estate. The opening credits to police drama Parkin's Patch
Parkin's Patch
Parkin's Patch is a Yorkshire Television production that aired on ITV from 1969 to 1970. PC Moss Parkin played the lead role of a police constable in the North York Moors. The series was filmed in the North York Moors as well as certain scenes being shot in Leeds, including parts around the Farm...
began with a scene shot at Farm Hill.
The area was redeveloped in 1990 as a series of two- and three-bedroom semi-detached houses and bungalows, around half of which are privately owned. A small number of the original 1920s houses remain on the fringes of the estate. The Model Farm, after which the hillside and estate is named, is still standing today (situated off Farm Hill South) with a number of fields used as pasture for horses. Many of the streets in the area are still known as Farm Hill. The estate also hosts the much newer Meanwood Valley Urban Farm
Meanwood Valley Urban Farm
Meanwood Valley Urban Farm is a City farm in Leeds established in 1980. The farm is sited on Meanwood Beck and occupies . The entrance is on Sugarwell Road, LS7 2QG. It demonstrates organic farming and sustainability to members of the public, and introduces schoolchildren to various aspects of...
. A network of woodland and field foodpaths connect the estate to Potternewton Lane, Buslingthorpe Lane and Woodhouse Ridge.
In 2000, a further estate of residential houses was build on the opposite side of Meanwood Road, centered around Boothroyd Drive. Although the Farm Hills and Boothroyd Drive are contiguous, the Meanwood Road divides the older and new estates and represents a political and postal boundary. Houses on the Farm Hill have an LS7 postcode, whilst houses on the South side of Meanwood Road have an LS6 postcode.
Woodhouse Community Sports and Social Club is sandwiched between the two developments (despite its name, the club house and pitches are in Meanwood, not 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"...
). The club hosts cricket (Woodhouse Cricket Club) and amateur rugby league(both Headingley Hawks and Woodhouse Warriers).
Religion
The Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish church is Holy Trinity Church, a Grade II* listed building consecrated in 1849, designed by William Railton
William Railton
William Railton was an English architect, best known as the designer of Nelson's Column. He was based in London with offices at 12 Regent Street for much of his career.He was a pupil of the London architect and surveyor William Inwood....
in the lancet
Lancet
Lancet may refer to:* In medicine:** Lancet , a cutting instrument with a double-edged blade** Blood lancet, a pricking needle used to obtain drops of blood for testing** The Lancet, a medical journal* In architecture:...
Gothic style. Its clock was designed by Edmund Beckett
Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe
Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe, Q.C. , known previously as Sir Edmund Beckett, 5th Baronet and Edmund Beckett Denison was a lawyer, horologist, and architect...
and made by Edward John Dent
Edward John Dent
Edward John Dent was a famous English watchmaker noted for his highly accurate clocks and marine chronometers.He founded the Dent company.- Early years :...
who was responsible for Big Ben
Clock Tower, Palace of Westminster
Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and is generally extended to refer to the clock or the clock tower as well. It is the largest four-faced chiming clock and the third-tallest free-standing clock tower in the world...
. It has three faces, as there was open country to the east.
The Methodist Church was built in 1881 in a modified Gothic style, and enlarged seven years later to accommodate a further 120 seats.
Meanwood Park
Meanwood Park, in the north of the area, is approximately 29 hectares, and has large open areas and mature trees. Meanwood BeckMeanwood Beck
The Meanwood Beck is a stream in West Yorkshire, England, which flows through Adel, Meanwood and Sheepscar into the River Aire in central Leeds. In older texts it was sometimes referred to as the Sheepscar Beck, however that term has fallen out of use....
runs through it, crossed by many small footbridges. The southern end has a children's playground and an area with picnic tables. To the north west Meanwood Park borders onto the Hollies, a separate park with sloping woodland containing many rhododendrons and azaleas. The Hollies has gardens including the National Plant Collection
NCCPG National Plant Collection
The NCCPG National Plant Collection scheme is the main conservation vehicle whereby the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens can accomplish its mission: to conserve, grow, propagate, document and make available the resource of garden plants that exists in the United...
of Philadelphus. The Meanwood Valley Trail
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,...
passes through Meanwood Park. It is believed that the artist John Atkinson Grimshaw
John Atkinson Grimshaw
John Atkinson Grimshaw was a Victorian-era artist, a "remarkable and imaginative painter" known for his city night-scenes and landscapes....
based some of his fairy paintings in Meanwood Park.
Community groups
Meanwood Valley Partnership is a not for profit organisation made up of residents and volunteers that focuses on caring for and preserving the Meanwood Valley, a stretch of land approximately one mile across and two miles long. It is focussed on retaining the village atmosphere and holds events such as an annual funday and restoration work on projects such as the War Memorial.Sport and social activities
Numerous sporting activities exist in Meanwood, including the Meanwood Valley TrailMeanwood 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,...
Race (a cross country race that has been going since 1996), amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
. The Meanwood Cricket Club has existed since 1870, and their present ground since 1895. Meanwood Cricket Club are currently members of the Dales Council League where the club enjoyed a successful period from 1989-2002. The cricket club won the League Cup a then record six times - appearing in eight finals in the space of 12 years - and also claimed a League and Cup double in 1998.
Notable residents
Captain Lawrence OatesLawrence Oates
Captain Lawrence Edward Grace Oates was an English Antarctic explorer, known for the manner of his death, when he walked from a tent into a blizzard, with the words "I am just going outside and may be some time"....
(of the ill-fated Scott expedition
Terra Nova Expedition
The Terra Nova Expedition , officially the British Antarctic Expedition 1910, was led by Robert Falcon Scott with the objective of being the first to reach the geographical South Pole. Scott and four companions attained the pole on 17 January 1912, to find that a Norwegian team led by Roald...
to Antarctica) often resided in Meanwood. There is a monument to his bravery located close to Holy Trinity Church. The Lawrence Oates school (closed 1992 ) was named after him.