Woodhouse Ridge is a strip of woodland on the South West hillside of the Meanwood

Meanwood

Meanwood is a suburb and former village of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.-Origins and History:The name Meanwood goes back to the 12th century, and is of Anglo-Saxon derivation: the Meene wude was the boundary wood of the Manor of Alreton, the woods to the east of Meanwood Beck...

 valley in urban area of 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...

. Locally known as 'the Ridge', the area is notable as a significant area of mature woodland in an otherwise highly developed urban area. The woods are centred at grid reference 53.820061,-1.560144 and are enclosed by Meanwood road to the North and by 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 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...

 to the South.

The ridge has a number of interesting features, including a Victorian bandstand, a world war two air raid shelter, the 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....

 and allotments.

History

The Ridge is one of the few remaining woodland areas of the ancient manor of Leeds. The area was set aside for leisure activities since at least 1846, when it was open moorland with a network of paths. This network of paths and a bandstand is visible in photographs from the early twentieth century, at which time the area was much more open than it is today, with areas of moorland and views across the valley to Farm Hill and Sugar Well Hill. The public area was expanded via the addition of Batty's Wood, an area of woodland towards the bottom of the valley near the Farm Hill estate. Batty's Wood was a gift from John Warburton to the City of Leeds.
The nickname 'The Ridge' is captured in the names of two local streets: Ridge Road, which runs along the ridge for a short distance, and Ridge Terrace, a short residential street off Meanwood Road backing on to the woodland.

Dales Way

The Ridge forms a part of the Leeds connection to the Dales Way, and allows walkers to travel almost entirely in woods and parkland for the entire distance from close to the city centre of Leeds through to Adel

Adel

- Places :* Adel, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England* Adel, Georgia, United States* Adel, Iowa, United States* Adel Township, Dallas County, Iowa, United States* Adel, Oregon, United States* Al-Adel, a district of Baghdad, Iraq- Other uses :...

 and the Yorkshire dales

Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...

.

Management

Woodhouse Ridge is one of the Leeds Nature Areas and is the responsibility of Leeds City Council. A community group called Woodhouse Ridge Action Group organises regular action days where local residents, including members of the sizeable local student population, undertake conservation and maintenance tasks.