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Bramley, Leeds

(Redirected fromBramley, West Yorkshire)

Bramleyis a district in westLeeds,West Yorkshire,England. It is part of the City of Leeds Ward of Bramley and Stanningley with a population of 21,334 at the 2011 Census.[2]The area is an old industrial area with much 19th century architecture and 20th centurycouncil housingin the east and private suburban housing in the west.

Bramley
Bramley Shopping Centre and bus station
Bramley is located in Leeds
Bramley
Bramley
Bramley is located in West Yorkshire
Bramley
Bramley
Location withinWest Yorkshire
Population21,681[1]
OS grid referenceSE241344
•London170 mi (270 km)SSE
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLEEDS
Postcode districtLS13
Dialling code0113
PoliceWest Yorkshire
FireWest Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
53°48′45″N1°37′43″W/ 53.8124°N 1.6285°W/53.8124; -1.6285

Etymology

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The name of Bramley is first attested in the 1086Domesday BookasBrameleiaandBramelei.[3]The name derives from theOld Englishwordsbrōm('broom') andlēah('open land in a wood'). Thus the name once meant 'open land characterised by broom'.[4]

History

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Blue plaque on Stocks Hill

At the time of the Domesday survey, the nucleus of the settlement was probably located at Stocks Hill, and it developed in a linear fashion along today's Town Street.[5]

The survivingwater pumpand stonewater troughon Stocks Hill remain from Bramley's medieval past. The accompanyingblue plaquestates "Stocks Hill, Bramley. This historic pump and trough are the last reminders of Bramley Village Green which was surrounded by medieval cottages and yards. The Green featured the stocks, pillory and an 8ft pillar which commemorated the holding of Leeds Market here during the plague of 1644-45".

The area experienced an industrial boom and an associated population increase in the 19th century, mostly because of the development of the woollen textile industry in the early part of the century and due to the boot making and engineering industries in its later part.[5]TheantiquarianBenjamin Wilson was the first person to write a history of Bramley, published in 1860.[6]He donated his collection toLeeds City Museum,including a witch's bottle found in White Coat (White Cote), Bramley in 1861.[7]

Bramley Cross carving in the Anglo Saxon style

In 1873, bishopJohn Gottand H. M. Gott erected a stone cross withAnglo Saxonstyle carving to celebrate 8 years of living and working in Bramley, it now stands in a walled garden, although in the 1980s it stood at the park entrance.[8]Nearby, on Town Street, is the old house that dates back to 1480.

Bramley was formerly atownshipandchapelryin the parish of Leeds,[9]in 1866 Bramley became a separatecivil parish,on 26 March 1904 the parish was abolished to formArmley and Bramley.[10]In 1901 the parish had a population of 17,299.[11]

Mary Gawthorpedescribed her experience living and working at Hough Lane School in Bramley between 1905 and 1907 in her autobiography. She recalls: 'Bramley was an oasis of peace, and old established centre of homes and living yet within the city bounds... from our kitchen at Warrel's Mount we looked out on open fields. The walk to school was almost rural in its calm'.[12]

Much of Bramley was redeveloped in the 1960s and 1970s, albeit in an unsympathetic manner that damaged the historic integrity of the area and altered the appearance and the character of the town significantly.[5]The Bramley Shopping Centre replaced the former town centre, and was Leeds' second purpose-built town centre afterSeacrofttown centre.[citation needed]Unlike Seacroft, the Bramley Shopping Centre replaced an existing town centre. The redevelopment replaced substandard shops and houses; many of the shops and cottages were dilapidated and in need of repair.[13]From 2008, following a time of deterioration of the shopping centre, newanchor storessuch asFarmfoodsandTescotook over existing premises or occupied new ones in the course of a general refit.[13]

The redevelopment of Bramley was condemned by English Heritage as one of the least sensitive redevelopment programmes in Yorkshire.[citation needed]In 2008 theYorkshire Evening Postran an article describing the redevelopment of a "once-picturesque area", and questioning the replacement of an historic Yorkshire town centre.[13]Much of historical Bramley is now protected by the Bramley Town Conservation Area, which focuses on the area around Bramley Park across to Hough Lane.[5]

Community

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Bramley lies within the Parliamentary constituency ofLeeds West and Pudsey.TheMember of ParliamentisChancellor of the ExchequerRachel Reeves.

Bramley Park

Parks and open areas for outdoor recreation include Bramley Falls Wood, which runs beside theLeeds and Liverpool Canal,andBramley Park,which contains an undergroundreservoirat its highest point. At Bramley Park afireworksdisplay and the Bramley Carnival is held most years.[14]

Bramley Baths

Bramley Baths are an example ofEdwardianswimming baths. Built in 1904, and restored, it has a 25-yard pool, agymnasiumand aRussian steam room.The baths were used for dances during its early years, when the pool was covered with a large dance floor. The baths are the only remaining example of anEdwardian erabath-house inLeedstoday and are a Grade II listed structure.[15]The baths were built on the site of an iron foundry and the original foundry chimney, built with over 8,000 Kirkstall bricks, still towers over the baths and can be seen across Leeds.[16]The four Georgian style houses builtc. 1803to the right-hand side of the baths were the original homes of the iron foundry owner and his three children.

Bramley Shopping Centre is a 1960s-style concrete shopping plaza which was erected to replace the traditional stone-built village centre. Shops include charity shops, banks, bakeries, pawnbrokers, supermarkets, a post office, a dental practice, beauty salons and fast food takeaways.

Gamble Hill estate

Estates in Bramley which have residents' associations include Moorside[17]and Ganners, Landseer, Rossefield,[citation needed]andNewlayand Whitecote.[18]LILAC, an affordable green co-housing project, is based in Bramley.[19]

St Peter's Parish Church (Anglican)

Bramleychurchesinclude those forBaptist,Roman Catholics,Jehovah's Witnesses,andMethodists(Trinity Methodist Church), and twoAnglicanchurches, St. Peter's (pictured) and St. Margaret's.[20]St. Margaret's Church Hall is registered with Leeds City Council as anasset of community value.[21]

Public transport

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Bramley railway stationis located just off Stanningley Road. Based on theLeeds-Bradford Lineit is situated betweenLeeds stationandNew Pudsey.

Bramley bus station is located in the centre of Bramley in the shopping centre.

Sport

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Rugby league

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Bramley RLFCwere founded in 1879, their earliest permanent ground wasBarley Mowwhich hosted New Zealand on their tour of Great Britain in 1907. Bramley joined theNorthern Unionin 1896. The club moved toMcLaren Fieldin 1965 where they stayed until 1995 after being forced to leave due to financial difficulties. They went onto play atClarence FieldandHeadingleybefore folding in 1999.

FollowingBramleyfolding a new club,Bramley Buffaloes,were set up in 2000. Their bids to rejoin theRFLsprofessional ranks were denied but they were eventually entered intoNational League Threein 2004.

In 2012 the club applied to join the newly formedNational Conference Leaguebut had their application rejected and instead entered theYorkshire Men's League.

Rugby union

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Bramley Phoenix RUFC were formed in 1921 and play home games at their Warrels Mount ground. They currently play in Yorkshire Counties leagues.

Football

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Bramley Juniors Football Club was established 1994 and runs with open-age teams. The club developed from one under-9s club in 1994.

Notable people

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Blue plaque at Warrel's Mount, Bramley.
  • Mary Gawthorpe,the suffragette, socialist, trade unionist and editor, lived and worked in Bramley as a school teacher.
  • Ernie Wise,ofMorecambe and Wisefame (born in Bramley and brought up inEast Ardsleyfrom a young age).
  • Major JohnGeoffrey AppleyardDSO, MC and Bar Commando and SAS War Hero was born in Bramley in 1916.
  • Jamie PeacockMBE, English professional rugby league footballer who played for the Leeds Rhinos and the Bradford Bulls in the Super League, and captained both Great Britain and England at international level, was born in Bramley in 1977.

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Leeds City Council: Bramley and Stanningley ward",OpenlylocalArchived16 September 2013 at theWayback Machine
  2. ^"City of Leeds Ward population 2011".Neighbourhood Statistics.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved26 February2016.
  3. ^"Place name: Bramley in Armley, Yorkshire Folio: 318r Great Domesday Book... | The National Archives".Discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk.Retrieved11 March2016.
  4. ^Harry Parkin,Your City's Place-Names: Leeds,English Place-Name Society City-Names Series, 3 (Nottingham: English Place-Names Society, 2017), p. 27.
  5. ^abcdLeeds City Council (11 May 2009)."Bramley Town. Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan (PDF)"(PDF).Retrieved12 April2017.
  6. ^Wilson, Benjamin (1860).Our Village: a sketch of the history and progress of Bramley during seven centuries.J. Dawson Bramley.
  7. ^Ross, Kitty (31 October 2020)."At this time of year".Twitter.Retrieved31 October2020.
  8. ^"Bramley Park".Leodis - a photographic archive of Leeds.Retrieved6 February2021.
  9. ^"History of Bramley, in Leeds and West Riding".A Vision of Britain through Time.Retrieved7 October2024.
  10. ^"Relationships and changes Bramley CP/Ch through time".A Vision of Britain through Time.Retrieved7 October2024.
  11. ^"Population statistics Bramley CP/Ch through time".A Vision of Britain through Time.Retrieved7 October2024.
  12. ^Gawthorpe, Mary (1962).Up Hill to Holloway.Michigan. p. 189.
  13. ^abc"The village that vanished".Yorkshire Evening Post.10 January 2008.Retrieved26 October2017.
  14. ^"Bramley Carnival".10 July 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved12 April2017.
  15. ^"Bramley Baths".Historic England.Retrieved12 April2017.
  16. ^"About | Bramley Baths".Retrieved26 April2021.
  17. ^Bramley local area. Useful local organisations
  18. ^Newlay and Whitecote Residents Association
  19. ^"LILAC: Low Impact Living Affordable Community".12 April 2015.Retrieved12 April2017.
  20. ^Bramley Parish,accessed 20 March 2020
  21. ^Leeds City Council,Community Right to Bid,accessed on 24 August 2024
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