Gledhow
53°49′19″N1°30′32″W/ 53.822°N 1.509°W
Gledhowis a suburb of north-eastLeeds,West Yorkshire,England, east ofChapel Allertonand west ofRoundhay.It sits in theRoundhaywardofLeeds City CouncilandLeeds North Eastparliamentary constituency.
Etymology
[edit]The nameGledhowis first attested the period 1334–37 asGledhou.Its etymology is uncertain. Thegled-element could plausibly come from theOld Englishwordsgleoda('kite, bird of prey') orglēd('embers, burning coals'). The second element could be from Old Englishhōh('ridge, escarpment') orOld Norsehaugr('hill').[1]It has been suggested (in relation to similar names likeGledhill) that agled-element may alternatively be based on the Old Norse ‘å glede’ (to please, or be glad about a subject)[2]giving a translation of "Pleasant Hill".
Description and history
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Well into the 19th century, Gledhow was known as a picturesque area ofwoodlandnear Leeds.[3]It had become asuburbof Leeds by the late 19th century. Gledhow Valley is a strip of mixed deciduous woodland on either side of a beck and lake. Gipton Spa,a bathhouse dating from 1671,is in the woods.[4]Passing through the valley is Gledhow Valley Road, built in 1926.[5]
Gledhow Lane crosses Gledhow Valley Road and on the eastern side is a steep road up from the valley. A residential area near the top has been referred to as "Little Switzerland", although a Leeds City Council website refers to this as a "former" name.[6]
Notable people
[edit]- Arthur Louis Aaron,Leeds' only Second World War recipient of theVictoria Cross,was born in Gledhow.[7]
- Sir Edmund Beckett, 4th Baronet(1787–1874), railway promoter and politician, was born at Gledhow Hall.
- Albert Johanneson,professional footballer (Leeds United) lived in Gledhow Towers.[8]
- James Kitson, 1st Baron Airedale,industrialist andMP.[9]
- Albert Kitson, 2nd Baron Airedale,inter aliaa director ofMidland BankandBritish peer.[9]
Parks and green spaces
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Samosa Park is a small park located on the junction of Gledhow Lane and Thorn Lane.[10]It was named after the nearby Thorn Lane newsagents, known for its popularsamosas,often enjoyed by visitors of the park.[citation needed]
Bench and Bin Corner is a public garden at the junctions of Gledhow Lane, Lidgett Lane and Gledhow Wood Road.[11]It is identified in the Gledhow Valley Conservation Area Appraisal as an important green space that has been harmed by visually unsympathetic highway works.[12][citation needed][better source needed]
Gallery
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Lidgett Towers -
The Highwood public house
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Harry Parkin,Your City's Place-Names: Leeds,English Place-Name Society City-Names Series, 3 (Nottingham: English Place-Names Society, 2017), p. 49.
- ^GLEDHILL GENEALOGY – New theory on the origin of the name of Gledhill
- ^Measom, G. (1859).The official illustrated guide to the North-western railway.p. 402.Retrieved28 May2020.
- ^Bailey, Steve."Leeds: Places features: Gipton's Spa".BBC.Retrieved23 November2017.
- ^"Friends of Gledhow Valley Woods – Home Page".
- ^Leeds City Council,Sydney Kitson's House, Gledhow Lane,Leodis,accessed 28 December 2022
- ^Leeds Library & Information Services, G. Wilson."Arthur Louis Aaron Statue, Eastgate".
- ^"Albert Johanneson: Book turns a spotlight on Leeds United hero – Yorkshire Evening Post".Archived fromthe originalon 26 September 2017.
- ^ab"Obituary: Lord Airedale".The Times.13 March 1944. p. 6 – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^"Samosa Park · Roundhay, 1NJ LS8 1NJ, United Kingdom".
- ^"Bench and Bin Corner · Gledhow, Leeds LS8 1PG, United Kingdom".
- ^https://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/gledhow%20caa%20%203%20(final).pdf
External links
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