Meanwood

Meanwood
Meanwood Institute and 19th century terraced houses
Meanwood Meanwood Location withinWest Yorkshire
Metropolitan borough	City of Leeds
Metropolitan county	West Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LEEDS
Postcode district	LS6, LS7,
Dialling code	0113
Police	West Yorkshire
Fire	West Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	Leeds North East

Meanwoodis a suburb and former village in north-westLeeds,West Yorkshire,England.

The area sits in theMoortownward ofLeeds City CouncilandLeeds North Eastparliamentary constituency.

Origins and history

The name Meanwood goes back to the 12th century, and is ofAnglo-Saxonderivation: theMeene wudewas the boundary wood of the Manor ofAlreton,the woods to the east ofMeanwood Beck.Dwellings and farms near the wood were known by a variety of names including Meanwoodside until 27 August 1847 when theparishof Meanwood was establishedand the woods became known Meanwood Woods.

A skirmish, betweenRoyalistandParliamentarianforces, took place in Meanwood, during theCivil 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 it continued 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 through 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

Tunnel How Hill

Tunnel How Hill, north of the Stonegate Road, "was reputed to be the highest point in Leeds." Afollyin the form of a ruined castle stood there from the 18th century until 1946, dedicated toKing Alfred.Some streets adjacent to the hill are named after King Alfred.

The hill was formerly known asPen-how-fyn,and a hamlet below it wasPaenfynaen(wherefynaenmeans settlement). It was referred to as Penny Fun in the 19th century and several houses in the vicinity used the name.The 1850Ordnance SurveyMap labels the settlement asPen-y-ffynon.A public house in theMoor Allerton District Centrewas called the Penny Fun until 2020, when it was renamed.

Various Buildings

Sugarwell Court

Former Baptist School

The 1841 census listed 144 houses, including 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.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, aGrade II listed building.

Sugarwell Courton Meanwood Road, is the former CliffTannery,an 1866Grade II listed buildingconverted into a universityhall of residence.Nearby is a formerBaptistschool, a brickGrade II listed buildingdating from about 1886.

Meanwood Tannery blue plaque

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 toHeadingley,WeetwoodandWoodhouse,along with an area of woodland known locally as theRidge.

New estates have been built with grand, suburban housing, the Woodleas, the Stonegates and the Bowoods. 20th centurycouncil housingmixed with open space forms the opposite side of the valley leading up toScott Hall.There is a shopping centre opposite aWaitroseFood & Home store on Green Road, near the site of a tannery which is believed to date from 1700.

Meanwood Hall

Meanwood Hall

Meanwood Hall is a grade IIlisted 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 theWest Riding of Yorkshire,and at its maximum extent 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

Meanwood Towers, in 2017

In the middle of an estate of inter-war semi-detached houses behind Stonegate Road stands aVictorian Gothichouse, Meanwood Towers. Designed byEdward Welby Pugin,and built in 1866–67. A private house, it was commissioned by Thomas Stuart Kennedy and was originally called Meanwood House. Kennedy commissioned the German organ-builderEdmund Schulzeto build him apipe organ.In 1869, it was installed in a specially-built 800-seat wooden concert hall or 'organ house'.After eight years, there were problems with the organ house and the Schulze organ was loaned toSt. Peter's Church, Harrogateand two years later, in 1879, it was sold and presented toSt. Bartholomew's Church, Armley. In keeping with its grand design, the house was built with tall chimneys, but in 1969 these were shortened for safety reasons.Most of the original house survives, but converted into flats.

Carr Manor

Carr Manorwas a 17th-century manor house sometimes known as Carr House. It was greatly extended 1880-81 by architectEdward Schroeder PriorforThomas Clifford Allbutt.It was used by the City of Leeds as a residence for judges during trials atLeeds Crown Court,but is now private dwellings. Carr Manor gives its name to a 1950s estate of private housesand a primary and high school.

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  Carr Manor House
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  Carr Manor estate 1950s private houses
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  Carr Manor Walk later residences
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  Carr Manor Community 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.

Farm Hill estate

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 moved to theBeckhillestate. The opening credits to police dramaParkin's Patchbegan with a scene shot at Farm Hill.

View of Farm Hill Way and Boothroyd Drive, showing the Model Farm towards the bottom left. Meanwood Cricket Club can also be seen.

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 few 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 newerMeanwood Valley Urban Farm.A network of woodland and field footpaths connect the estate to Potternewton Lane, Buslingthorpe Lane and Woodhouse Ridge.

In 2000, a further estate of residential houses was built on the opposite side of Meanwood Road, centred around Boothroyd Drive. Although the Farm Hills and Boothroyd Drive are contiguous, 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, notWoodhouse). The club hosts cricket (Woodhouse Cricket Club) and amateur rugby league (both Headingley Hawksand Woodhouse Warriors).

Religion

TheChurch of Englandparish church is Holy Trinity Church,aGrade II* listed buildingconsecrated in 1849, designed byWilliam Railtonin thelancetGothic style.Its clock was designed byEdmund Beckettand made byEdward John Dent,who was responsible forBig Ben.It has three faces, as there was open country to the east.

TheMethodistChurch was built in 1881 in a modified Gothic style, and enlarged seven years later to accommodate a further 120 seats.A previous Methodist Church in Meanwood had been built in 1811. The church building was closed in October 2014 and the church community moved to use the Holy Trinity Church building.The building is now used by theIglesia ni Cristo.

St Oswald's Church was built in 1890 as achapel of easefor St Chad's of Far Headingley. It was enlarged in 1910 and made into a church, but closed in 2002 and the congregation moved to St Chad's.

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  Holy Trinity Church
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  Former Meanwood Methodist Church
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  Former St Oswald's Church

Meanwood Park

Meanwood Park, in the north of the area, is approximately 29 hectares (72 acres), and has large open areas and mature trees.Meanwood Beckruns 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 manyrhododendronsandazaleas.The Hollies has gardens including theNational Plant CollectionofPhiladelphus.TheMeanwood Valley Trailpasses through Meanwood Park. It is believed that the artistJohn Atkinson Grimshawbased some of his fairy paintings in Meanwood Park.

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  Map sign for Meanwood Park and Meanwood Valley Trail
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  Picnic area in Meanwood Park
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  Part of the Hollies
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  Lawrence Oates Memorial

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 focused on retaining the village atmosphere and holds events such as an annual fundayand restoration work on projects such as the war memorial.

YMAV Youth Movement Against Violence cic is a not for profit organisation which was founded in 2016 they support the victims and families affected by violence in a holistic approach providing 1-1 outreach support, counselling and holistic therapies. They also provide many community based projects running from Meanwood Community Center including a tea-time club, yoga group and have recently started a project called Restore Community Healing Garden see there website ymav.co.uk for more information

Sport and social activities

Numerous sporting activities exist in Meanwood, including theMeanwood Valley TrailRace (a cross country race that has been going since 1996),amateurcricketandrugby league.Meanwood Cricket Club has existed since 1870, and their present ground since 1895.Meanwood Cricket Club are currently members of the Wetherby Cricket League and run 2 teams. They previously played in the Dales Council League where the club enjoyed a successful period from 1989 to 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

Oates Memorial sign, Memorial Drive

Captain Lawrence Oates(of the ill-fatedScott expeditiontoAntarctica) often resided in Meanwood. There is a monument to his altruism close to Holy Trinity Church. The Lawrence Oates School (closed 1992) was named after him. In 2012, on the 100th anniversary of his death, ablue plaquewas unveiled in his honour at Meanwood Park.

Writer and criticGraham Holdernesswas born in Meanwood.

See also

• Listed buildings in Leeds (Moortown Ward)

External links

• The ancient parish of Leeds:historical and genealogical information atGENUKI(Meanwood was in this parish).
• Leeds City Council - Meanwood Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan
• Meanwood Valley PartnershipMeanwood Valley Partnership – Helping to preserve, protect and enhance the Meanwood Valley
• Meanwood Valley Trail Online Guide and Map