Headingley Totally Explained

Everything about Headingley totally explained

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.

History

Headingley was an Anglo-Saxon settlement, first mentioned in the Domesday Book as Hedingelei or Hedingeleia in 1086, but possibly dating back to the 7th century. The name probably means "clearing of Hedda's people", named after a saint. However, a stone coffin found near Beckett Park in 1995 suggests there may have been an earlier settlement in late Roman or post-Roman times.
   In Viking times, Headingley was the centre of the wapentake of Skyrack, or "Shire Oak". The name refers to an oak tree that was used as a meeting place for settling legal disputes and raising armies. An ancient oak, said to be the Shire Oak, stood to the north of St Michael's Church until 1941, and gives its name to two pubs, The Original Oak and The Skyrack.
   Headingley continued to be a village until the expansion of Leeds during the industrial revolution and became a popular suburb where the rich moved to escape the filth of the main city.
   In 1840, it became the site of Leeds' Zoological and Botanical Gardens. Despite the opening of Headingley railway station, serving the gardens, in 1849, the zoo was a loss-making venture and closed in 1858. The bear pit still survives and can be seen on Cardigan Road.
   To the east of the village, now suburb, is the Meanwood Beck which was a source of water for the early inhabitants of the village as well as a source of power for the Victorians of Leeds.

University district

As it's close to both the University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University campuses, it has become a very popular student area. This has had both positive and negative consequences on the local population and environment. The biggest complaints against students (and increasingly, young professionals) relate to the use of multiple-occupancy houses which are prone to burglary, often neglected by landlords and occupants alike and are typically left unoccupied during university holidays. However, the student population has brought money into the area, improved public transport and, generally, made it a more desirable place to live for a portion of the population.
Family areas still exist such as in Far Headingley or the Triangle near the Co-op on Cardigan Rd.

Sports

Headingley is also known in sporting circles — its stadium (known as Headingley) is home to the Yorkshire County Cricket Club as well as the Leeds Rhinos rugby league and Leeds Carnegie rugby union clubs. Headingley is also the home of the FA Chartership Team of the Year 2006, Old Headingley. The team currently plays in the West Yorkshire League Division 1. Old Headingley recently won the Barkston Ash FA Cup on April 9th 2007, winning the final 2-0 against Sherburn White Rose.

Politics

Politically, Headingley is in the Leeds (North West) constituency. The current Member of Parliament (MP) is Greg Mulholland (Liberal Democrat), who became the first Liberal Democrat MP in West Yorkshire in the 2005 General Election. At a local government level, the ward of Headingley has Liberal Democrat councillors: Martin Hamilton (2006-2010), Jamie Matthews (2008-2012) and James Monaghan (2007-2011).

People

Many famous writers, past and present, are connected with Headingley: Arthur Ransome, best known perhaps for the children's classic Swallows and Amazons, was born there, J R R Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings, lived there when he worked at the university, playwright Alan Bennett once lived over a butcher's shop opposite the Three Horseshoes and TV writer Kay Mellor lives in Weetwood today.
In the time of Queen Victoria, Prince Alemayehu of Abyssinia, brought to England after the defeat of his father King Tewedros, died of pneumonia at an address in Hollin Lane, Far Headingley.
Actor David Prosho is a resident of Headingley

Churches

Headingley Parish Church is dedicated to St Michael and All Angels, and is on the corner of Otley Road and St Michael's Road. The Church was built between 1884-86 as the third church on this site. There is a separate parish of Far Headingley, with its parish church of St Chad's.
There are also Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and United Reformed churches in central Headingley, and the Roman Catholic parish church of St Urban's is to the east of the area.

Buildings of architectural interest

Parts of Headingley are included in Conservation areas established by Leeds City Council. Individual listed buildings include St Michael's Church and associated buildings, the Hyde Park Picture House, and Moorfield House in Alma Road.

Further Information

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