Moortown, Leeds

For other uses, see Moortown (disambiguation).
Moortown
Moortown
 Moortown shown within West Yorkshire
Population 22,792 (2011)[1]
Metropolitan boroughCity of Leeds
Metropolitan county West Yorkshire
RegionYorkshire and the Humber
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town LEEDS
Postcode district LS17
Dialling code 0113
Police West Yorkshire
Fire West Yorkshire
Ambulance Yorkshire
EU Parliament Yorkshire and the Humber
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire

Coordinates: 53°50′40″N 1°32′02″W / 53.8445°N 1.5339°W / 53.8445; -1.5339

Moortown is an affluent suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England in the LS17 postcode area. It is a civil parish and electoral ward in the north of the city. It is situated between Roundhay and Gledhow on the east and Weetwood on the west, with Chapel Allerton to the south, and Alwoodley to the north. It is essentially synonymous with Moor Allerton,[2][3] and institutions in the area use either name.[4][5] Moortown lies in Leeds 17 which was reported to contain the most expensive housing area in Yorkshire and the Humber by The Times.[6]

General description

Moortown Water Tower, north of the Ring Road

The suburb is around the junction of the (north-south) Harrogate Road A61 road and the Leeds Outer Ring Road (A6120) (west-east), at that point called the Moortown Ring Road, and overlooked by a Water Tower. Scott Hall Road (A61) and Harrogate Road lead southwards to Leeds city centre. However, the council ward boundary is the Ring Road, with properties to the north now being in the Alwoodley ward.[7] The Church of England parish includes areas north of the Ring Road. A set of woods north and south of the Ring Road and by the water tower are called the Moortown Plantation.[8]

It includes small estates of council housing around the junction of King Lane and the Moortown Ring Road.[9]

Housing estates

Black Moor and Cranmer Bank

Moortown Social Club, Cranmer Gardens

To the north of the ring road and west of King Lane is the Black Moor and Cranmer Bank estate, named after the moor on which Moortown was situated.[2] This has varied housing from the 1950s to recent along Black Moor road. There is a parade of shops on Cranmer bank as well as Moortown Social Club at the top of the hill, along with St Stephen's Church (C of E). The main areas on the estate are Blackmoor, Tynwald, Deanswood, Scotland Wood, Cranmer Bank, Alderton and Saxon.

Lingfield

Flats on the Lingfield Estate, viewed from King Lane

To the north of the ring road and east of King Lane is the Lingfield housing estate comprising mainly semi-detached tenant properties and council flats.

Queenshill

Moortown Baptist Church, King Lane

To the south of the ring road and east of King Lane is the Queenshill estate, mainly low-rise flats built in the 1950s and 60s.[10] This area contains a small row of shops, a fire station, Moortown Baptist Church, and the offices of the Leeds Jewish Housing Association, who have plans to redevelop the area for the benefit of its clients.[10]

Darkwood housing estate

Leafield

A smaller development of public housing is the south of the ring road and west of King Lane, essentially in the grounds of a former mansion, now Leafield Clinic, where the Leeds North Clinical Commissioning Group's offices are located.[11]

Darkwood

A small 1990 development low-rise flats off Shadwell Lane, in woods known as Blackwoods, part of the Forest of Leeds.[12] The property was originally a large private estate called "Blackwood". It was acquired by the City of Leeds sometime prior to 1963 and converted into several large flats with the extensive grounds preserved until the subsequent development of low rise flats in the 1990s.

Moortown Corner

Moortown Corner, looking South from Harrogate Road

Moortown Corner is the junction between Street Lane and Harrogate Road, a local shopping area and geographical reference. The building known as the Corner House was built as a cinema (1938–1940), ballroom and restaurant but now contains shops. From 1968 to 2008 it contained a casino.[13] Nearby is a large Marks and Spencer Simply Food supermarket which serves the surrounding area. Branches of Leeds Building Society, Yorkshire Bank and Halifax can also be found at Moortown Corner.

Moortown Corner is served by First Leeds service 2, which is represented red on the 10-minute frequency Overground network. Less regularly, services 7a, 7s, 38, and 48 run through Moortown Corner. Harrogate Bus Company's route 36 also serves Moortown Corner between central Leeds and Harrogate every 20 minutes. The image in the photograph appears to be not the junction of Street Lane and Harrogate Road, but rather Shadwell Lane and Harrogate Road. This is actually a short distance North of the Street Lane junction which most Leodensians would recognise to be the true Moortown Corner.

Moor Allerton District Centre

Penny Fun
Sainsbury's Moortown

Moor Allerton District Centre is adjacent to the Black Moor estate, north of the Ring Road and west of the junction with King Lane, which opened in 1982.[14] It includes a public library.

However it is mainly a shopping centre, with a large Sainsbury's, a Homebase, a Chinese Restaurant, and formerly a KeySmiths. It includes a public house, the Penny Fun, whose name relates to the history of the area as follows. The word 'pen' comes from the Celtic for 'hill'. What is now Tunnel How Hill is visible from the Centre to the south-west. It was previously Pen-how-fyn, and a hamlet around what is now the Centre was Paenfynaen (where fynaen means settlement). Tunnel How Hill was referred to as Penny Fun in the 19th century and several houses in the vicinity used the name.[15] There is a Penny Field nearby in Meanwood Park.

Religions

Moortown has longstanding Jewish and Roman Catholic communities, with schools and places of worship for both these groups. However, there is also a growing Muslim community across Moortown. There are secular schools as well. Moortown and neighbouring Alwoodley are the main centres of the Leeds Jewish Community.

St Gemma's Hospice

St Gemma's Hospice, Moortown, Leeds

Moortown is home to St Gemma's Hospice. This is situated to the south of Moortown Corner on Harrogate Road. St Gemma's Hospice have many charity shops around Leeds, assisting funding for the hospice, with branches in Alwoodley, Beeston, Boston Spa, Chapel Allerton, Cross Gates, Garforth, Guiseley, Halton, Horsforth, Ilkley, Morley, Oakwood, Otley, Pudsey, Roundhay, West Park, Wetherby and Yeadon. St Gemmas Hospice also have a furniture shop on Harrogate Road.[16]

Sport

There is a Rugby Union football club. Moortown Golf Club hosted the 1929 Ryder Cup, but is well North of the Ring Road and is now in the Alwoodley ward. Moor Allerton Sports and Social Centre has bowls, tennis and indoor activities.

Government

As of May 2015 there are three Labour Councillors and one Labour MP that are responsible for raising concerns / issues from the Moortown Community.

Location grid

 Alwoodley
Adel Roundhay
   Moortown, Leeds  
Chapel Allerton

References

  1. ↑ "Leeds City Council: Moortown ward". Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  2. 1 2 Ralph Thoresby (1715) Ducatus Leodiensis: or, the topography of the ancient and populous town and parish of Leedes,and parts adjacent in the West Riding of York, page 135
  3. ↑ A History of Leeds, compiled from various authors (1797) (Leeds) page 57
  4. ↑ The Ordnance Survey gives the name Moor Allerton to the southeasternmost part (where Moor Allerton School is), whereas the Moor Allerton shopping Centre, containing Moor Allerton Library, is to the west by the junction of King Lane and the Ring Road (A6120). This is actually on the site of the original village of Moore Allerton.
  5. ↑ Likewise Chapeltown and Chapel Allerton
  6. ↑ Adams, Lucia; Moran, Michael (30 March 2007). "The ten most expensive places to live in Britain... and ten budget alternatives - Times Online". London: property.timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
  7. ↑ www.leeds.gov.uk Moortown Ward (map)
  8. ↑ Forest of Leeds Moortown Plantation
  9. ↑ Welcome to Moortown Leeds City Council publication.
  10. 1 2 Leeds Jewish Housing Association Queenshill Masterplan Proposals: the need for development
  11. ↑ Leeds North Clinical Commissioning Group
  12. ↑ The Forest of Leeds
  13. ↑ Yorkshire Evening Post 15 October 2008 Wheel spins at Leeds casino for last time
  14. ↑ http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?resourceIdentifier=2002326_73720950
  15. ↑ Leeds Mercury 29 May 1886 "Local Notes and Queries"
  16. ↑ http://www.st-gemma.co.uk/shops/location1.htm

Schools

Religion

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