Kirkstall

Kirkstall is a suburb in Leeds with a population of nearly 20,000 located about two miles from the city centre. It is nestled between the River Aire and Headingley to the north, Horsforth to the west and Burley to the east. It is a great choice for those looking for cheaper accommodation.

Kirkstall is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, and is located on the eastern side of the River Aire. To the west is the suburb of Bramley, the easterly suburb is Headingley and the northerly one is West Park. Kirkstall is around 2 miles (3.2 km) out of the city centre and is becoming an increasingly popular area for Leeds’ student population to live, with its proximity to the University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University. Its main visitor attraction is Kirkstall Abbey. Another notable architectural feature is St. Stephen’s church designed by the architect Robert Dennis Chantrell. Richard Oastler, a reformer and fighter for children’s rights, is buried in a visible crypt under the church’s east end.

Leeds Rugby Ground in Kirkstall is home to both Leeds Tykes and Rhinos and is located at the heart of the locality’s commercial centre.

Public recreation sites are Kirkstall Leisure Centre (to contact call 0113 214 4556) on Kirkstall Lane, the Abbey gardens and parkland and Burley Rugby Football Union (to contact call 0113 275 7400) on Kirkstall Road.

Multi-million pound improvements to the area include a walkway at the famous Liverpool-Leeds canal and the River Aire both of which run through Kirkstall. Its most famous landmark is Kirkstall Abbey, which is situated next to the River Aire and is surrounded by green fields.

In the 12th century Cistercian monks founded Kirkstall Abbey, a daughter house of Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire. The Abbey House Museum opposite the Abbey itself tells the story of the community and the town. Henry De Lacey, Baron of Pontefract, gave the land for the foundation of the Abbey, and Kirkstall has a few roads named in his memory. The Abbey Light Railway, in the grounds of the Abbey, is another tourist attraction, where several historical engines are preserved in working order.

The Kirkstall Festival is a popular annual event, held in the Abbey grounds on the second Saturday in July since 1981. It is a festival of music, local arts and crafts, and fun, and is organised by volunteers of the KVCA (Kirkstall Village Community Association).

During the English Civil War, the bridge over the Aire at Kirkstall (referred to in a contemporaneous account as ‘Churchstall’) was blown up by Royalist troops from Leeds. After discovering this, a Parliamentary force lead by Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron – who was from nearby Otley – had to cross the river upstream at Apperley Bridge before its successful capture of Leeds in January 1643.

Kirkstall was historically an important centre of industry, with the large Kirkstall Forge (which lays claim to being the longest continually used industrial site in Britain), founded in the 13th century by the Cistercian Monks of the Abbey, and a number of printers. The earliest known activity on the site was its use as a medieval Mill Race which supplied the corn mill at Kirkstall Abbey. Iron production took place at the forge from the 1580s onwards. During the late 1700s the reconstruction of both the upper and lower forge allowed ‘shovel and spade production’ to commence. A railway was brought to the forge in 1830 and sustained growth at the plant. The Great War brought about large scale growth at the plant, providing axles for military vehicles, by 1930 most lorries and buses made in the UK had a Kirkstall back axle casing. In 2002 the then owners of the site, the Dana Corporation announced the closure of the works, shifting production to India and Spain.[2] The site is currently under planning or major redevelopment, as is the old Waide’s Printers & Kwik Save site. Although printing has, like iron-founding, suffered a decline, several printing companies remain.

Until the late 1970s when it was closed, Kirkstall was dominated by a coal fired power station, however the general move towards larger power stations away from town, such as Ferrybridge, Eggborough and Drax. The power station was demolished in the early 1980s. The larger Leeds Corporation power station in Stourton remained open until the 1990s.

Typically you will find Victorian terrace housing, which is perfect for student house shares. It also has a good stock of semi-detached properties at affordable prices. In and around Kirkstall there are plenty of local pubs, restaurants and takeaways. There are regular buses into Leeds city centre.

Residentially, away from the dizzy heights of Morris Lane and the neighbouring lofty streets, most of the housing is in the form of semis and terraces, although some new-build apartments are beginning to make an appearance.

It’s still at the affordable end of the Leeds property ladder which means it’s becoming popular with students (it’s close to the universities), young professionals, and buy-to-let investors.

Of course, the downside to this affordability factor is that when prices are on the lower side it tends to be for a reason.

In Kirkstall’s case, this reason amounts to little more than a lack of facilities. While it’s not completely devoid of them, what’s there is a bit sparse and dated, and doesn’t seem at all geared towards its younger residents or any Abbey visitors who may have wandered into town.

Mainly a residential area with housing which ranges from attractive to stunning.

Between the busy Abbey Road (A65) and Morris Lane there are several streets made up of red-brick terraced housing (Norman group of roads, De Lacy Mount).

It’s quite a dense area and is built on a slope with a fairly steep gradient towards the top, and tends to be popular with students for rental properties, or young professionals and couples who are buying.

Between Morris Lane and the railway line right at the top of the hill is the crème da la crème of Kirkstall housing. Morris Lane itself has some stunning detached properties, particularly to the western end towards the Abbey.

These grand period residences would be impressive in any location but what makes you particularly envious of the owners here is their view: because of their hilltop position they have uninterrupted views of Kirkstall Abbey, not to mention the Abbey gardens practically on their front doorstep.

Naturally, some of these substantial homes have been sub-divided into flats but many remain intact.

There are a few small roads set behind Morris Lane (eg Morris Avenue and The Rise, and further towards town, the Hesketh and Morris group of streets) which contain mostly upmarket semis and detached homes, ideal for families and young buyers at the wealthier end of the scale.

As it approaches the town centre Morris Lane winds downhill. Between here and Headingley Station there are a few more terraced streets including the quaint and cobbled Glebe Avenue, and a cluster of new-build apartments (eg Abbey Court, Vicarage Mews) within a couple of minutes walk to the station.

This central area has access to the local shops around Commercial Road and Kirkstall Lane, as well as the large Kirkstall Valley Retail Park. There is also St Stephen church and connected primary school, Kirkstall Health Centre and Kirkstall Leisure Centre.

Hawskworth Wood Estate is the dominant feature in this part of Kirkstall.

Built post-war, it started life as a council estate but as is the case with a lot of these estates, many of the houses are now privately owned – and this can be a relatively cost-effective way of securing a place on the property ladder.

It consists mainly of family homes (semis, maisonettes, terraces) although there are also some flats.

The more recent Vesper and Abbeydale roads, at the southern part of the district, consist of attractive homes ranging from converted studio flats through to large five bedroom detached houses.

Vesper Road runs through the centre and has a few local amenities including a newsagent, post office, pharmacy and off licence, and there is a late night Co-op on Broadway (between Vesper Road and Cragside Walk).

There is a local primary school, church and youth club. The Vesper Gate on Abbey Road, just prior to the housing, is a popular local pub.

The other side of Kirkstall Lane stretching to the junction of St Ann’s Lane and Kirkstall Hill heading into Burley.

Another large chunk of housing but, in some parts, a world away from the elegant residences of the Morris Lane enclave.

There are a series of high rise tower blocks and lower level blocks of flats where Kirkstall Hill meets Argie Avenue (Grayson Croft & Heights, Eden Mount etc) which are unlikely to feature on anyone’s “favourite buildings” list.

Things improve somewhat as Argie Avenue carries on down the hill towards Burley, with a variety of semi-detached houses, some on the smallish side, being the upper-most property type (these are a mix of council and ex-council homes).

On the other (western) side of Kirkstall Hill there are more Eden roads (Crescent, Drive and Road). These consist almost entirely of 30s semis, and overall are smarter that their namesakes on the east side.

Slightly further on from Eden Drive is the St Ann’s group of streets (between St Anne’s Lane and Drive) which again consist mainly of 30s style semis, as well as a newer development (off St Ann’s Rise) which has flats, semis and townhouses.

Kirkstall Hill itself has townhouses, semis and detached houses along its length, as well as a few shops (newsagent, nail salon, hairdresser) and The Merry Monk pub. It continues over the peak of the hill, then becomes Burley Road (and Burley itself) at the foot.

There are more local shops at the junction of Kirkstall Hill and St Ann’s Lane (including sandwich shop, newsagent, post office, hairdresser, barber, keycutting and picture framer).

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