Yeadon, West Yorkshire
Encyclopedia
Yeadon is a town within the City of Leeds
metropolitan borough
, in West Yorkshire
, England
. It is home to Leeds Bradford International Airport
.
in the early 7th century AD much of the Aire valley was still heavily wooded, although perhaps Yeadon stood out above the tree line. The place name is probably derived from two Old English words meaning high hill, 'don' being taken from the Anglo-Saxon word for hill. Between 675 and 725 A.D there was a Christian settlement in Airedale and other Norse settlements followed. Viking
settlers called the highest point in the area Yeadon Haw. 'Haw' in this sense is derived from the Old Norse
word haugr which also means hill. When the Domesday book was compiled, Rawdon, Horsforth & Yeadon were surveyed as Terra Regis - land owned by the King.
Historically
a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire
, Yeadon was a clothing and mill town in the 19th century. It had a cattle fair every year on the first Monday in April and the Yeadon Feast in the third week of August, which was held on Albert Square at the top of the High Street
. The fair continued until the early 1980s, when housing for the elderly was built on the site.
Yeadon had a rail connection, but the line is now a nature path and most of its length can still be walked, from the Old Engine Fields, off Henshaw Lane down Guiseley retail park where it joined the Guiseley Branch Line. The line continued over Henshaw Lane where an old bridge can still be seen, immediately after the bridge was the railway station, near the Station Inn in the (now) council storage yard. The line terminated opposite Trinity Church (previously Blenton Congregational Church) in Rawdon. Yeadon Station was mostly used for freight and served several large mills directly along its route (Leafield Mill, Kirk Lane Mill, Westfield Mill, Green Lane Mill, a soap works and a dye works). The only passenger trains were special services. The first train to leave Yeadon Station held 500 people in 1905. The following year, trains took passengers from Yeadon to Blackpool. The line was closed in 1966.
In 1909, Leeds Corporation extended its tramways to Green Lane, Yeadon.
Avro
had a factory next to Yeadon Aerodrome
from 1938 to 1946 which produced many of the company's wartime planes, including the Lancaster
, Lincoln
, York
and Anson
. Approximately 700 Lancasters
were produced at Yeadon. The town retains links with Leeds Bradford International Airport
, with a considerable percentage of the local population employed there. Aviation heritage in Yeadon is kept alive by the activities of 2168 (Yeadon) Squadron Air Training Corps.
The former Yorkshire
and England
cricket
captain Brian Close
lived in the town during his childhood.
Yeadon is the location of one of the oldest fish and chip
shops in the world, established in the 1870s. It is located on Sandy Way, just off Town Street, which is a cobbled hill to be found at the western end of the high street and is known locally as The Steep.
Yeadon is northwest of Leeds, at one of the highest points of the city, making it an unusual location for an airport. Yeadon Tarn
(also known as Yeadon Dam) is located between High Street and the airport runway. During the Second World War it was drained to prevent enemy aircraft using its reflection as a landmark to identify the nearby Avro factory.
The tarn is used for sailing and fishing. Mallard
ducks, swan
s and a sizable population of Canada Geese
can be found at the tarn. There is a BMX bike track adjacent to it, with competitions held in the summer.
The town is built mainly of stone buildings, making it more like neighbouring Bradford in appearance than Leeds.
The national charity Epilepsy Action
has its headquarters in the town.
Yeadon, along with neighbouring towns Guiseley
and Rawdon, formed Aireborough
Urban District
, which was created in 1937 and abolished in 1974. Yeadon still hosts local Rugby Union side Aireborough RUFC at Nunroyd Park.
Yeadon (except for the area North of Swincar Avenue on Kirk Lane, and the area south of the A65) is now in the Leeds City Council Ward of Otley & Yeadon. It is represented by three Liberal Democrat
Councillors, Ryk Downes, Colin Campbell and Graham Kirkland. Leeds City Council
now have control of public services in Yeadon. Yeadon falls into two constituencies; the majority is in Leeds North West
, which is held by the Liberal Democrats
, represented by Greg Mulholland
, and some falls into Pudsey
, which is held by the Conservative Party
, represented by Stuart Andrew
. Yeadon Town Hall, the main civic building in the town, is known for its distinctive clock tower. The building was used as a registrar's office in the Yorkshire Television
programme, The Beiderbecke Tapes
.
Yeadon has a developed town centre and most of the businesses are situated around the High Street. There is a Morrisons
supermarket as well as several other chain shops, banks, building societies, estate agents and public houses. There are also both Travelodge
and Premier Travel Inn
hotels situated at the airport.
, an airline, has its head office at Leeds/Bradford Airport.
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
metropolitan borough
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
, in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is home to Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
.
History
At the time of the Anglo-SaxonsAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
in the early 7th century AD much of the Aire valley was still heavily wooded, although perhaps Yeadon stood out above the tree line. The place name is probably derived from two Old English words meaning high hill, 'don' being taken from the Anglo-Saxon word for hill. Between 675 and 725 A.D there was a Christian settlement in Airedale and other Norse settlements followed. Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
settlers called the highest point in the area Yeadon Haw. 'Haw' in this sense is derived from the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
word haugr which also means hill. When the Domesday book was compiled, Rawdon, Horsforth & Yeadon were surveyed as Terra Regis - land owned by the King.
Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
, Yeadon was a clothing and mill town in the 19th century. It had a cattle fair every year on the first Monday in April and the Yeadon Feast in the third week of August, which was held on Albert Square at the top of the High Street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
. The fair continued until the early 1980s, when housing for the elderly was built on the site.
Yeadon had a rail connection, but the line is now a nature path and most of its length can still be walked, from the Old Engine Fields, off Henshaw Lane down Guiseley retail park where it joined the Guiseley Branch Line. The line continued over Henshaw Lane where an old bridge can still be seen, immediately after the bridge was the railway station, near the Station Inn in the (now) council storage yard. The line terminated opposite Trinity Church (previously Blenton Congregational Church) in Rawdon. Yeadon Station was mostly used for freight and served several large mills directly along its route (Leafield Mill, Kirk Lane Mill, Westfield Mill, Green Lane Mill, a soap works and a dye works). The only passenger trains were special services. The first train to leave Yeadon Station held 500 people in 1905. The following year, trains took passengers from Yeadon to Blackpool. The line was closed in 1966.
In 1909, Leeds Corporation extended its tramways to Green Lane, Yeadon.
Avro
Avro
Avro was a British aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark designs such as the Avro 504 trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.-Early history:One of the world's...
had a factory next to Yeadon Aerodrome
Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
from 1938 to 1946 which produced many of the company's wartime planes, including the Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
, Lincoln
Avro Lincoln
The Avro Type 694, better known as the Avro Lincoln, was a British four-engined heavy bomber, which first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were known initially as the Lancaster IV and V, but were renamed Lincoln I and II...
, York
Avro York
The Avro York was a British transport aircraft that was derived from the Second World War Lancaster heavy bomber, and used in both military and airliner roles between 1943 and 1964.-Design and development:...
and Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
. Approximately 700 Lancasters
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
were produced at Yeadon. The town retains links with Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
, with a considerable percentage of the local population employed there. Aviation heritage in Yeadon is kept alive by the activities of 2168 (Yeadon) Squadron Air Training Corps.
The former Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
and England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
captain Brian Close
Brian Close
Dennis Brian Close , usually known as Brian Close, is a former cricketer who is the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked for the Test team to play against New Zealand, in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England,...
lived in the town during his childhood.
Yeadon is the location of one of the oldest fish and chip
Fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
shops in the world, established in the 1870s. It is located on Sandy Way, just off Town Street, which is a cobbled hill to be found at the western end of the high street and is known locally as The Steep.
Church
Yeadon was part of the old, large Guiseley Parish but a church, St. John the Evangelist, was built in 1844.Landmarks
Tarn (lake)
A tarn is a mountain lake or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. A moraine may form a natural dam below a tarn. A corrie may be called a cirque.The word is derived from the Old Norse word tjörn meaning pond...
(also known as Yeadon Dam) is located between High Street and the airport runway. During the Second World War it was drained to prevent enemy aircraft using its reflection as a landmark to identify the nearby Avro factory.
The tarn is used for sailing and fishing. Mallard
Mallard
The Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
ducks, swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
s and a sizable population of Canada Geese
Canada Goose
The Canada Goose is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body....
can be found at the tarn. There is a BMX bike track adjacent to it, with competitions held in the summer.
The town is built mainly of stone buildings, making it more like neighbouring Bradford in appearance than Leeds.
The national charity Epilepsy Action
Epilepsy Action
Epilepsy Action is a UK based charity providing information, advice and support for people with epilepsy.The organisation was founded in 1950 as the British Epilepsy Association and adopted Epilepsy Action as its working name in 2002....
has its headquarters in the town.
Governance
Guiseley
Guiseley is a small town in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Situated south of Otley and Menston, it is a suburb of north west Leeds. At the 2001 census, Guiseley together with Rawdon had a population of over 21,000. The A65, which passes through the town, is the...
and Rawdon, formed Aireborough
Aireborough
Aireborough was an urban district in the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1937 to 1974, to the north of Leeds, England. It covered Guiseley, Yeadon and Rawdon, and was created as a merger of those three urban districts along with part of Wharfedale Rural District. The district was named after the...
Urban District
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
, which was created in 1937 and abolished in 1974. Yeadon still hosts local Rugby Union side Aireborough RUFC at Nunroyd Park.
Yeadon (except for the area North of Swincar Avenue on Kirk Lane, and the area south of the A65) is now in the Leeds City Council Ward of Otley & Yeadon. It is represented by three Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Councillors, Ryk Downes, Colin Campbell and Graham Kirkland. Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
now have control of public services in Yeadon. Yeadon falls into two constituencies; the majority is in Leeds North West
Leeds North West (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds North West is a parliamentary constituency in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire which is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, which is held by the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
, represented by Greg Mulholland
Greg Mulholland
Gregory Thomas Mulholland is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom, and is the Member of Parliament for Leeds North West. He was first elected at the 2005 general election, winning the seat from Labour and was re-elected with an increased majority at the 2010 general election. Before...
, and some falls into Pudsey
Pudsey (UK Parliament constituency)
Pudsey is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
, which is held by the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, represented by Stuart Andrew
Stuart Andrew
Stuart James Andrew is the Conservative Member of Parliament for the Pudsey constituency in West Yorkshire, England. He grew up in the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, and later attended Ysgol David Hughes in Menai Bridge....
. Yeadon Town Hall, the main civic building in the town, is known for its distinctive clock tower. The building was used as a registrar's office in the Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
programme, The Beiderbecke Tapes
The Beiderbecke Tapes
The Beiderbecke Tapes is a two-part British television drama serial written by Alan Plater and broadcast in 1987. It is the second serial in The Beiderbecke Trilogy and stars James Bolam and Barbara Flynn as schoolteachers Trevor Chaplin and Jill Swinburne...
.
Amenities
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
supermarket as well as several other chain shops, banks, building societies, estate agents and public houses. There are also both Travelodge
Travelodge
Travelodge refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia...
and Premier Travel Inn
Premier Travel Inn
Premier Inn is the UK's largest hotel brand, with over 40,500 rooms and more than 600 hotels. Originally opening under the "Travel Inn" brand name in 1987, it has been owned by Whitbread during its entire operation and was set up to compete with the Travelodge brand which was at the time owned by...
hotels situated at the airport.
Economy
Jet2.comJet2.com
Jet2.com Limited is a British low-cost airline based at Leeds Bradford Airport, England. It operates services from eight UK bases to 54 destinations. The airline also offers contract charter and air cargo services. Its main base and headquarters is at Leeds Bradford Airport, with smaller bases at...
, an airline, has its head office at Leeds/Bradford Airport.
External links
- The Yeadon Online web site provides further local information. A short history including photography of the town can be found on the history page.
- The Yeadon Lockout and Hunger Marches are a little known aspect of Yeadon's industrial heritage. Yeadon was in this parish
- Yeadon Sailing Club contains a full set of details about the Sailing club which has been at Yeadon Tarn since 1928.
- Albert Inn, Yeadon contains local live music events in the Albert Inn