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Horsforth
Horsforth is a town near Leeds in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England. Horsforth was considered to have the largest population of any village in the United Kingdom during the latter part of the nineteenth century. It became part of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in 1974 and became a town in 1999, although displays all the characteristics of a suburb as it has become physically and economically connected to Leeds, and few characteristics of an independent town.
HistoryHorsforth first appeared in the 1086 Domesday Book (as Horseford, Horseforde, Hoseforde) and its name is from horse and ford. This refers to a river crossing situated somewhere in shallow water along the River Aire, probably used for the transportation of woollen goods to and from Pudsey, Shipley and Bradford. The original ford was situated off Calverley Lane (near the Calverley Bridge Zero Waste Sort Site), but was replaced by a stone footbridge at the turn of the 19th Century. The three unnamed Saxon thegns that held the land at the conquest gave way to the King and then lesser Norman nobles, but it was not long after this that most of the village came under the control of Kirkstall Abbey, a nearby Cistercian house founded in 1152. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, Horsforth was partitioned and sold off to five families, one of which was the Stanhopes who achieved supremacy and controlled the village for the next three hundred years. The estate record of the Stanhopes are regarded as one of the most extensive and important collections of its kind, complementing the extensive mediaeval record associated with Kirkstall Abbey's activities. Up until the mid nineteenth century Horsforth was a small agricultural community. It expanded rapidly with the growth of the nearby industrial centre of Leeds. Industrially, Horsforth has a long history of producing high quality stone from its quarries. Not only did it supply Kirkstall Abbey with building materials and millstones in the medieval period, it provided the stone for Scarborough seafront and sent its prized sandstone from its Golden Bank quarry as far afield as Egypt. Situated on Horsforth Beck were a string of mills serving the textile trade, but a large area of the village still reflects its original function as an agricultural community. Between 1861 and 1862, there was an outbreak of typhoid in Horsforth.[1] In the late nineteenth century it achieved note as the village with the largest population in England. Railways, turnpike roads, tramways, and the nearby canal made it a focus for almost all forms of public and commercial transport and sealed its fate as a dormitory suburb of Leeds. Despite its large population and extensive commercial activity this role appears to have stopped it achieving independent town status and it remained a village (as Horsforth urban district) until its inclusion in the City of Leeds metropolitan district when this was created in 1974. However, in 1999 a parish council was created for the area, which then exercised its right to declare Horsforth a town. Horsforth Museum[2] has collections and displays that aim to illustrate aspects of life set against the backdrop of the changing role of the village. During World War II the £241,000 required to build the corvette HMS Aubretia was raised entirely by the people of Horsforth. In 2000 the then US President Bill Clinton acknowledged Horsforth's contribution to the war effort in a letter sent to local MP Paul Truswell[3]. The letter now resides in the museum. Location Grid
TransportRailHorsforth railway station is on the Leeds to Harrogate line. The station lies just outside the Horsforth parish boundary, on the Cookridge side of Moseley beck, but has a Horsforth (LS18) postcode. Newlay station, which was built as part of the Midland Railway, was renamed Newlay & Horsforth station in 1889. This station was situated south of the River Aire and was accessible from Horsforth on Pollard Lane (the road connecting Horsforth to Bramley).[4] The station, which was on the Airedale Line (Leeds-Shipley-Skipton), was renamed Newlay station in 1961. It closed on 22 March 1965, along with other stations on the Airedale Line: Armley Canal Road, Kirkstall, Calverley & Rodley and Apperley Bridge. BusThe town is served by First Leeds bus routes:
AirLeeds Bradford International Airport EducationLeeds Trinity & All Saints, a college accredited by the University of Leeds, is on Brownberrie Lane, Horsforth. It is known as TASC, or TASC Island, by its students. The main secondary school is Horsforth School[5]. The main primary schools in Horsforth are;
Independent school
ChurchesThe main churches in Horsforth are;
Pubs and barsHorsforth has an ever increasing number of pubs and bars. Longstanding pubs in Horsforth include:
Newer bars are: The Sand Bar, Town Street Tavern, Bar 62, Bar 166 and the Medusa Bar (all on Town Street) and Suburban Style Bar and Kobe on New Road Side. A regular event in Horsforth is the 'Horsforth Mile' pub crawl. This usually starts off at the Fox and Hounds next to the railway station, although this is regarded by many as being in Cookridge, so an alternative is to begin at The Old Ball, and meander through at least 10 pubs in the town. Notable people from Horsforth
ReferencesExternal links
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