Kirkstall
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Kirkstall is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, and is located next to the River Aire, nestled between the river and the suburbs of Headingley to the North, Horsforth to the North West and Burley to the South East.
Kirkstall is a pleasant area of Leeds, around 2 miles out of the city centre. Kirkstall is becoming an increasingly popular area for Leeds' student population to live, with its proximity to Headingley and the Universities.
The River Aire runs through Kirkstall, forming the Kirkstall Valley and separating Kirkstall from nearby Bramley.
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.
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.
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).
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 Forge recently closed its doors for business, and is currently under planning for major redevelopment, as is the old Waide's Printers & Kwik Save site. Although printing has, like iron-founding, suffered a decline due to globalisation, there are still several printing companies in business here.
The old Kirkstall Brewery site was recently converted into a large Hall of Residence for students of Leeds Metropolitan University. Other developments in Kirkstall include the Morrisons shopping complex, off the A65 road, by the river.
[edit] External links
- http://www.kirkstall.org.uk - for all things Kirkstall
- The Ancient Parish of Leeds. GENUKI. Historical and genealogical resource for area including Kirkstall
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