Holbeck
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Coordinates: 53°47′20″N 1°33′18″W / 53.789°N 1.555°W
| Holbeck | |
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  Holbeck shown within West Yorkshire |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan borough | City of Leeds |
| Metropolitan county | West Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LEEDS |
| Postcode district | LS11 |
| Dialling code | 0113 |
| Police | West Yorkshire |
| Fire | West Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| European Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament | Leeds South |
| List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire | |
Holbeck (grid reference SE293326) is a district in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
The district begins on the southern edge of the Leeds City Centre and mainly lies in the LS11 Leeds postcode area. The M1 and M621 motorways used to end (begin) in Holbeck. Now the motorway M621 is the only motorway that passes through the area since the end of the M1 moved to Hook Moor near Aberford. Since large parts of Holbeck have been vacated in preperation for the regeneration of the area, the district has in large parts suffered from a population exodus.
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal also runs through Holbeck.
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[edit] History
In the first half of the 19th century Holbeck village was a hamlet of just a few streets, most of which were owned by John Scholey (1774–1834) and are all listed, with tenants, in his will, now at the Borthwick Institute, York. His family sold up with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, when Holbeck became one of the richest and most significant places in England. Holbeck's foundries and mills manufactured cloth, machinery, steam engines and other equipment for companies across the world. The area was home to three of the greatest industrialists of the age: Colonel Thomas Harding, John Marshall and Matthew Murray.
Holbeck has suffered significant decline since the 19th century; many of the industrial buildings and warehouses have been demolished or fallen into disrepair. Holbeck is nevertheless home to 33 listed buildings and many other important architectural structures, some of the most notable of these are: The Dark Arches, the Hol Beck, Marshall's Mill, the Midland Mills, the Round Foundry, Temple Works, Tower Works and two railway roundhouses.
Holbeck was once well served by rail; Holbeck Station (now disused) was notable because it was a two-tier station with a low line and a high line. A disused railway viaduct still runs through Holbeck. When it was built in 1869, it was thought to be one of the engineering marvels of the Victorian age. Plans are now underway to convert the track bed (which is currently overgrown with trees and shrubs) into a raised walkway leading directly into Leeds City centre.
From 1956 to 2004 Kay's Catalogues was the largest employer in Holbeck. Particularly around Christmas when temporary staff were taken on to cope with the rush. (See below)
[edit] Recent times
Over recent years efforts have been made to regenerate the Holbeck area. The most notable scheme is the Holbeck Urban Village, which is expected to attract investment of around £800 million and create around 5,000 jobs. However, the area surrounding the 'Village' is still very deprived and run down, prior to regeneration taking place. The area has recently lost the only supermarket in the area, the local bowling alley (LA Bowl) and the local post office. A new Post Office has recently opened on Crosby Road.
Once Holbeck's largest employer, Kays Catalogues, had a major distribution Centre on Marshall Street in Holbeck. Kays had been in Leeds since 1956 when they acquired Samuel Driver Ltd and took over their Holbeck depot. In 1958 they set about major expansion of the depot, and then again in 1981. The buildings pictured opened in 1981 and closed in 2004 after the amalgamation of Kays and Littlewoods moved most operations to Littlewoods depots in Liverpool. The newer parts of the building are undergoing demolition while the older listed parts of the building, still stand while their fate is decided.[1]
Over the last decade many residential areas of have gone into decline, while the traditional industrial areas have largely been regenerated as part of the Holbeck Urban Village and other office park development. The decline of many of the residential areas has lead to the ensuing regeneration many areas.
Hasib Hussain, the suicide bomber who was responsible for the Tavistock Square bus bombing in London on 7 July 2005, had been living in the Holbeck area.
[edit] Regeneration
From the 1990s onwards the housing around the Recreation area of Holbeck became increasingly rundown. From 2007, Leeds City Council began vacating the back-to-back housing in the area. By 2009 the vast majority of the houses were vacant and Leeds City Council began peliminary demolition work in the area, clearing the houses and pasting notices of demolition on affected buildings. The regeneration of Holbeck coincides with similar regeneration of back-to-back residential areas in neighbouring Beeston. Since 2008, the Holbeck Moor flats have also started to be vacated by the council, however there have been no stated plans for their demolition.
[edit] Amenities
The area has lost many of its amenities as part of a general population exudus that has taken place in the area since the vacation of many properties as part of a Leeds City Council lead regeration scheme. There are now three public houses in Holbeck, The Bulls Head, The Britannia and The Lord Nelson. Since 2005, The Kings Arms, The Spotted Cow and The Wagon and Horses have all closed. There is also a working mens club in the area. The areas Kwiksave supermarket closed in 2005, leaving only small independent convenience stores. The areas Post Office closed in 2008, however services were resumed with the opening of a new Post Office in 2009. There is also a bookmakers, a launderette and several fast food takeaways. There is also a branch of the Leeds Building Society (Until 2005, The Leeds and Holbeck Building Society).
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Holbeck Urban Village
- Where I Live - Holbeck BBC Leeds Mini Guides
- The ancient parish of Leeds: historical and genealogical information at GENUKI (Holbeck was in this parish)
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