Here’s a brief history of Headingley, the oldest suburb in Leeds, with reflections from locals and visitors on what makes this part of the city special to them.
00:00What is the oldest suburb in Leeds? With a mention in the Doomsday Book of 1086, and originally a small village with just a few farms and cottages, Headingley became the first Leeds suburb in the 1830s.
00:14Following the Norman Conquest, Headingley Village was devastated by the harrying of the north, and was given to one of William the Conqueror's barons.
00:21It was then managed by Kirkstall Abbey until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539.
00:28Headingley was known for this Shire Oak tree, the centre of the Skyrack Wappentake, which was used as a meeting point for settling Anglo-Saxon disputes before being felled by strong winds in 1941, giving its name to the original oak and the Skyrack pubs of today.
00:45Demand for housing in the area arose from business owners escaping the industrialised centre of Leeds, and alongside villas and mansions, stone terraces were built for working families.
00:57In the 1801 census, Headingley's population was 300, and by 1911 it had risen to in excess of 46,000 people.
01:06The 2021 census found around 31,000 people call the Headingley and Hyde Park area home, and the suburb has a large student population and a range of amenities,
01:16including the world-famous Headingley Stadium, home to the Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Leeds Rhinos Rugby League teams.
01:24It's also home to a wide range of shops, restaurants and cultural venues, including the Headingley Enterprise and Arts Centre, or HEART,
01:32as well as a former Bear Pit, the Otley Run pub crawl, and the old Arndale Centre, which is now known as Headingley Central.
01:40Writers Arthur Ransom, J.R.R. Tolkien and Alan Bennett all have links to Headingley,
01:47and we can now hear from some locals and visitors to discover why this part of Leeds is special to them.
01:52I've just really loved how central everything is, even here.
01:55You don't feel like you're missing out on stuff in town or stuff on campus, because you've got everything all in one place, really.
02:01I live in German Avenue near Headingley Campus. It's pretty nice over there, it's quiet, and this area is a bit crowded.
02:09And the best part about Headingley is Otley Run, and of course, Stadium.
02:15I live in Headingley, I like it. The shops are good.
02:18I like going to the Woodbury Grand in the Emerald Street for Christmas time, because we sing there at Christmas time in there.
02:25My favourite part is the library. I mean, the library is so welcoming. I can take the kids there. They get to play while I get to do my work.
02:35There's plenty to do here, especially the restaurants and the bars, and it's nice to see the bars of all the students.
02:42I like the Otley Run here. I think that's a solid part of Headingley. That's usually the only time I come up, and it's always a good time.
02:50Yeah, the charity shop's pretty banging, too. It's like you could do an Otley Run on the way down, a charity shop run on the way up.
