Beeston

Beeston

View over Beeston
Beeston is located in Leeds
Beeston
Beeston
Beeston is located in West Yorkshire
Beeston
Beeston
Population22,187 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSE294313
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLEEDS
Postcode districtLS11
Dialling code0113
PoliceWest Yorkshire
FireWest Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
53°46′34″N 1°33′21″W / 53.7761°N 1.5559°W / 53.7761; -1.5559

Beeston is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England located on a hill about 2 miles (3 km) south of the centre of the city.

The start of Beeston was in the medieval period. It remained a small place for people to live until the late part of the Victorian era when it became a mostly residential area for people working in Leeds and surrounding industrial areas like Holbeck and Hunslet.

When the 2011 Census was being carried out, Beeston had a population of 22,187 (which included Holbeck). Some parts of the area, around Cross Flatts Park, suffer from high levels of poverty, while areas to the centre and south are generally considered richer. Beeston is home to the Leeds United football club stadium on Elland Road and Hunslet rugby league club.

Places of worship

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Beeston has at least ten churches of many religions including Church of England, Roman Catholic, Methodist and Baptist. The Anglican churches of St Mary on Town Street and St Luke on Malvern Road were made in the 1870s, though St Mary is on the site of a much older church. The more modern church of St David Waincliffe on Dewsbury Road, made in the 1960s was designed by Geoffrey Davy[2] and won a Hoffman Wood (Leeds) Gold Medal for Architecture.[3]

There are three mosques in Beeston, all located within the Beeston Hill area. There is also a Sikh Gurdwara.

Notable people

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The person who wrote plays Willis Hall went to Cockburn High School in Beeston[4] as did the academic and author of The Uses of Literacy, Richard Hoggart.[5] The poet Tony Harrison spent his childhood growing up in Tempest Road and went to what was then Cross Flatts county primary school.[6] More recently, the actress Holly Kenny who starred in the BBC drama show Waterloo Road was a pupil at the school.

The musician and bandleader Ivy Benson grew up in Beeston, where her old house on Cemetery Road is marked with a blue plaque.[7]

Former England and Leeds United footballer Paul Madeley was born in Beeston.[8]

Former international rugby league and rugby union star Jason Robinson went to Cross Flatts Park Middle School and Matthew Murray High School, and started his Rugby League career with Hunslet Hawks.[9]

Leigh Francis, known for his character Keith Lemon, was born in Beeston.[10]

2 of the 7/7 bombers lived in Beeston.[11][12]

References

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  1. ↑ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Beeston and Holbeck Ward (as of 2011) (E05001415)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  2. ↑ Minnis, John. "A survey and gazetteer of places of worship 1900-2005" (PDF). Religion in Leeds. English Heritage. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  3. ↑ "St David's Waincliffe". Beeston Team Ministry. Archived from the original on 21 November 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  4. ↑ Barker, Dennis (12 March 2005). "Obituary: Willis Hall". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  5. ↑ Wroe, Nicholas (7 February 2004). "Profile: Richard Hoggart". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  6. ↑ 'Bombs over Beeston', 12 December 2008; http://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/content/articles/2008/12/12/local_history_beeston_bombing_feature.shtml.
  7. ↑ "Bandleader Ivy Benson gets Leeds blue plaque". BBC News. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  8. ↑ Mason, Peter (25 July 2018). "Paul Madeley obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  9. ↑ Davies, Gareth A (23 April 2001). "My School Sport: Jason Robinson". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  10. ↑ "Comedian Leigh Francis Leeds Keith Lemon Life Story Interview". Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  11. ↑ "Profile: Mohammad Sidique Khan". BBC News. 2 March 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  12. ↑ "Profile: Shehzad Tanweer". 2 March 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2021.