Churwell
Encyclopedia
Churwell is a small village in the City of Leeds
metropolitan borough
, West Yorkshire
, England
, between Leeds city centre
and Morley
. It is 3 miles (5 km) southwest of Leeds city centre
and 1.5 miles (2 km) away from the Leeds United
Elland Road Football Ground.
It is in the LS27 postcode area, and its telephone area code is 0113, the Leeds
prefix. The village once formed part of the former Municipal Borough
of Morley, and is still classed as part of Morley in the census. It is now governed by Leeds City Council
and Morley Town Council
.
Churwell means old man's well. Chur means old man and well means well.
Churwell still retains its semi-rural feel with farms nearby cultivating, in particular, vegetables and rhubarb
.
constituency, and is represented by Ed Balls
(Labour
). Boundary changes in 2010 saw it leave the now-defunct Morley and Rothwell constituency, in which it was represented by Colin Challen
(Labour
).
. About three-quarters of the way up Churwell Hill, the road changes name from Elland Road to Victoria Road. There have historically been three local public houses, of which two remain: The Commercial, Golden Fleece (demolished) and The New Inn. These are known locally as top oyle, middle oyle and bottom oyle, relating to their position on the hill. The Golden Fleece was demolished in 2010 and is now occupied by a Tesco Express store which still as The Golden Fleece sign outside of it.
Churwell once had a poor house
. The building, Grade II listed, was built in 1865, it is just off Elland Road, and was used as a community centre up until May 2011, at which point the Stanhope Memorial Hall, across the road from the Poor Hall, became the community centre.
The village expanded considerably in the early 1960s with new private and council housing developments, particularly to the north on land between School Street and the then-Leeds City boundary. In the 1980s, the old stone Churwell Primary School in School Street was demolished and relocated to modern premises in the village. Houses now stand on the old school site.
In 1923, a runaway tram ran down Churwell Hill and ended in tragedy: six people were killed and 35 injured when the brakes failed and the tram crashed into a field wall at Cottingley.
Tragedy hit the village in 1962, when a motorcyclist ploughed into a group of girls returning from Sunday school on Churwell Hill, killing two and injuring several others.
on the Huddersfield Line
between Leeds and Morley
. From there, there are hourly train services to Huddersfield
and Leeds
, with increased frequency at peak times, and additional destinations including Sheffield
and Manchester in the evening peak.
which go via Leeds
city centre. As of May 2010, there are eight buses per hour along this route.
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
metropolitan borough
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, between Leeds city centre
Leeds City Centre
Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, England. It is within the Leeds Central parliamentary constituency, represented by Hilary Benn as MP since a by-election in 1999...
and Morley
Morley, West Yorkshire
Morley is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately south-west of Leeds city centre. Together with Drighlington, Gildersome, Churwell, Tingley and East/West Ardsley, the town had a population of 47,579 in...
. It is 3 miles (5 km) southwest of Leeds city centre
Leeds City Centre
Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, England. It is within the Leeds Central parliamentary constituency, represented by Hilary Benn as MP since a by-election in 1999...
and 1.5 miles (2 km) away from the Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
Elland Road Football Ground.
It is in the LS27 postcode area, and its telephone area code is 0113, the Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
prefix. The village once formed part of the former Municipal Borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Morley, and is still classed as part of Morley in the census. It is now governed by Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
and Morley Town Council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
.
Churwell means old man's well. Chur means old man and well means well.
Churwell still retains its semi-rural feel with farms nearby cultivating, in particular, vegetables and rhubarb
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a group of plants that belong to the genus Rheum in the family Polygonaceae. They are herbaceous perennial plants growing from short, thick rhizomes. They have large leaves that are somewhat triangular-shaped with long fleshy petioles...
.
Political location
Churwell is in the new Morley and OutwoodMorley and Outwood (UK Parliament constituency)
Morley and Outwood is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
constituency, and is represented by Ed Balls
Ed Balls
Edward Michael Balls, known as Ed Balls, is a British Labour politician, who has been a Member of Parliament since 2005, currently for Morley and Outwood, and is the current Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer....
(Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
). Boundary changes in 2010 saw it leave the now-defunct Morley and Rothwell constituency, in which it was represented by Colin Challen
Colin Challen
Colin Robert Challen is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Morley and Rothwell from 2001 until the constituency's abolition at the 2010 election.-Early life:...
(Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
).
Historical landmarks
Churwell is centred around "Churwell Hill" which is made up of the A643A643 road
The A643 is a main road in West Yorkshire, England.It starts at the Armley Gyratory and ends at junction 23 of the M62 Motorway and is approximately long....
. About three-quarters of the way up Churwell Hill, the road changes name from Elland Road to Victoria Road. There have historically been three local public houses, of which two remain: The Commercial, Golden Fleece (demolished) and The New Inn. These are known locally as top oyle, middle oyle and bottom oyle, relating to their position on the hill. The Golden Fleece was demolished in 2010 and is now occupied by a Tesco Express store which still as The Golden Fleece sign outside of it.
Churwell once had a poor house
Poorhouse
A poorhouse or workhouse was a government-run facility in the past for the support and housing of dependent or needy persons, typically run by a local government entity such as a county or municipality....
. The building, Grade II listed, was built in 1865, it is just off Elland Road, and was used as a community centre up until May 2011, at which point the Stanhope Memorial Hall, across the road from the Poor Hall, became the community centre.
The village expanded considerably in the early 1960s with new private and council housing developments, particularly to the north on land between School Street and the then-Leeds City boundary. In the 1980s, the old stone Churwell Primary School in School Street was demolished and relocated to modern premises in the village. Houses now stand on the old school site.
In 1923, a runaway tram ran down Churwell Hill and ended in tragedy: six people were killed and 35 injured when the brakes failed and the tram crashed into a field wall at Cottingley.
Tragedy hit the village in 1962, when a motorcyclist ploughed into a group of girls returning from Sunday school on Churwell Hill, killing two and injuring several others.
Churwell New Village
Since 2001, a considerable amount of housing development has taken place, one notable area is Churwell New Village a development with more than 350 new residencies, planners estimated 0.5 cars per household. The development was built on a green field industrial area , that once had a pit, brick works and later a reclamation yard on it.Rail
Churwell, and particularly the New Village development, is very near to Cottingley railway stationCottingley railway station
Cottingley railway station serves the Cottingley area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It lies south west of Leeds on the Huddersfield Line. The station was opened in May 1988 with financial assistance from West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and is managed by Northern Rail, who...
on the Huddersfield Line
Huddersfield Line
The Huddersfield Line is the name given to one of the busiest rail services on the West Yorkshire MetroTrain network in northern England. Local services are operated by Northern Rail with longer distance services operated by TransPennine Express...
between Leeds and Morley
Morley railway station
Morley railway station serves the town of Morley, West Yorkshire, England.The station is on Huddersfield Line, is operated by Northern Rail, and is south west of Leeds...
. From there, there are hourly train services to Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
and Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, with increased frequency at peak times, and additional destinations including Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
and Manchester in the evening peak.
Bus
Churwell is well served by local bus services, particularly by bus services 51, 53 and 55 to cMoor Allerton, Leeds
Moor Allerton is an area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The area is situated in North Leeds, near to King Lane and the Leeds Outer Ring Road. The area is mainly made up of post war council housing and has a good reputation. This combined with relatively low house prices has made the area...
which go via Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
city centre. As of May 2010, there are eight buses per hour along this route.
Location grid
External links
- Churwell Community Association
- All Saints' Church, Churwell
- Morley Town Council Churwell was in this parish