Hyde Park is an inner-city residential area of north-west
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, England, situated between the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
and
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...
. It sits in the
Headingley and Hyde Park ward of
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority of the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of five in West Yorkshire and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and provides the majority of l ...
.
The area is in the centre of the city's
student community, being next to Headingley, another large student community. There are also many full-time, long-term, non-student families and single people, and a sizable
South Asian community.
Before the dense speculative developments of red brick
terraced housing
In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...
in the late Victorian era, the area was the site of the
Leeds Royal Park pleasure ground, quarries, and fields in the estate of the
Earl of Cardigan
Earl of Cardigan is a title in the Peerage of England, currently held by the Marquesses of Ailesbury, and used as a courtesy title by the heir apparent to that Marquessate, currently David Brudenell-Bruce, Earl of Cardigan, son of the 8th Mar ...
.
The Hyde Park name was extended to the new neighbourhoods from Hyde Park Corner on the
A660, with that nucleus historically being known as Wrangthorn.
Toponymy
![Hyde Park](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Hyde_Park.svg)
The area surrounding Hyde Park Corner was originally known as Wrangthorn, a name still used in the Church of England parish Woodhouse and Wrangthorn, and at
St Augustine's Church, Wrangthorn. The name ''Hyde Park'' seems to have been extended to the present area from the name of the road junction Hyde Park Corner, itself apparently named in the nineteenth century on the inspiration of
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is a Listed building#Heritage protection, Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks of London, Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensingt ...
. According to J. Landfear Lucas, writing in 1914,
Two suggested explanations have been offered. The first is to the effect that, in the year 1800, a farmhouse was built on the site of the present Wrangthorn Church, by Nathaniel Atkinson, whose son John carried on the farm after his father's death, the land extending from the Cardigan estate to the slopes of Woodhouse Ridge, John Atkinson and a friend or two took coach to London, and on their safe return had a meeting in the farmhouse, and over a bowl of punch solemnly gave the district the name of "Hyde Park Corner" to commemorate their pleasant visit to London. The present "Hyde Park" Hotel at Leeds was then called the "Red Lion," but its name was soon afterwards changed ... The second suggested explanation is that the builder and proprietor of certain houses which formed the nucleus of the present Hyde Park Road in Leeds had named a new street "Henrietta" after a beloved daughter. Subsequently, however, he took a journey to London, where, to his annoyance, he found that a Henrietta Street bore an evil repute. On the other hand, Hyde Park had pleased him mightily, and on his return he substituted that appellation, and reserved "Henrietta" exclusively for his daughter.
Community
The community is ethnically diverse, including a large Pakistani population.
In July 2005, Hyde Park became the focus of international attention as police carried out a raid connected to the
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings, often referred to as 7/7, were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks carried out by Islamic terrorists in London that targeted commuters travelling on the city's public transport system during the mo ...
. Officers used a controlled explosion to enter a property at 28 Alexandra Grove, situated roughly where the Hyde Park and
Burley areas meet. Hundreds of local residents were evacuated as police searched the house, one of six in West Yorkshire to be raided that day. Despite media speculation that the house had allegedly been used as a 'bomb factory' by the suicide bombers, police later said they found no explosives in the property.
In July 1995 the area suffered serious
rioting
A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people.
Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targeted ...
after the taking over of a local pub, The Newlands, by the police to be used in surveillance. The local community rallied and created Unity Day, a popular community festival started by the Hyde Park Residents Association held on the adjacent
Woodhouse Moor
Woodhouse Moor is an open space approximately one mile (1.6 km) from Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. Today it consists of 3 parts: a formal park, Woodhouse Moor (often referred to as Hyde Park - see below), of around 26 hectares ...
, usually in August. The non-student community is vibrant, artsy and centres around Unity Day, Friends of Woodhouse Moor, Royal Park Community Consortium and other groups.
Amenities
![Hyde Park pub, Leeds 7 May 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Hyde_Park_pub%2C_Leeds_7_May_2018.jpg)
The area is home to many places of worship; Three mosques, namely Makkah Masjid, the Al Madinah Masjid, and the
Leeds Grand Mosque, the latter being the largest in Leeds,
[The Times]
24 August 2002, Daniel Crewe "At Your Service" one
Hindu temple
A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...
, two Anglican churches, namely All Hallows Church and
St Augustine's Wrangthorn, and a catholic church named
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Alongside outlets primarily catering for the student population there remain a number of smaller shops selling largely traditional South Asian goods. This arguably lessens the impact of
studentification, though some community groups do consider this to be a problem and tension exists.
Cultural facilities include the
Hyde Park Picture House, an historic independent
art house cinema. The Royal Park, on Queen's Road, is a large public house with a downstairs gig venue, popular with the student population, and next door stands the
Brudenell Social Club
The Brudenell Social Club is a live music venue and social club in Hyde Park, Leeds, England. While being a social enterprise, it retains the "community atmosphere of its origins as a working men's club". The club is split into three areas†...
, a members' club which is a venue for local and underground music.
There are also a number of cafes and shops at Hyde Park Corner, including a vintage and antiques store and a Greek cafe. The area has many local or independent shops, such as DIY stores, takeaways, fruit and vegetable shops, two Sainsbury's stores, a Coop and two independent mini supermarkets, a pharmacy, a laundrette, and three vintage clothes stores.
The area is close to
Burley Park railway station and benefits from good bus links into the city centre and North Leeds, which makes the area popular with young professionals.
Woodhouse Moor, which sits between Hyde Park,
Woodhouse and the
University campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-like se ...
is one of the most used parks in the city.
Housing
The majority of residential properties in the area are late Victorian and Edwardian
back-to-back
Back to Back or back-to-back may refer to:
Music Songs
* "Back to Back" (Drake song), 2015
* "Back to Back" (Jeanne Pruett song), 1979
*"Back to Back", a song by Pretty Maids from the 1984 album ''Red Hot and Heavy''
*"Back to Back", a song by ...
brick terraces or face onto wide streets with communal access alleyways at the rear. A small area of 1980s council housing lies between Hyde Park Road and Woodsley Road, these replaced terrace housing demolished due to
slum clearance
Slum clearance, slum eviction or slum removal is an urban renewal strategy used to transform low income settlements with poor reputation into another type of development or housing. This has long been a strategy for redeveloping urban communities; ...
. Main roads are
cambered and some still retain original
Yorkstone
Yorkstone or York stone is a variety of sandstone, specifically from quarries in Yorkshire that have been worked since the middle ages. Yorkstone is a tight grained, Carboniferous sedimentary rock. The stone consists of quartz, mica, feldsp ...
pavements and iron guttering. However, Leeds City Council has been removing much of the stone paving and granite kerbs to be replaced by modern tarmac and concrete. A large number of houses in Hyde Park are owned by private landlords who rent to students.
Notable residents
*The members of
Dinosaur Pile-Up
Dinosaur Pile-Up are an English alternative rock band formed in late 2007. Hailing from Leeds, West Yorkshire. Current members are lead singer and guitarist Matt Bigland, drummer Mike Sheils and bassist Jim Cratchley. Their past members include ...
lived in Hyde Park in the 2000s and 2010s.
*Musician
Tom Greenhalgh
Thomas Charles Greenhalgh is a multimedia artist and singer-songwriter best known for his work with the Mekons.
Education
He attended Sevenoaks School in Kent with future members of the Gang of Four (Andy Gill and Jon King) and the Mekons (Ke ...
lived in the area while studying at the University of Leeds.
*Musician
Andy Gill
Andrew James Dalrymple Gill (1 January 1956 – 1 February 2020) was a British musician and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the rock band Gang of Four, which he co-founded in 1976. Gill was known for his angular, jagged style of g ...
lived in the area while studying at the University of Leeds.
*Guitarist
Chris Haskett lived at 52 Harold Mount between 1982 and 1987.
*Musician
Jon Langford
Jonathan Denis Langford (born 11 October 1957) is a Welsh musician and artist based in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Langford is a founder member of the punk band The Mekons, the post-punk group The Three Johns, and the alternative count ...
lived in the area while studying at the University of Leeds.
*The members of gothic rock band
the Mission lived in Hyde Park during the 1980s.
*Actor
Chris Pine
Chris Pine (born August 26, 1980) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' reboot film series (2009–present), Steve Trevor in the DC Extended Universe films ''Wonder Woman'' (2017) and '' Wo ...
, famous for playing Captain
James T. Kirk in the film
Star Trek lived on Brudenell Road, whilst studying on a year abroad at the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
.
*The members of
Pulled Apart by Horses
Pulled Apart by Horses are an English alternative rock band from Leeds. They formed in early 2008.
The band were signed by Transgressive Records in 2009, and released their debut self-titled album '' Pulled Apart by Horses'' on 21 June 2010. I ...
lived in Hyde Park in the 2000s and 2010s.
*
Swallows and Amazons
''Swallows and Amazons'' is a children's adventure novel by English author Arthur Ransome and first published on 21 July 1930 by Jonathan Cape. Set in the summer of 1929 in the Lake District, the book introduces the main characters of John, S ...
author
Arthur Ransome was born in the area: a
blue plaque on No 6 Ash Grove commemorates this.
*Singer
Corinne Bailey Rae
Corinne Jacqueline Bailey Rae (; born 26 February 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2006 single "Put Your Records On". Bailey Rae was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2006 in an annual BBC po ...
lived here.
*Singer
Henry Rollins
Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Roll ...
lived briefly at 52 Harold Mount in 1986, where he wrote the material of his first solo album
Hot Animal Machine.
*Cricketer
Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity (18 May 1905 – 31 July 1943) was a professional cricketer who played for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 ...
, (1905–1943) a left-arm bowler, was born in Welton Grove; he played over 300 matches for Yorkshire and in 40 test matches for England.
[''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', accessed 8 May 2011]
*Singer
Ricky Wilson, of the band
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 2000 as Parva, releasing one studio album, ''22'', in 2003, before renaming and establishing themselves in their current name that same year. Since their formation the band h ...
, lived in Hyde Park whilst a student at
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Beckett University (LBU), formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) and before that as Leeds Polytechnic, is a public university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has campuses in the city centre and Headingley. The univ ...
. Ricky Wilson still lives nearby.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Leeds (Hyde Park and Woodhouse)
Hyde Park and Woodhouse are areas in the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The areas contain 149 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, five are listed at Grad ...
References
External links
{{Commons category, Hyde Park, Leeds
YEP Woodhouse Today Community Website covering Hyde ParkThe official Unity Day websitePictures of Unity Day on FlickrHyde Park History blog
Places in Leeds
Student quarters