Happy TravellerWelcome to Chapel Allerton, a charming inner suburb of north-east Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. This hidden gem is located just 2 miles (3.2 km) from the city centre and is a must-visit destination for anyone looking to experience the best of Yorkshire. With a population of 23,536 at the 2011 census, Chapel Allerton is a vibrant and bustling community that has been listed in the 2018 Sunday Times report on Best Places to Live in northern England.
Location:
Chapel Allerton is bounded by Potternewton Lane to the south, Scott Hall Road to the west and Gledhow Valley Road to the north-east. The region within the Chapel Allerton ward is surrounded by Moortown, Meanwood, Roundhay, Gledhow, Chapeltown and Harehills. Chapel Allerton is on Harrogate Road, which was the main road from Leeds to Harrogate before the building of the A61 Scott Hall Road. The centre of activity is Stainbeck Corner, at the junction of Stainbeck Lane, Harrogate Road and Town Street, which is also the key place on 19th century maps of the village.
Name:
The name Chapel Allerton comes from Old English alor alder and tūn estate, farm, thus meaning Alder farm. The Chapel part of the name refers to a chapel associated with Kirkstall Abbey. This building was demolished in the eighteenth century; the site remains between Harrogate Road and Church Lane. The name Chapel Allerton was reduced to Chapeltown, and from this time both names co-existed and were essentially interchangeable.
History:
Before the Norman Conquest (1066-1072) Chapel Allerton was a township covering about five square miles, including what are now known as Alwoodley, Meanwood, Buslingthorpe, Scott Hall, Gledhow, Carr Manor, Moortown and Moor Allerton. This included a major and a minor Roman road, and a Roman altar was discovered in the foundations of the Sextons cottage for the old Church of St Matthew when it was demolished in 1880. This area was substantially destroyed by William the Conqueror in what was known as the Harrying of the North, leaving only the remnants of a village with a church around the present-day centre. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Chapel Allerton had a racecourse and was also used for archery, cricket, foot racing, and cockfighting. It was finally enclosed between 1803 and 1813. By the end of the 17th century, it had become a resort or second home for wealthy people from Leeds and in 1767 was described as the Montpellier of Yorkshire by one visitor. The population rose from 1054 in 1801 to 4377 in 1898. Chapel Allerton was incorporated into Leeds administrative area in 1869, as a civil parish. However, in 1900 it was still a village, isolated from Leeds and neighbouring Meanwood and Moortown by fields, which were gradually filled in with housing and new roads in the 20th century.
Architecture:
A large part of Chapel Allerton is a conservation area for the character and historical interest of its buildings, noted for a diversity of good quality domestic buildings from various periods. The historic core is around Stainbeck Corner, particularly around Town Street and Well Lane, with 8 Listed buildings. To the south and west of this is an area of grand detached houses with large gardens dating from the 18th and early 19th century. The earlier buildings are of fine-grained sandstone derived from the quarries which were once on Stainbeck Lane. These include a number of small 19th century two-storey houses as well as grander buildings. After 1890 brick terraced and back-to-back houses were built, but of better quality than workers housing elsewhere in Leeds, as they were intended for artisans and the lower middle class. The advent of the electric tram in 1901 made the area more accessible and further housing began to fill in empty spaces though this was of varied types. It finally lost its village character in the 1920s and it joined the Leeds urban area.
Inns:
The public house the Nags Head opened in 1772 as the Bay Horse Inn, a coaching inn, and according to local legend the original innkeepers were in league with 18th century highwaymen. The Regent was completed in the first half of the 19th century, and its exterior is little changed from that time. What is now called the Three Hulats was previously the Mexborough Arms. The present building dates from 1911, replacing a 19th-century Mexborough Arms, a terminus for the horse tram service from Leeds, itself replacing the 17th century Bowling Green Tavern. The Mustard Pot was converted from a house built in 1653 into a pub in 1979.
Churches:
The area is home to a gothic stone church, St Matthews Church, built in 1900, the architect being George Frederick Bodley. It replaced
