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==Notable and former residents==
==Notable and former residents==
*[[ oliver dean]]-guitarist of the pidgeon detectives
*[[Mark Bell (British musician)|Mark Bell]] - musician of [[LFO]] fame, worked with [[Björk]].
*[[Mark Bell (British musician)|Mark Bell]] - musician of [[LFO]] fame, worked with [[Björk]].
*[[John Blenkinsop]] - inventor of the [[rack railway]] system (buried in the grounds of Holy Trinity Church).
*[[John Blenkinsop]] - inventor of the [[rack railway]] system (buried in the grounds of Holy Trinity Church).

Revision as of 16:48, 21 May 2009

Rothwell
Commercial Street
Population26,349 
OS grid referenceSE345285
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLEEDS
Postcode districtLS26
Dialling code0113
PoliceWest Yorkshire
FireWest Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire

Rothwell is a market town on the River Dolphin in the south east of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, situated between Oulton to the east, Belle Isle to the west, Woodlesford to the north east and Robin Hood to the south west. Swillington, Methley and Kippax are located near Rothwell. Rothwell has a population of around 25,000 and has benefited from recent improvements in the transport infrastructure, most notably the nearby A1/M1 link road.

Rothwell is part of the Rhubarb Triangle and stands on the River Dolphin (also known as Oulton Beck), and is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book ("Rodewelle"). It has a long history and was once the site of a royal hunting lodge (at Rothwell Castle, off Wood Lane). One of the lodge's documented owners was John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, who is supposed to have killed the last wild boar in England while hunting nearby, hence a boar's head formed part of the arms of the former Rothwell Urban District Council. The parish church (Church Street) is dedicated to Holy Trinity and is on the site of an Anglo Saxon predecessor. The current church, which has a ring of eight bells, was built in the medieval period. There is some debate as to whether or not the church benefits from Chancel Repair Liability.

The town was granted the rights of a market town in the 15th century and a twice yearly fair. The tradition of a fair is maintained by the annual Carnival which is organised by the Rothwell Entertainments Committee. The Carnival takes place in early July in Springhead Park.

Rothwell Temperance Band is a Championship section brass band founded in Rothwell in 1881. Although they do not rehearse in Rothwell itself, they have strong connections with the town and hold many concerts for the local community. They actually rehearse in Wakefield. The closest Champion Section Brass Band is the Yorkshire Imperial Urquhart Travel Band. They used to rehearse in Rothwell but now have relocated to Methley (about 2.5 miles away).

Famous persons from Rothwell include the scientist Joseph Priestley. His name is still associated with Rothwell, in the name of the local Joseph Priestley College.

Rothwell has a long history of coal mining. It was a site of early mining, using a system known as Bell Pits. Coal mining has been carried out in the area for over 600 years, though coal production stopped on 9 December 1983. There were many local pits including the Fanny, the Rose, and Rothwell Water Haigh. In 1995, Leeds City Council and Leeds Groundwork formed a partnership which, together with local residents and community groups, transformed the former colliery into a 50 hectare country park.

Rothwell was constituted an urban district in the West Riding of Yorkshire under the Local Government Act 1894. In 1937 it was expanded by taking in the Methley urban district and Hunslet Rural District.[1]

It was incorporated into the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire by the Local Government Act 1972. Its inclusion in the Leeds district as opposed to the Wakefield metropolitan district was controversial: originally planned for the Leeds district, it was added to the Wakefield district at the request of residents, but then moved to the Leeds district by the House of Lords. [2]

Rothwell has a vibrant town centre, including high street chains Boots, Greggs, Morrisons, Subway, a Computer Centre and the largest Working Men's Club in the country. Since late 2007, the town centre has been undergoing significant redevelopment, which has already involved the erection of a large parade of shops at the rear of Jail Yard and Commercial Street, opened in February 2008, to replace the majority of those from the old precinct, which has been demolished. The new parade includes stores such as; Betfred, Co-Operative Travel and Jack Fultons Foods. Around half a dozen shops on Commercial Street have been fully redeveloped and will be occupied soon, most notably the former Coach and Horses pub, which will become shops and flats. The heart of the development was a new Morrisons superstore, completed February 2009, with its entrance where Ray's Discount previously stood.

Rothwell Urban District

Between 1894 and 1972, Rothwell was constituted as an urban district. This district included the areas of Rothwell, Methley, Oulton, Woodlesford, Carlton, Robin Hood, Lofthouse, Thorpe, and East Ardsley. The Rothwell Urban District had a total population of around 25,000, but if it still existed today, that figure would be closer to 30,000. In 1972 these areas were taken into the newly formed City of Leeds Metropolitan District, although East Ardsley, Thorpe, Lofthouse, Carlton and some parts of Robin Hood have a Wakefield postcode.

Location grid

Notable and former residents

Sport in Rothwell

Football

Rothwell is home to 3 football clubs:

  • Rothwell Town AFC[1] - who are based near Rothwell Labour Club just off Leeds Road.
  • Rothwell Athletic[2] - who are based just off Royds Lane.
  • Rothwell Juniors[3] - who don't currently have a permanent home. They will soon be moving to a £1.5 million purpose built home on Fleet Lane.

Golf

Oulton Hall golf course, which is currently owned by hotel group De Vere is located adjacent to Oulton Lane. The only 5-star golf resort in the North of England[3]

Places of interest

  • Oulton Hall & Golf Course - Owned by De Vere who also own The Belfry
  • Rothwell Sports Centre
  • Rothwell Working Men's Club - The Biggest in the country.
  • Rothwell Labour Club
  • The remains of Rothwell Castle
  • Springhead Park
  • Rothwell Holy Trinity Church
  • Rothwell Colliery Country Park
  • World Famous Oldroyd's Rhubarb Farm

References

  1. ^ A vision of Britain through time. "Relationships / Unit history of Rothwell". Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  2. ^ Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Lords. 16 October 1972. col. 1603–1614.
  3. ^ http://www.devere-hotels.com/our-hotels/oulton-hall/golf

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rothwell,_West_Yorkshire&oldid=291429223"