Holbeck

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Holbeck is a district of Leeds, West Yorkshire.

During the Industrial Revolution Holbeck was one of the richest and most significant places in England, Holbeck's foundries and mills manufactured cloth, machinery, steam engines and other equipment for companies across the world. The area was home to three of the greatest industrialists of the age: Colonel Thomas Harding, John Marshall and Matthew Murray.

Holbeck is home to 33 listed buildings and many other important architectural structures, some of the most notable of these are: The Dark Arches, the Hol Beck, Marshall's Mill, the Midland Mills, the Round Foundry, Temple Works, Tower Works and two railway roundhouses.

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes through Holbeck.

Holbeck has suffered significant decline since the 19th Century, many of the industrial buildings and warehouses have been demolished or fallen into disrepair. Holbeck is now one of the most deprived areas in Leeds. In recent years the Water Lane area of Holbeck has been plagued by street prostitution & all of its associated problems.

Holbeck was once well served by rail, Holbeck Station (now disused) was notable because it was a two tier station with a low line and a high line.

Over recent years efforts have been made to regenerate the Holbeck area, the most notable scheme is the Holbeck Urban Village which is expected to attract investment of around £800 million, and create around 5,000 jobs.

A disused railway viaduct runs through Holbeck. When it was built in 1869 it was thought to be one of the engineering marvels of the Victorian age. Plans are now underway to convert the track bed (which is currently overgrown with trees and shrubs) into a raised walkway leading directly into Leeds City centre.

Hasib Hussain the suicide bomber who was responsible for the Tavistock Square bus bombing in London on the 7th of July 2005, was from the Holbeck area.