Middleton, Leeds
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Middleton is a district 6 km (4 miles) in south of Leeds City Centre. It was formerly a pit village. Prior to 1974, Middleton was part of the Rothwell Urban District; since 1974, the R.U.D. area has been administered by Leeds.
The local media sometimes refers to Middleton as a "peripheral council estate" within the city. Politically, it is in the Morley and Rothwell constituency rather than in one of the city seats.
It mostly consists of council houses that had been constructed in the 1920s, although the Westwood Council Estate was added in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and several council house streets around the Park Grove area were demolished in the late 1970s as unrepairable. Whether it should still be classified as a village or now as a suburb of Leeds is debatable.
Middleton Park separates Middleton from Belle Isle. The park itself stands partially on the site of the old "Middleton Broom" colliery, and at its bottom end houses the South Leeds Stadium, home of Hunslet Hawks Rugby League Club. The colliery had been the centre of employment in the area, and its closure in 1968 began a very long process of decline for Middleton. However, the area is now becoming more popular due to its supply of cheap housing for commuters to Leeds City Centre.
The village/suburb is home to the Middleton Railway; having been founded in 1758, this is the oldest railway in Britain, and was acknowledged by an act of parliament[1]. Its original purpose was to transport coal from the village to the centre of Leeds. Such operations ended in 1959 as the productivity of the colliery declined.
The most notable feature is the distinctive Water Tower, which stands at the high point of the hill (approx 150 metres above sea level), at the south west corner of Middleton Park, on Town Street.
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