Yeadon, West Yorkshire
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- There is also a Yeadon, Pennsylvania in the United States.
Yeadon is a town in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire and traditionally part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is home to Leeds Bradford International Airport.
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[edit] Features
Yeadon was a clothing and mill town in the 19th century and had a cattle fair every year on the first Monday in April and the Yeadon Feast in the third week of August, which was held on Albert Square at the top of the High Street. The fair continued until the early 1980s, when old peoples' housing was built on the site.
Avro had a factory next to Yeadon Aerodrome from 1938 to 1946 which produced many of the company's wartime planes, including the Lancaster, Lincoln, York and Anson. 75% of all Lancasters built were produced at Yeadon. The town still has strong links with Leeds Bradford International Airport, with a considerable percentage of the local population employed there.
The former Yorkshire and England cricket captain Brian Close lived in the town during his childhood.
Yeadon is the location of one of the oldest fish and chip shops in the world, established in the 1870s. It is located on The Steep, a cobbled hill to be found at the western end of the high street.
Yeadon Tarn (also known as Yeadon Dam) is located between High Street and the airport runway. During the Second World War it was drained to prevent enemy aircraft using its reflection as a landmark to identify the nearby Avro factory.[1] Given its location next to the airport it is a surprisingly quiet and relaxing place to go for a walk. Locals also visit the tarn to go sailing and fishing. Mallard ducks, swans and a sizeable population of Canada Geese can be found at the tarn. There is also a bmx bike track adjecent to it with competitions held in the summer
Yeadon, along with neighbouring towns Guiseley and Rawdon, formed Aireborough Urban District, which was created in 1937 and abolished in 1974, however Yeadon still hosts local Rugby Union side Aireborough RUFC at Nunroyd Park. Yeadon (except for the area North of Swincar Avenue on Kirk Lane) is now in the Leeds City Council Ward of Otley & Yeadon. It is represented by three Liberal Democrat Councillors, Ryk Downes, Colin Campbell and Graham Kirkland.
The national charity Epilepsy Action has its headquarters in the town.
[edit] Nearby attractions
Nearby visitor attractions include:
- The Chevin - a forest park located on the hill to the south of Otley.
- The Yorkshire Dales national park.
[edit] External links
- The Billing.co.uk, A website based on Rawdon Billing and supplying news, weather and information about local issues to the areas of Rawdon and Yeadon.
[edit] History
- The Yeadon Online web site provides further local information. A short history including photography of the town can be found on the history page.
- The Yeadon Lockout and Hunger Marches are a little known aspect of Yeadon's industrial heritage.
[edit] Photographs
- High Street (photo taken by Mick Melvin, Geograph)
- Town Hall (photo taken by Mick Melvin, Geograph)
- Yeadon Tarn (photo taken by Mark Morton, Geograph)
- Airport (photo taken by David Johnston Geograph)
- Leodis is a collection of photographs of Leeds and district from the very beginnings of photography, and includes many photographs of Yeadon.
[edit] References
- ^ Anthony Hodgetts, WW2 People's War website. Life in Old Bramhope in Wartime, [1] retrieved on 28 November 2006. WW2 People's War is an online archive of wartime memories contributed by members of the public and gathered by the BBC. The archive can be found at bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar'
