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Commercial Street |
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Rothwell
Rothwell shown within West Yorkshire |
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| Population | 21,010 |
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| OS grid reference | SE345285 |
| Metropolitan borough | City of Leeds |
| Metropolitan county | West Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LEEDS |
| Postcode district | LS26 |
| Dialling code | 0113 |
| Police | West Yorkshire |
| Fire | West Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament | Elmet and Rothwell |
| 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 21,010,[1] and the Rothwell ward has an estimated population of 32,365.[2] The town has benefited from recent improvements in the transport infrastructure, most notably the nearby A1/M1 link road. Rothwell is part of the West Yorkshire Urban Area. The nearest railway station is Woodlesford.
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Rothwell is part of the Rhubarb Triangle 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, is of medieval origins but was substantially rebuilt in the 19th Century: the tower retains medieval fabric believed to be from the 15th century. 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 1984. 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, formerly of the Yorkshire Imperial Copperworks based in Stourton, from which the band is named. The Imps, as they are more commonly known, merged with the original Rothwell Band (founded 1881) in the 1990s.
The Imps are one of the original great British brass bands, recording many studio albums, making various TV and radio appearances and for also having a performance pedigree second to none in many leading concert venues. The band has also made its name by winning many of the major titles including the National Championships of Great Britain in 1978, three British Open titles and BBC Band of the Year in 1981. The Imps did rehearse in Rothwell but after years of relentless vandalism, lack of support from the local community, the Temperance Society sold the band room on Butcher Lane forcing the band to relocate to Methley (about 2.5 miles away) in 2003.
Famous persons from Rothwell include the scientist Joseph Priestley. Joseph Priestley College in Rothwell was named after him, but became part of Leeds City College in August 2011.
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.[3]
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.[4]
Rothwell has a vibrant town centre, including high street chains Boots, Greggs, Morrisons, Subway, a Computer Repair 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.
Between 1894 and 1972, Rothwell was constituted as an urban district. This district included the areas of Rothwell, Methley, Oulton, Woodlesford, Stourton, Carlton, Robin Hood, Lofthouse, and Thorpe. 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 Thorpe, Lofthouse, Carlton and some parts of Robin Hood have a Wakefield postcode.
There are several primary schools in Rothwell-
There are two high schools in the Rothwell area-
There is one further education college campus in Rothwell-
Both Royds and Rodillian have sixth form colleges integrated in the school environment. WEC International at Springhead Park House offers training in radio and media.
Rothwell is home to 4 football clubs:
There are numerous teams in the wider Rothwell ward, these include; Carlton Athletic and Robin Hood Athletic, among others.
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[8]
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| Belle Isle | Woodlesford | |||
| Rothwell, West Yorkshire | ||||
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