Bramley, Leeds

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Coordinates: 53°48′45″N 1°37′43″W / 53.8124°N 1.6285°W / 53.8124; -1.6285
Bramley

View of Leeds City Centre from Bramley
Bramley

 Bramley shown within West Yorkshire
Population 21,681 [1]
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 LS13
Dialling code 0113
Police West Yorkshire
Fire West Yorkshire
Ambulance Yorkshire
EU Parliament Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament Leeds West
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire

Bramley is a district in west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is an old industrial area with much 19th century architecture and 20th century council housing in the east and private suburban housing to the west. Bramley was mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book as "Brameleia" and "Bramelie".

Amenities

Bramley Park in 2008
There are various parks and open areas for outdoor recreation, most notably Bramley Park (which holds a fireworks display most years, hosts Bramley Carnival after the parade and has an underground reservoir at its highest point) together with Bramley Falls Wood, which run alongside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and is awash with bluebells around May time.

Bramley Baths are an example of Edwardian swimming baths. Built in 1904, and restored, they have a 25 metre pool, a gymnasium and a Russian steam room. The baths were used for dances during the early years, when the pool was covered with a large dance floor. The baths are among the best remaining examples of an Edwardian baths in Leeds today.

Bramley Shopping Centre is a 1960s-style concrete shopping plaza which was erected to replace the traditional stone-built village centre. The range of shops includes charity shops, banks, travel agents, bakeries, pawnbrokers, supermarkets, a post office, Greggs, Pizza Hut Delivery, a thrift shop, a dental practice and fast food takeaways. Following the deterioration of the shopping centre over the past decade (prior to 2008), Leeds City Council has redeveloped it, bringing new stores such as Farmfoods and a large Tesco to the area.

Churches

Bramley is home to several churches:

Bramley redevelopment

The Bramley Shopping Centre in 2008

Much of Bramley was redeveloped in the 1960s and 1970s. The Bramley Shopping Centre replaced the former town centre. The Bramley Shopping Centre was Leeds' second purpose built town centre after Seacroft town centre. Unlike Seacroft town centre the Bramley Shopping Centre replaced an existing town centre. The redevelopment was to replace substandard shops and houses. Many of the shops and cottages were dilapidated and in need of repair.

However in retrospect the redevelopment of Bramley has been condemned as one of the least sensitive redevelopment programmes in Yorkshire. In 2008 the Yorkshire Evening Post ran an article on the "lost town centre" and featured pictures of Bramley prior to redevelopment.[2] The article had a critical slant on its analysis of the redevelopment, echoing feelings that a unique and historic Yorkshire town centre was replaced by a generic, modernist, concrete shopping precinct.

Much of "Historical Bramley" is now protected by the Bramley Town Conservation Area which focuses on the area around Bramley Park, across to Hough Lane.

Bramley is also home to LILAC, the UK’s first affordable green cohousing project.

Transport

Bramley railway station (off Stanningley Road) is on the Leeds-Bradford line.

Bramley is also accessible by many bus routes from Leeds city centre, the more frequent ones being the 16/A, 14, 49, 72, 508 and X6. Most of these services are operated by First.

Sport

Bramley Baths

Bramley Juniors Football Club has been around since 1994 and is still running today with open-age teams. They developed the football team from just one under-9s club in 1994.

The area is home to rugby league club Bramley Buffaloes and to Bramley Phoenix Rugby Union Club.

The area is home to kickboxer Phil Harman. It is also the home of Bramley Juniors Football Club, founded in 1994 by the Locke family. Bramley Juniors is now a well-established football club, with an assortment of age groups.

The area is also home to Bramley Phoenix JFC which is now the areas largest junior football club with 10 age groups. Bramley Phoenix JFC is based at Armley Lazer Centre.

Politics

Bramley lies within the Parliamentary constituency of Leeds West. The Member of Parliament is Labour MP Rachel Reeves.

Many of the estates in Bramley have active residents' associations, these include:

  • Moorside and Ganners Tenants' and Residents' Association,
  • Landseer Tenants' and Residents' Association,
  • Rossefield Residents' Association.
  • Newlay and Whitecote Residents Association

Notable people

  • Ernie Wise, of Morecambe and Wise fame (Born in Bramley and brought up in East Ardsley from a very young age).


Location grid


 Horsforth
Farsley Armley
   Bramley, Leeds  
Farnley

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://openlylocal.com/wards/254-Bramley-and-Stanningley
  2. ↑

External links

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