Swinnow

Swinnow

Swinnow Avenue, Swinnow, 2009
Swinnow
Swinnow shown within West Yorkshire
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town PUDSEY
Postcode district LS13
Dialling code 0113
Police West Yorkshire
Fire West Yorkshire
Ambulance Yorkshire
EU Parliament Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament


Swinnow (derived from Anglo-Saxon Swin (swine) and how (hill),[1] possibly also a contraction of "Swine Moor" in the Yorkshire dialect) is a housing estate in west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated between Bramley and Pudsey on the west side of the outskirts of Leeds and is currently part of the electoral ward of Calverley and Farsley.[2]

History

Swinnow was part of the civil parish of Bramley.[3] Bramley and Swinnow were part of the Leeds rhubarb fields, a part of the so-called 'Rhubarb Triangle', which accounted for a large portion of British rhubarb production from the 1800s until the second world war. Every January at rhubarb picking time a special train would depart Bramley station at 8:30 pm every night bound for market towns all over the country ready for the next day.

After the second world war the population of Leeds was growing and consequently new cheap council houses were needed. The area of the fields in the Swinnow/Bramley area were considered a perfect location. They were sold on compulsory purchase to the council, and development started on housing estates over the old rhubarb fields. An industrial estate was established south of the settlement, where soft drinks manufacturer Britvic is a major employer.

Swinnow is now clearly integrated into the larger Leeds area. Nevertheless, the history of the area is preserved, in that the stories, memories and knowledge of the residents were compiled into a small volume published by Patchwork press in 1994.

References

  1. ↑ James Wardell (1853). The Antiquities of the Borough of Leeds, described and illustrated. John Russell Smith, London; Moxon and Walker, Leeds. p. 12.
  2. ↑ "Calverley and Farsley Ward" (PDF). Leeds City Council. 2015.
  3. ↑ "Boundary Map of Bramley Ch/CP". A vision of Britain through time. Retrieved 17 May 2017.

Further reading

Swinnow Memories A celebration of stories from the past - Patchwork press - 1994 - ISBN 1-873247-16-8



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