Cottingley, Leeds facts for kids
Cottingley is a lively area located in the southwest part of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It's considered part of the larger Beeston area. The local council manages the Cottingley Hall Cemetery and Crematorium here.
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What Does Cottingley Mean?
The name Cottingley has a bit of a mystery around it. It might be a very old name from Old English, or it could be more recent.
We know for sure that the name Cottingley was used for this place in Leeds by 1538. If the name was given around the 15th or 16th century, it was probably named after someone whose last name was Cottingley. That surname originally came from another place called Cottingley, Bradford, which has been known since 1086.
However, there's a record from 1226 that mentions a place called Cottingle. This might be referring to the Cottingley in Leeds, not the one in Bradford. If the Leeds name is really that old, it likely comes from the same Old English words as the Bradford one.
If so, the first part of the name comes from a personal name called Cotta. The second part, -ingas, means a group of people connected to someone. So, the Cottingas were a group linked to Cotta. This group name was then combined with the Old English word lēah, which means 'open land in a wood'. So, the name Cottingley might have once meant 'the clearing of the descendants of Cola'.
The Cottingley Hall Estate
Most of Cottingley is a council estate, which means it's an area with homes built by the local council.
The Cottingley Hall estate was built in the 1970s. It replaced an older estate that had temporary prefabricated houses. The new estate was designed using "New Town Principles." This means it has many cul-de-sacs (dead-end streets). This design helps keep cars away from houses and people walking. Some people say this can make it feel like a "rabbit warren" and tricky for police. But in Cottingley, these effects have been small.
The two tall buildings, Cottingley Towers and Cottingley Heights, stand on a hill in the middle of the estate. When they were built in 1972, they were the tallest flats in Leeds. They were updated in 1989.
Things to Do and See in Cottingley
Cottingley has its own Cottingley railway station. It's on the train line that goes from Leeds to Huddersfield and opened in 1988. The church in Cottingley is a Methodist church. It's part of a building that also serves as a community center for everyone. The local school for younger students is Cottingley Primary Academy.
Next to the cemetery, you'll find Junction 1 Retail Park. This shopping area has stores like B&Q, Burger King, B&M, The Food Warehouse, and a Paw Prints pet shop. These three opened in 2019. There used to be an Aldi supermarket and a Maplins store, but they closed in June 2018.
There's also a small shopping area on the estate. It used to have a pub called the Cottingley Arms, but that closed years ago. You can still find a few small shops there. The large White Rose Shopping Centre is also just a short walk away.
Images for kids
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The Chapel in Cottingley Hall Cemetery
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Houses in the Cottingley Hall Estate
