Shadwell, West Yorkshire Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Shadwell
Main Street: Red Lion and Post Office
Shadwell
Population	1,849 (2011 census)
Civil parish	Shadwell
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	LS17
Dialling code	0113

Police	West Yorkshire
Fire	West Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire

EU Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	Wetherby and Easingwold
List of places UK England Yorkshire 53°51′17″N 1°29′02″W / 53.8547°N 1.4839°W / 53.8547; -1.4839

Shadwell is a village and civil parish located in the north-east part of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is about 6 kilometers (or 4 miles) north-east of the Leeds city centre.

Shadwell is part of the Harewood area within Leeds City Council. It is also in the Wetherby and Easingwold area for the UK Parliament. The village has its own local government, called the Shadwell Parish Council.

Even though it is close to the city, Shadwell still feels like a village. It has many old traditions. The population of Shadwell was 1,849 people in 2011. By 2021, this number had gone down to 1,581 people.

Discovering Shadwell's Past
Places and Activities in Shadwell
- What Buildings Are in the Village?
- What Can You Do in Shadwell?
Understanding Slaid Hill
Images for kids
Location Grid
See also

Discovering Shadwell's Past

When Was Shadwell First Mentioned?

The first time Shadwell was written about was in 1086. This was in the Domesday Book, a famous survey ordered by William the Conqueror. Back then, it was called Scadewelle. It was part of a large area known as the Feudal Barony of Pontefract.

The name "Shadwell" has changed many times over history. The word welle in old English could mean a well, a spring, or a boundary stream. Shadwell Beck is an example of a boundary stream. The word scade might mean "shade" (like a shady spring) or could be a person's name, like Chad or Shad.

What About the Old Wells?

An old map from 1851 shows eight "wells" or springs in Shadwell. One special well is called a "Holy Well." It is in a protected area known as the Shadwell Holywell Triangle. Water from this spring comes out near Spencer House on Holywell Lane.

People say that a famous monk named Bede might have visited this well. It was possibly used to baptize early Christians. The village pub, "The Red Lion," is located between two wells. These wells were originally used to get water for making drinks.

How Did Shadwell Grow?

In the Middle Ages, Shadwell was part of an area called the Wapentake of Skyrack. For many years, Shadwell was sometimes its own small estate (manor) and sometimes part of the Roundhay Manor.

In the early 1800s, Shadwell was a very small village. It had fewer than 200 people, 11 farms, two inns, and a Methodist chapel. There was no school or church yet. But in the mid-1800s, richer people from the city of Leeds started moving to Shadwell. They built houses using stone from local quarries.

Becoming a Parish and Part of Leeds

Shadwell used to be a small part of the larger Thorner church parish. Then, in 1842, St Paul's Church was built, and Shadwell became its own church parish. In 1866, it became a separate civil parish. However, in 1912, Shadwell became part of Leeds.

In 1974, Shadwell joined the bigger City of Leeds in the new county of West Yorkshire. In 2002, the civil parish was restarted, and people could elect their own parish council again.

Places and Activities in Shadwell

What Buildings Are in the Village?

St Paul's Church

Shadwell has two churches. St Paul's is the Church of England parish church. It was built in 1842 and is a Grade II Listed Building, meaning it's historically important. It replaced an even older chapel.

The Shadwell Methodist Chapel was built in 1892. It replaced an older, smaller building from 1814. The older building is also Grade II listed and now serves as a library. This library has been run by the community since 2013.

Other important buildings include:

A primary school for children.
The Red Lion pub.
The Village Hall, used for community events.
A social club.
A tennis club and a golf club.
Six shops: a clothing shop, a beauty shop, a dry cleaner, a fish and chip shop, a post office/newsagent, and a hairdresser. The fish and chip shop is a Grade II listed building from 1637!

What Can You Do in Shadwell?

Shadwell has a cricket club for sports fans. There is also a junior football club called Shadwell United. They train at the primary school.

For younger people, there are groups like Scouts, Cubs, Beavers, Guides, and Rangers. These groups offer fun activities and learning experiences.

Understanding Slaid Hill

Slaid Hill is an area near Shadwell. It is about half a mile west of Shadwell village. There is countryside between them. You can even see a "Shadwell" sign when going from Slaid Hill to Shadwell.

Slaid Hill is in a different local council area, called the Alwoodley ward. Shadwell village is in the Harewood ward.

Today, the Shadwell Parish does not include most of Slaid Hill. However, it does include an area south of Shadwell Lane and east of Roundhay Park Lane. In 1881, Shadwell was much larger, reaching further west and south. Shadwell Grange is a big house and farm in Slaid Hill. It is also a Grade II listed building.