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New Houses & Commercial Development
If anything defines Cottingley, ask Leeds people and they will say "the two tower blocks of flats" reputedly 'the tallest flats in Leeds' and indeed they are a landmark. They were included in the First Phase of re-build by the council who wanted to replace the long-serving pre-fabs. The well-known, high-rise flats - Cottingley Heights and Cottingley Towers were twenty five stories high, two hundred and twenty feet high and containing two hundred and ninety four homes with a top-flat rent of £3.95 a week. They were officially opened on 19th April 1972.This First Phase included 'white triangular' terrace homes on the northwest side of the estate and included a Shopping Hall with a fish and chip shop, Post Office, launderette, public toilets and attached by a canopied area to The Sphinx Pub. The irregular-shaped complex was covered by an unusual white multi-pyramid roof. Cottingley School has remained throughout on its old pre-fab road of Dulverton Grove on the far (west) side of the estate.
"Cottingley had a bit of a reputation in Leeds for being 'rough', I moved there in 1979 as there was a housing shortage on all Leeds council estates, Cottingley was all they could offer, the Churwell side. The problem seemed to be on 'rough people' in the flats, someone was discovered keeping a goat on the fifth floor but they sorted out the tenants and put retired tenants in and security,etc and they were much improved. I remember the doctor's surgery being on the 24th floor of one of the tower blocks and it made you feel ill just looking out of the waiting-room window. One of the problems, even though the new houses were really nice with three bedrooms, two toilets, central heating and good-sized rooms and gardens, good neighbours - it was the lack of ammenities; no chemist, dentist, off-licence, take-aways, the rent-office over at Dewsbury Road, no supermarket, etc, you had to walk up the hill to Beeston Co-op or get a bus to Morley town. Another problem was the nature of the street numbering, anyone visiting the estate had a real problem finding a particular house as the numbers went along roadside terraces and continued on a terrace behind or went around a corner. I remember if the wind was in a certain direction the 'bad meat' smell of the dripping factories on Millshaw, you'd pass the sheds and see small lorries with cows heads under tarpaulins. The plus-side was that there were still lots of farmfields to go walking in, old farms and dirt tracks to follow either side of the Ring Road and up Churwell - remains of a 'fever hospital', coal slag-heaps to clamber up, farm animals - cows, sheep, horses, if you crossed the footbridge to Snittals Farm .. and nice friendly pubs up Churwell Hill - the Sphinx was a bit 'scary' and the Drysalters, too quiet".
In the 70's the remaining pre-fabs were cleared, Phase 2 'red' terrace housing was built on the southeast side of the estate in 1979/80. In 1973, the M621 motorway was built through Beeston Near Royds, on farmfields and waste land between Cottingley Drive north and Gelderd Road leaving a single field and barn at the side of the cemetry (Now a garage, B&Q and retail units).In the late 1980's, commercial buildings began to be built either side of the Ring Road, Millshaw beck below the London railwayline footbridge was covered over and Sulzers built their engineering factory, below Crow Nest farm. Further warehousing development took place as Millshaw small industrial units and farm cottages were cleared to construct Millshaw Industrial Park, filling in land from Beeston Ring Road up to the Churwell railway line. 1988 saw the re-opening of a local rail station at the footbridge near Snittals Farm - not Churwell but Cottingley Station.
Further building has included a new Community Centre at the top of Cottingley Drive with community resources; a church, library, doctors and health facilities, cafe and meeting rooms. Close by, a small Barratt estate of private houses has been built adjacent to the school fields.There is little that remains of 'Old Cottingley' except the trees beyond the rooftops in this photo which are claimed to be original trees from Cottingley Hall walled garden.
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | |
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| Steve01 | Cottingley | 0 | Aug 3 2007, 7:25 PM EDT by Steve01 | |
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Thread started: Aug 3 2007, 7:25 PM EDT
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Please as add your comments to this page. Thank you. Steve Morrell - author.
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