Potternewton

Potternewton Park

Potternewton is a suburb and parish of north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, situated between Chapeltown and Chapel Allerton (in whose ward the area falls), mainly in the LS7 postcode and partly in LS8. It is between Scott Hall Road on the west and Roundhay Road on the east, with Harehills Lane on the north. The main thoroughfare is Chapeltown Road, and it is often taken to be part of a larger area referred to as Chapeltown. On some maps Potternewton included the Chapeltown and Scott Hall areas and partly Harehills.

Skate park in Potternewton Park

There is overlap between the areas referred to as Chapeltown and Potternewton so that they can be two names for the same area. Potternewton is an historic village and most maps prioritise the name Potternewton over Chapeltown, but most residents of Leeds today refer to the area as Chapeltown.

History

Both the Earl of Mexborough and Earl Cowper had released some of their land by the 1700s and by the early 19th century a number of mansions, some with extensive acreage, had been established around Potternewton and Chapeltown roads. Potternewton Park Mansion, Newton Lodge, Scott Hall and Potternewton Hall are typical examples.

Potternewton Hall

The Hall was a grand c.1720 manor house which had been built by the Barker family. By the mid 19th century it was owned by the Lupton family, who also owned Newton Hall and the surrounding Newton Park.^[1] Wool merchants; brothers Darnton, Arthur and Francis Lupton, had worked to develop the immediate land around these mansions and were planning subdivisions on the family estate as early as the 1850s.^[2] Both Francis and Darnton had lived at Potternewton Hall. Darnton, mayor of Leeds in 1844, was living there with his family from the 1830s.^[3] Francis – Darnton's younger brother and business partner – had become the owner of Potternewton Hall by 1860. Francis had married in 1847, and raised his family at Potternewton Hall, including his eldest son, Francis Martineau, until the early 1860s.^[4] In 1870, the two brothers purchased together the adjacent Newton Hall Estate from their brother, Arthur Lupton (1809–1889) who was also a cloth merchant.^[5] Arthur had owned the Newton Hall Estate since the 1840s.^[6][7] By 1880, a number of substantial buildings had been erected on the Lupton estate, including St Martins Church.^[8] By the outbreak of the Second World War, both Newton Hall and Potternewton Hall had been demolished to make way for Leeds' largest private housing estate.^[9]

In March 2015, research revealed that Potternewton Hall was the ancestral home of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; her great grandmother, Olive Middleton (née Lupton) (d.1936), had been born and grew up on her family's Potternewton Hall/Newton Park Estate. Olive was the daughter of politician Francis Martineau Lupton, himself the son of Francis Lupton.^[10][11][12]

Potternewton Park Mansion

Built c. 1817 for James Brown, a wool merchant, Potternewton Mansion was originally called Harehills Grove. In 1861 it was bought by the Jowitt family and the 750 acre estate was, like the Newton Park Estate, sold to build back-to-back terraced houses while the 30 acre park at the front of the mansion was kept. In 1900, the house and park were bought by the Leeds Corporation and Potternewton Park was created.^[13]

21st century

Transport Direct uses the names Potternewton and Chapeltown when defining them as separate areas. However, Potternewton is defined as a very small area around the north of Scott Hall Road and most of the area is classified today as Chapeltown. Potternewton is mainly recognised as a small area, possibly an estate of Meanwood, around the Scott Hall Road/Potternewton Lane roundabout likely because the local roads begin with "Potternewton" in their name. WYMetro and Transport Direct also identify the area as being in this location. Potternewton Lane is frequently served by bus service 7. Millfield Primary School, formerly known as Potternewton Primary, is located on Potternewton Mount. Upon being renamed, the school received more pupils due to the nearby Miles Hill school being shut down and demolished. Sugarwell Hill Mill is also found here.

Housing

Eleven new bungalows were constructed on Potternewton Lane for the elderly by Jack Lunn Construction for the Ridings Housing Association, specifically designed to meet individuals special requirements. New housing has also been constructed along Potternewton Crescent.

Potternewton Park

Potternewton Park is the location of the Leeds Carnival, and the start and finish of the carnival procession. As well as open areas, children's playground and sports facilities, it includes a skate park for skateboard and bmx activities. However, it can be dangerous at night due to a lack of lights.^[14]

St Martin's Church

St Martin's C of E Church (1881)

St Martin's is the Church of England parish church just off Chapeltown Road, built in 1879–81 on the Potternewton Hall/Newton Park Estate, which was owned by the Lupton family.^[10][15] The formation of the parish was the result of a committee meeting held at the Leeds Church Institute in April 1876 and presided over by the Vicar of Leeds, Dr Gott. This included members of the Lupton family and W.L. Jackson; the future MP, Lord Allerton. Harriet Lupton (née Davis), was the daughter of the Anglican priest, Rev. Thomas Davis (1804–1887). The site for St Martin's had been confirmed in June 1876. The church was consecrated in 1881 for Potternewton parish. It was designed by Adams & Kelly of Leeds^[16] and built of stone from local quarries. The original design included a tall steeple, but lack of funds prevented the building of this. It was originally the Anglican church in the Potternewton village and now has a mainly West Indian congregation.^[17][18][19]

References

External links

• The ancient parish of Leeds: historical and genealogical information at GENUKI (Potternewton was in this parish).

Location grid

		Miles Hill
	Meanwood		Chapel Allerton
		Potternewton
		Scott Hall

Coordinates: 53°49′13″N 1°32′00″W / 53.8202°N 1.5332°W / 53.8202; -1.5332