Weetwood north
Character of the area
Weetwood, bisected by the narrow, winding Weetwood Lane, has a rural quality with stone-walled fields or the landscaped grounds of the largely hidden Victorian villas. Many of these villas remain but with their immediate environs largely developed, as either University halls, leisure facilities or private residential development. The quality is mixed, but the arcadian character of the area has largely been retained.
Most of the developments have their access off Weetwood Lane, though Weetwood Hall (converted to a hotel and conference centre) and Spenfield (formerly the head office of the water company and now a hotel and leisure centre) are reached from Otley Road. The Hollies lies to the east with its entrance off Weetwood Lane.
This provides a network of paths leading to the footpaths which run north-south through Meanwood Park further to the east. Footpaths also run east-west from Weetwood Lane to Otley Road by Oxley Hall. Most of the land north of Oxley Hall is now divided into playing fields, maintaining the open character of the area.
The overall impression is of broad leafy lane residential areas with occasional fine views, such as of St Chad’s Church spire, of the chateau-style Bardon Towers and Weetwood Court standing out from encircling woodland, and of the Meanwoodside woods.
The majority of this area forms the Weetwood Conservation Area. The Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan contains more detailed description of the area and its buildings and should be read in conjunction with this document and taken into account in any development proposals.
To the east of Weetwood Lane, Foxhills is a quiet estate of some eighty detached houses built in the 1930s and considerably expanded in the 1960s. The area was developed in the grounds of Fox Hill, a substantial house built by Francis Tetley in 1863 and which is now Moorlands School. The houses are mostly of varied individual design and materials and have large gardens whilst the roads are widely verged often with trees and planting giving a leafy rural ambience. There is a single access road from Weetwood Lane and the east of the estate borders the Hollies Park with its varied wild woodland, meadows and gardens linking to Meanwood Park.
Further north, Foxhill Court leads to a mix of detached dwellings and two or three storey flats set in landscaped grounds.
Key Positive Characteristics
• Arcadian character of much of the area with buildings set in substantially landscaped grounds
• The tranquil and secluded character of the area away from Weetwood Lane
• Wide verges and tree planting within the highway in the Foxhills
• Attractive visual quality of Weetwood Lane
• Proximity of and connections to the Hollies and Meanwood Park as well as footpaths to Otley Road
Extracted from Far Headingley, Weetwood & West Park Neighbourhood Design Statement, Leeds City Council, 2ed, 2014. The whole document is available online at <http://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/FH%20NDS%20Adoption%20Version.pdf>
See also, Listed Buildings. For photographs, go to Weetwood. For historic photographs of the area, go to Historic Weetwood. For a guided walk, go to Wandering through Weetwood. The area includes The Hollies.
