Beeston, Leeds
| Beeston | |
|---|---|
 Town Street, Beeston |
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 Beeston
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| Beeston shown within West Yorkshire | |
| Population | 15,302 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SE294313 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LEEDS |
| Postcode district | LS11 |
| Dialling code | 0113 |
| Police | West Yorkshire |
| Fire | West Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament | |
Beeston is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England located about 2 miles (3 km) south-south west of the city centre. The area is separated from surrounding areas to the north, east and west by the M621 motorway.
The origins of Beeston can be traced back to the medieval period. It remained a small settlement until the latter part of the Victorian era when it became a primarily residential area for people working in Leeds and surrounding industrial areas like Holbeck and Hunslet. More recently, it gained notoriety as the home of two of the 7 July bombers.
Beeston has a population of about 20,000 people. At the time of the 2011 census Beeston had been included in the City and Hunslet Ward of Leeds City Council. Parts of the area, particularly around Beeston Hill to the north, suffer from relatively high levels of deprivation, while areas to the centre and south of the area suffer from fewer incidents of crime and are generally considered more affluent. Beeston is home to the Leeds United football club and Hunslet rugby league club.
Beeston is first mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book as Bestone, when it had recently been granted to Ilbert de Lacy (1045–93); in 1066 it had been worth 40 shillings (£2), but in 1086 it was considered waste, presumably because of the Harrying of the North. The name seems to come from Old English *bēos 'bent-grass' (L. Agrostis) and tūn 'estate, village', and the origin of the settlement is likely to be Anglo-Saxon. It was one of the ten 'out-townships' of the Parish of Leeds until the parish was broken up in the 1840s-50s.
In the medieval period, Beeston was associated with sheep-farming: the monks of Kirkstall Abbey grazed 240 sheep there. Founding Drax Priory in the 1130s, William Paynel granted it land in Beeston. A small hospital seems to have been founded in the township around 1233, and a chapel dedicated to St Mary the Virgin may also have been founded in the 13th century.
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