Seacroft | |
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Seacroft from Fearnville |
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Seacroft shown within West Yorkshire | |
Population | 14,246 (2011 Census) |
OS grid reference | SE362365 |
Metropolitan borough | |
Metropolitan county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | LEEDS |
Postcode district | LS14 |
Dialling code | 0113 |
Police | West Yorkshire |
Fire | West Yorkshire |
Ambulance | Yorkshire |
EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
UK Parliament | |
Seacroft is an outer-city suburb/township consisting mainly of council estate housing covering an extensive area of east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Leeds city centre and lies in the LS14 Leeds postcode area. The area's population is 18,000 and includes one of the largest council estates in the country. The name is often used as a catch-all for Seacroft and the neighbouring areas of Whinmoor and Swarcliffe, other large east Leeds council estates which merge into each other.
Seacroft is Yorkshire's second largest council estate, after Bransholme in Kingston upon Hull. Many people from Leeds consider the latter to be in Humberside and not in Yorkshire. Being so large, Seacroft has often been referred to as a town. The original vision, envisaged by the council was that it would be a 'Town within the City Limits', and the Seacroft Civic Centre was often referred to as the 'Seacroft Town Centre'.
Seacroft was at one time a small village between Leeds and York. The village green, known as "The Green" still exists, and is one of the oldest in the country with the stretch of land being mentioned in the Domesday Book. It has the Cricketers Arms pub on the north side and St James parish church (built 1845, architect T. Hellyer) on the south side. John Wesley preached on The Green, and as a result a Wesleyan Chapel (Methodist Church) was built close by. Seacroft Green has an active resident's association.
Houses on The Green
The Cricketers Arms, The Green
St James's Parish Church (C of E), The Green (1845)
Seacroft village is mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086). Evidence of much earlier inhabitation was found during construction of the estate in the 1950s. A stone axe dating from the Neolithic age (3500-2100 BC) was found on Kentmere Avenue. In addition, two silver Roman coins were found on The Green in the 1850s.