Tag: Middleton Life

Middleton Railway to celebrate 200 years of steam

Andy Hardy, the traffic manager at Middleton Railway, has written this guest post about a special anniversary and the biggest event in the railway’s history in June. This year, on June 24th the Middleton Railway will be celebrating an important anniversary. On that day 200 years ago, the first commercially

Council housing pioneer nets Belle Isle blue plaque

The pioneer of council housing in south Leeds – whose legacy can still be felt in Middleton, Belle Isle and across south Leeds even today – has been commemorated with a historic blue plaque marking his achievements. Social reformer the Rev Charles  Jenkinson (1887-1949) was also vicar of Holbeck and was responsible for driving the clearance

Middleton Life: Profile of scientist William Gascoigne

Leeds writer Mick McCann writes about one of South Leeds’ most important sons Middleton scientist William Gascoigne for the Middleton Life local history project, which encourages local people to become community history reporters. Mick wrote How Leeds Changed the World, among others… Gascoigne (1612–1644) was one of the founding fathers

Middleton Life: MIddleton in the Domesday Book

Following on from yesterday’s fun poll which asked which famous survey/publication mentions Middleton in 1086, we can now reveal the answer, which was:  The Domesday Book! The Domesday survey lists that in “rodewelle [rothwell] and loftose, carletone thorpe and middletone’ there is pasturable woodland 2 leagues in length and 1

Middleton Life: First workshop reveals community history

[slideshow]Delving through old photographs of Middleton on the internet and pinning memories of the community’s past in large maps were all featured in the first workshop of the Middleton Life local history project this week. The workshop, at Tenants Hall Enterprise Centre, also saw group members learn how to use

Middleton Life history project holds first event

[slideshow]Did you know that  in the twelfth century the boundary between Middleton and Beeston became the focus of a legal dispute? That’s one of the facts about Middleton that the 35 people who attended the launch of the new Middleton Life local history project discovered yesterday. The event, held at Tenants

Final reminder for Middleton Life!

Tomorrow sees the big launch of a project that’s getting Middleton buzzing! Middleton Life is an exciting new project involving South Leeds Life which will see a group of Middleton residents become local history reporters and investigate the past of their community. Residents who have an interest in local history are invited