Bramhope is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England, north of Holt Park and north east of Cookridge.

The village is north of Leeds city centre and it is in the LS16 Leeds postcode area. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 3,400. It is predominantly made up of large, privately owned houses which tend to be above the average value for properties in West Yorkshire.

Bramhope sits in the Leeds North West constituency and the Adel & Wharfedale ward of Leeds City Council.

Etymology

The place-name Bramhope appears first in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Brahop and Bramhop, with later medieval spellings including Bramhop(a) and Bramhop(p)e. The name seems to derive from the Old English words brōm 'broom' and hōp 'a small valley, side-valley off a larger valley', here referring to a small valley off Wharfedale, probably the one through which flows Bramhope Beck.

History

thumb|left|150px|Town well

The earliest known settlement in the area was a British camp established off Moor Road. The Romans built a road through the area from Adel to Ilkley, traces of which remain in a field near Leeds Bradford Airport.

In 1086, Bramhope was the manor of an Anglo-Saxon thegn, Uchill. In 1095 the manor passed to the Percy family, and in 1165 was sold to Ralph de Bramhope. In the 13th century the monasteries owned much of the land and had granges where sheep were grazed. The monks used tracks, such as Scotland Lane and Staircase Lane, as they travelled from their outlying granges to Kirkstall Abbey.

Churches

thumb|left|[[Puritan Chapel, 1649]]

At the Dissolution of the Monasteries Henry VIII gave the land to the Earl of Cumberland. In the 16th century the Dyneley family moved into the area and acquired Bramhope Hall. In 1649 they built the Puritan Chapel, which was taken over by the Church of England after the Restoration. The original Methodist chapel was built in 1837 and replaced by the much bigger church in 1896. There is a map showing the location of St Giles and the Methodist church here. Bramhope Cemetery, established in 1861, is in Moor Road, but there are still some historical gravestones remaining in the cemetery of the Puritan Chapel.

Road and railway

thumb|right|Milestone near St Giles' Church

For many centuries travellers to the market towns in the vicinity used Otley Old Road. However, it was the Leeds to Otley turnpike road, with its tollhouses, opened in 1842, which routed travellers through the outskirts of Bramhope. It is along this route that motorists today travel between Leeds and the northwest. The milestones along the road were erected in 1850. Bramhope has a cricket club which plays at the Recreation Ground on Old Lane. The club plays in the Leeds and Wetherby Cricket League and has two senior teams.

Memorial Hall

Robert Craven Memorial Hall (originally the Craven Institute, 1896) was part of the bequest of Robert Craven, a local farmer. It is now the village hall and administered as a registered charity. It has a crown bowling green, car park and tennis courts. Inside there are various rooms plus a large hall with stage, which doubles as a badminton court. On the second Saturday of every month a farmer's market is hosted at this hall. The memorial hall also hosts a yearly flower show in the autumn, and a bridge club.

Bramhope Scout Campsite

The 13-acre Bramhope Scout Campsite, to the west of the village, is owned by Central Yorkshire Scouts.

Listed buildings

thumb|right|150px|Old weaver's cottage, now private residence

  • Grade I buildings: Puritan Chapel, Otley Road (north side).
  • Grade II buildings: Farmhouse at 1 Church Hill; Barn about 5 metres west of Old Manor Farmhouse; Old Manor Farmhouse (rear portion only); Weaver's Cottage, 4 Eastgate; Methodist Church, Eastgate, north side; Gazebo on north-east corner of garden of Belvedere, Hall Drive (south side); Manor House, Manor Close (north side); Sighting tower, south side of Moorland Road; The Hollies, Old Lane (north side); Portal to north entrance to Bramhope railway tunnel.
  • Grade II Mileposts: Milepost on east corner of junction with Church Hill and Ditley Road (south side); Milepost at SE 240 441, Otley Road (north side); Milepost at SE 253 432, Otley Road (north side); Milepost at SE 264 421, Otley Road (north side); Milepost on east corner of junction with Breary Lane at SE 255 430, Otley Road (south side); Milepost on east corner of junction with Breary lane east at SE 256 430, Otley road (north side); Milepost on south-east corner of junction with Pool Bank New Road at SE 241 440, Otley Road (south side); Milepost on south-west corner of junction with Pool Bank New Road st SE 241440, Otley Road (south side); Milepost on west corner of junction with Creskeld Lane at SE 258 428, Otley Road (north side).
  • Related Grade II listing at Otley: Memorial to victims of Bramhope tunnel disaster (sic), Church Lane (north side), Otley.

Notable people

  • Gold medal Winner at London 2012 Alistair Brownlee and Bronze medal-winning brother Jonathan Brownlee

<gallery>

File:Bramhope 015.jpg|Bell on Puritan Church, 1649

File:Bramhope 024.jpg|St Giles' Church, 1881

File:Bramhope 027.jpg|Methodist Church, 1896

File:Bramhope 036.jpg|Old smithy, 1687

File:Bramhope 025.jpg|Old manor farm house, 1691

File:Bramhope 041.jpg|Old school house 1873, now flats

File:Bramhope Tunnel north portal 1b.jpg|Bramhope Tunnel north portal with castellated towers

File:Bramhope 046.jpg|Sighting tower over Bramhope Tunnel route

File:Bramhope 052.jpg|Ventilation shaft serving Bramhope Tunnel

File:Air Shaft Bramhope.jpg|Ventilation shaft in centre of Bramhope

</gallery>

Location grid

See also

  • Listed buildings in Bramhope

References

  • Flickr: Set of images of Bramhope Tunnel