Horsforth Area Guide

Travel back 150 years and Horsforth rated as England's largest village, very much independent from its bigger neighbours.

By 1974, however, it couldn't keep pace with the irrepressible rise and expansion of Leeds, and it lost its village status to officially become part of the city (Leeds LS18).

Fortunately, that didn't mean that it was simply swallowed whole, and if you walk Horsforth's streets today, you'll discover that it remains every inch a village.

Church Road and Town Street form its two main thoroughfares and a saunter from the top of the place to the bottom reveals a pleasing selection of 'proper' local shops plus a Morrison's supermarket, and a good choice of pubs and eateries.

It's also blessed with plenty of open space, from the spacious Horsforth Hall Park between the main shops and the bustling Leeds Ring Road, to the canalside strolls along the Leeds-Liverpool towpath, to riverside walks by the nearby Aire.

Horsforth's size and prosperity once depended on farming, textile mills and quarrying: the stone sea-frontage at Scarborough, for example, came from Horsforth's Golden Bank.

That's in the past, though, and now most local folk travel to Leeds City Centre for work. Commuting is a tolerable five miles by road or fifteen minutes by rail from station, located in neighbouring Cookridge.

Closer to home, Horsforth has a thriving local business community, much of it to be found in the industrial area skirting Low Road.

Property - What's Available

There's pretty much every type and period of home within Leeds LS18. Much of Horsforth's housing dates from its 19th century heyday, though it has expanded steadily since to deliver a good blend of types and periods.

What's more, Horsforth's spot on a hill means many of its properties enjoy broad airy views of the surrounding green spaces.

As a rule of thumb, prices rise as you move north and the Cragg Hill district south of the Leeds Ring Road is a little pocket of affordability, as is the Troy district just south of Horsforth station.

Like many of its north Leeds neighbours, Horsforth is a popular settling place for families, and semi-detached two- and three-bedders make up almost half of what's available.

Flats are in short supply but first-time buyers may find that some of the terraced housing is cheap enough to fit their budgets.

Renting is possible at all price brackets, though good quality property for long-term letting is scarce.

Trinity and All Saints College attracts 2500 students and some live locally, although there's no large-scale student 'quarter'. That may change soon, however, as the college's plans to double progress.

Property Price Guide

Cheapest property we found at the time of writing (Dec 2007) was a one-bed Victorian back-to-back (ie no rear entry or garden) with a small loft room for £139,950.

If you want maximum space at a mini price, an ex-local authority three-bed semi on King George Road looked good value at £157,500.

If your budget stretches to £190,000, a 1960s mid-terrace town house with three bedrooms could be yours, or if you can spend £240,000, you could snap up a 1950s three-bed semi with drive and garage, situated in a cul-de-sac.

Like other areas of north Leeds, bungalows feature among the housing stock, although rarely as a cheap option: prices match those of similar two-storey properties.

We spotted a roomy and light three-bedder in Stirling Crescent that looked enticing, if stiffly priced at £325,000; consider that the same money buys a 1970s detached four-bed house in the cheaper Cragg Hill area (because of the proximity of the ring road and the A65) and you'll see what we mean.

Further up the ladder, £469,000 buys a roomy four-bed 1930s house with sizeable garden set back from the main Rawdon Road.

A whisker off £600,000 would be enough for an amazing nine-bedded Victorian villa in a quiet spot just off Town Street.

Or jump another £150,000 and you're looking at a modern detached five-bed house set in large gardens off West End Lane, one of the area's most desirable addresses.

That's close to top money for the neighbourhood, although there are some even grander homes that will sell for over £1m, should they reach market anytime soon.

Living Here

Transport:

Road: Good road access courtesy of the proximity of the Leeds Ring Road (A6120).

Bus: There's a bus from Horsforth into Leeds City Centre every few minutes at peak times and the journey takes 40 minutes.
Buses stopping here are service numbers 9, 31,32,33, 50, 81, 82 97,731 and 757.

Rail: Horsforth rail station is located at Cookridge's southern tip and offers regular services to Leeds, York, Knaresborough and Harrogate. Journey time to Leeds City Centre is around 15 minutes.

Air: Leeds-Bradford airport is just five miles from Horsforth.
This busy airport has many scheduled and charter flights to domestic and overseas destinations, and budget operator jet2.com is good for discounted fares.

Shopping:
Sports items, clothing, beds and furniture are all catered for locally, along with bakers, greengrocers and a branch of Morrison's supermarket on Town Street. There are a couple of delis, one which specialises in Spanish food.

Eating and drinking:
There's a dizzying choice of pubs within a walk of each other across the town centre. Pick between the Sandbar, Grey Horse Inn, the Fleece, Town Street Tavern, The Old Ball, and the Queen's and King's Arms-es, all within a totter of each other. The Woodside on Low Lane is among several pubs offering meals.

Fat Franco's on New Road Side is an Italian restaurant that's popular with locals as is Marinetti's on Town Street, while the Outside-In, also on Town Street, offers an intriguing menu based on American staples.

If you like Chinese or Indian there's a heck of a choice from the Last Viceroy and the Bengal Spice to Red China.

Leisure:
Trinity and All Saints College has just spent £3m refurbishing its sports centre, which is open to the public. Facilities include a gym, squash, volleyball and indoor football courts. The nearest council-run centre is a couple of miles away at Kirkstall Road in Headingley and offers a pool, gym, squash, football and volleyball.

Horsforth Golf Club borders the runway at Leeds-Bradford airport so it may not prove the most peaceful spot to play a round.

Open spaces:
The council-run Horsforth Hall Park has a wonderful sense of splendour; features include a cricket ground, bowling green, Japanese garden, skatepark and fantastic play space, particularly suitable for younger kids.