Discover the delights of Oakwood, an upcoming suburb for food, drink and shopping, and some exciting events in the pipeline.
Tucked just ten minutes away from LS17, Oakwood is a greenery-filled neighbourhood drawing in families and young professionals who want to be close to the city, without being directly in the hustle and bustle. According to Rightmove, houses in Oakwood had an overall average price of £227,879 over the last year, making it an up- market yet affordable location to settle.
Most notably, Oakwood is home to the Oakwood Clock, a large clock that was built in 1904. The clock was designed by Leeming & Leeming, an architectural firm established in Halifax in 1872, and constructed by Potts of Leeds. The clock currently sits at the bottom end of Roundhay Park. However, this wasn’t the location it was originally intended for. It was first designed as the centrepiece of Kirkgate Market. After the design of Kirkgate Market was revised, the clock no longer fit the style of the architecture, and the idea to place it in Oakwood came about. Eight years after it was first built the clock was erected in Oakwood. In early 2015, the tower underwent restoration, with the original clock being kept.
Oakwood was also the site of the very first moving picture, Roundhay Garden Scene, filmed in 1888 in Oakwood Grange by Louis Le Prince, on the world’s first single lens camera. The film itself might seem unimpressive to a modern day viewer, featuring only a few seconds of people walking around a garden. At the time, however, this was revolutionary. History buffs will recognise that this date precedes the invention of Thomas Edison’s Kinetograph by three years, making Oakwood the site of the invention of the first motion picture camera. Sadly, Louis Le Prince was unable to patent his invention and show it to the public due to his sudden disappearance in September 1890, on his journey to the USA, where he intended to publicly premiere his work.
Speaking of Oakwood’s history in cinema, the Oakwood Cinema was set up in 2015 to bring a much-needed, regular community event for the residents of North Leeds. The cinema is a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers, with a regular showing every month, except in July and August, as most of the residents are on holiday during these months.
Oakwood is home to several other independent businesses, a variety of bars and fooderies including a fish and chip shop which has been operating since 1934, housed in a stunning art deco building. Fans of fresh produce should also check out the Oakwood farmers market, which takes place on the 3rd Saturday of every month from 9am to 12.30pm. Here you can peruse local organic produce and products such as pies, bread, cheese, jams and chutneys, and Indian snacks.
For those wanting to explore the area further, the Oakwood Passport is a great way to do it. The passport operates by holding a series of activities to do in the area. Once you complete a challenge, simply go to
one of the designated stamp venues and collect one of over 40 different ink stamps. When you have collected 10 stamps, you are entitled to a badge which you can get from the stamp venues. There are over 40 challenges to do around Oakwood, with new challenges being constantly added. The passport is a fun way to explore the area.
An upcoming community event organised by the Oakwood Business Community in conjunction with the Oakwood Traders and Residents Association takes place on 29th April between 10am and 4pm. The newly established group aims to bring independent Oakwood businesses together to support each other, while supporting the Leeds United Foundation.
The day will include live music and craft stalls, as well as a children’s fancy dress competition, and a raffle with prizes supplied by local businesses. The Leeds United Foundation will also be offering football fans a chance to win a signed Leeds United shirt and tickets to the upcoming Leeds vs Tottenham game. A six-month fitness programme called Fit Leeds will also be launched for residents including walking football and boot camps.
The Oakwood Business Community is also looking at providing an Oakwood Business Community membership card for a fee. The cards will give members discounts at participating businesses in Oakwood and proceeds from the cards will go towards the charity.
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