Place Information
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Austhorpe is a district of east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England that is situated between Pendas Fields to the north, Whitkirk to the west, Cross Gates to the north-west and Colton to the south-west. Austhorpe is home to a large business park, Thorpe Park, and this includes a large hotel. The areas housing ranges from detached and semi detached houses. The area is 5 miles to the east of Leeds City Centre, and is close to the A463 dual carriageway and M1 motorway. Officially judging by the old boundaries of the former township of Austhorpe, Austhorpe also includes the areas of Cross Gates, Colton Common and Barrowby. Colton Common became officially part of Colton when the Ingram family who resided in Temple Newsam, bought the whole Austhorpe Lodge estate, selling it off and keeping Colton Common as their own. After the Township dissolved, Austhorpe stopped developing as quickly as it was doing, possibly due to the once abundant coal fields close to the surface which had been a major source of commerce for the area since Roman times becoming empty with deep shaft mining proving to be unsuccessful compared to the close by coal source at Garforth. Whereas Cross Gates and Colton quickly developed and Barrowby, if anything, un-developed. Pioneering Civil Engineer John Smeaton, designer of the longest standing Eddystone Lighthouse, was born in Austhorpe. Leeds band the Kaiser Chiefs make a positive reference to him in their hit song "I Predict a Riot". Research Tips
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