Rothwell, West Yorkshire

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for Rothwell, West Yorkshire at grid reference SE345285

Rothwell is a town in the county of West Yorkshire, near Leeds.

The origins of the present community probably lie in the Anglo-Saxon period, when people gave it the name of Rothwell or clearing by the well. Edward III kept a hunting lodge there.

Rothwell has a long history of coal mining, which had been carried out in the parish for over 600 years. The last pit to close was the Fanny Pit, which was named after one of the daughters of the Charlesworth family who owned Rothwell Colliery until 1948. It stopped producing coal on 9th December 1983.

In 1995, Leeds City Council and Leeds Groundwork formed a partnership which, together with local residents and community groups, transformed the former colliery into a 50 hectare country park.

Rothwell now has a population of around 21,000 and has benefitted from recent improvements in the transport infrastructure, most notably the nearby A1/M1 link road.

Buried in the churchyard is John Blenkinsop, a railway pioneer who built steam locomotives in the early 19th century. His line pulling coal over Hunslet Moor still operates as the Middleton Railway, a heritage railway run by railway enthusiasts.

Swillington, Garforth and Kippax are located near Rothwell.

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