JanineThis is an essay by Neil Battison
Harehills in the News
The Foundation
Starting with a significant Irish immigration in the 1820s, helping the Leeds Industrial boom, followed by a sizeable Jewish intake fleeing persecution from Russia and Poland. Harehills was deemed cheap housing around the 1890s, making it an attractive, welcoming, and inviting environment for immigrants. This further resulted in a boom in culture and ethnic mixture.
The population of Harehills is around 31,000 to date. It has a rich culture with a uniquely diverse background.
Harehills has a mixture of properties, with back-to-back being prominent. It was deemed, since 1800, an attractive, affordable way for housing workers, locally. However, because of such quick planning and the high density of living, much of the area fell into disrepair. With grimy streets, it was deemed to be a slum area.
In the late ’70s and decades that followed, many of the slum areas and properties were torn down and replaced with decent properties. Moving away from when they were first built. However, they are still a cause of concern for local housing and maintenance with many.
People of Harehills
Most residents living in Harehills feel and support the area. Although if you were to ask, “How do you feel about living in Harehills? Depending on the era and living years and their early days of growing up, you will get a mixed response. Some remain, and some move on but never forget their childhood, schooling and the streets of Harehills.
Each area has problems and concerns; Ask anyone not from Harehills, and you instantly get a negative response. Comments such as “It’s a dump”, “Full of bad people”, and so on. In reality, Harehills is no different from other areas and cities; each has its own concerns and ways of combating those issues.
Moving to a new area can be very daunting, be it working or living there, “You judge with your eyes and form opinions within the first seconds”. Everyone wants to form and give a good account of themselves and their area, and Harehills is no different. Overcoming prehistoric and sometimes unwarranted comments, Harehills is now going strong. Its culture and diverse background often come together to celebrate the riches it has to offer. The carnival has always been an important date on the calendar and attracts thousands each year (pre covid. Permitting).
There are good opportunities for skilled residents and those wishing to retrain, who can visit Places like the Compton centre.
If you do get a chance to visit Harehills and see the people, you get to know a place steeped in history and culture with unique buildings dating back to the 1800s to present-day history, intertwining with each other, offering a uniquely cool place.
