Editing Kirkstall (section)

==History==
{{Main article|History of Kirkstall}}
[[File:St Stephen's Church, Kirkstall.jpg|thumb|left|[[St Stephen's Church, Kirkstall|St Stephen's, Kirkstall]]]]
[[File:Kirkstall Abbey House Museum 2.jpg|thumb|left|[[Abbey House Museum]]]]
The name of Kirkstall comes from a [[Northumbrian Old English|Northern dialect of Old English]] word 'Kirk' ('church') and Old English ''stall'' ('place') and means 'site of a church'.<ref>The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names, Eilert Ekwall, Second edition, Oxford 1940</ref> The traveller [[John Leland (antiquary)|John Leland]] spelt the name as "Christal" in his writings of 1536.<ref>{{cite book|last=Chrystal |first=P. |year=2021 |title=Central Leeds History Tour |publisher=Amberley Books |page= no page number |no-pp=yes}}</ref>

During the [[English Civil War]], the bridge over the Aire at Kirkstall (referred to in a contemporaneous account as 'Churchstall') was destroyed by Royalist troops from Leeds. After discovering this, a Parliamentary force led by [[Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron]] – from [[Otley]] – had to cross the river upstream at [[Apperley Bridge]] before retaking [[Leeds]] in January 1643.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.a-history-of-rawdon.co.uk/rawdons-and-laytons-3/ | title = Later Rawdons and the Laytons | access-date = 18 September 2017 | first = D. C. | last = Wilcock | archive-date = 29 March 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150329213927/http://a-history-of-rawdon.co.uk/rawdons-and-laytons-3/ | url-status = dead }}</ref>

Kirkstall was historically an important centre of industry. [[Kirkstall Forge Engineering|Kirkstall Forge]] lays claim to being the longest continually used industrial site in Britain founded in the 13th century by the [[Cistercian]] [[monks]] of the abbey, and a number of printers. The earliest known activity on the site was a medieval mill race which supplied water to power the [[corn mill]] at Kirkstall Abbey. [[Iron]] production took place at the forge from the 1580s onwards. During the late 18th century the reconstruction of the upper and lower forges allowed 'shovel and spade production' to commence. A railway was built at the forge in 1830 and sustained growth at the plant. The [[First World War]] brought about large scale growth, providing axles for military vehicles and by 1930 most lorries and buses made in the UK had a Kirkstall back axle casing. In 2002 the owners of the site, the [[Dana Holding Corporation]] announced the closure of the works, shifting production to [[India]] and [[Spain]].<ref>http://www.kirkstallforge.com/images/forge-History-FINAL.pdf{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The site is undergoing major redevelopment, as is the old Waide's Printers & [[Kwik Save]] site. Printing has, like iron-founding, suffered a decline, several printing companies remain.

[[File:Kirkstall Power Station.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Kirkstall Power Station]]]]
Until 1976 when it was closed, Kirkstall was dominated by a [[coal]] fired power station.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://kvp.org.uk/aboutkvp.htm#power | title = Kirkstall Power Station | website = A new Public Park in the Kirkstall Valley | access-date = 18 September 2017 | publisher = Association of Kirkstall Valley Park}}</ref> It was replaced by larger power stations away from town at [[Ferrybridge power station|Ferrybridge]], [[Eggborough power station|Eggborough]] and [[Drax power station|Drax]]. The power station was demolished in the early 1980s.<ref>{{cite book | url = http://www.impressions-gallery.com/_lib/_user_files/Peter%20Mitchell_Exhibition%20Guide_14%20Sept(1).pdf | title = Planet Yorkshire. Exhibition Guide | first = Peter | last = Mitchell | access-date = 18 September 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170918154930/http://www.impressions-gallery.com/_lib/_user_files/Peter%20Mitchell_Exhibition%20Guide_14%20Sept(1).pdf | archive-date = 18 September 2017 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

===Kirkstall Abbey===
{{main|Kirkstall Abbey}}
Kirkstall Abbey is a ruined [[Cistercian]] monastery set in grounds which are now a public park on the north bank of the [[River Aire]]. It was founded in about 1152 and took over 75 years to construct.<ref>{{NHLE| num=1256668|desc= Kirkstall Abbey |access-date = 13 September 2017}}</ref> It was closed during the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] under the auspices of [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]].<ref>{{cite web |title= The Dissolution: the end of monastic life at Kirkstall |url=http://cistercians.shef.ac.uk/kirkstall/history/dissolution/| publisher=University of Sheffield |access-date=18 September 2017}}</ref> The ruins have been painted by artists such as [[J. M. W. Turner]] and [[Thomas Girtin]].