Woodlesford: what to know before moving day
Locals split the village in two. Old Woodlesford lies north of the park on the hill, with the school, the chapel and the former church. New Woodlesford means the houses on Midland Street and the Aberford Road area, which is mostly 19th-century terraces, with a Co-op and a butcher. Much of the growth came with the pits, especially after 1911 when Water Haigh colliery was sunk; it worked until 1970, and Water Haigh Woodland Park is on the map beside the village today.
The Bentley family ran Bentley's Yorkshire Brewery here from 1828 until beer production stopped in 1972. They built Eshald Mansion, now divided into flats, and paid towards All Saints Church, which closed in the 1990s and has been converted into a house. So a Woodlesford move can be anything from a terrace to a flat in a mansion or a converted church, and the loading plan is different for each. The small park at the centre, with its football pitch and skatepark, is the easiest meeting point.
How the van gets to Woodlesford
From Bradford the van comes across on the M62 and in on the A642, Aberford Road, which runs through New Woodlesford towards Oulton. The station is on the north-east side of the village, and Oulton Lane, home of the local Army Cadet unit, passes the playing field and skatepark.
The drive from Bradford is roughly 30 to 45 minutes. That is an estimate from route data, not a timed run, and traffic changes it.
Services for Woodlesford
Each service below links to its Rothwell page, which covers how the job works in and around Rothwell.
Woodlesford: questions before you book
Is Woodlesford station useful on moving day?
Yes, if someone is travelling separately. It is on the Hallam and Pontefract lines, trains reach Leeds in about eight minutes, and there is step-free access to both platforms. The station is unstaffed, with a ticket machine.
Where was the old ford that gave Woodlesford its name?
Probably on a dried-up bend of the River Aire, now a car park, near Woodlesford Lock on the Aire and Calder Navigation. The name was first written down around 1200 as Widlesford.
Where the local details on this page come from
Checked on 28 September 2026 against:
- Postcode lookup (postcodes.io, ONS data): LS26 8PE is in Rothwell ward, Leeds, unparished
- Woodlesford (Wikipedia): pronunciation, suburban village 6 miles south-east of Leeds, Rothwell ward, Aire and Calder Navigation, the ford and Woodlesford Lock, name c.1188-1202, mining and quarrying, Water Haigh pit 1911-1970, Bentley's brewery 1828-1972, Eshald Mansion flats, All Saints Church now a house, Old and New Woodlesford, the park, Army Cadet unit on Oulton Lane by the playing field and skatepark, station to the north-east
- Woodlesford railway station (Wikipedia): unstaffed with a ticket machine, step-free access to both platforms, Hallam and Pontefract lines
- OpenStreetMap map view (checked 2026-09-28): Aberford Road (A642), Midland Street, Oulton Lane, Water Haigh Woodland Park, Woodlesford Park