19th century In the early 19th century, the area covered by Harehills existed as woods between Leeds and the village of
Chapel Allerton. Leeds had developed in the west, north and south but not much to the east. The area began to be developed from the 1820s, when people sought to escape the overcrowding in the centre of Leeds, wide streets and detached houses were envisaged in a plan titled 'New Leeds'. Expansion happened very rapidly. Transport links contributed to the growth of the area. In 1897, the Gipton Board School was opened on Harehills Road, designed by Walter Samuel Braithwaite (1854–1922). Braithwaite used features found in many of the Leeds Board Schools built at this time, in a
Renaissance Revival style. In the 1890s, St Aidans
Anglican church was built on Roundhay Road in a
Romanesque style with mosaics by
Frank Brangwyn; it was designed by Robert James Johnson of Newcastle. The Sunday School of the Congregationalist Church is now the Bilal Mosque, constructed in 1999 to designs by Atba Al-Samarraie. The Baptist community planned a chapel on Harehills Lane designed by the London firm
James Cubitt & Manchip in 1906–1907, finally built after
World War I; the hall is notable for its use of light and its Italian Romanesque design. At this time Harehills was home to a purpose-built
reservoir sited between Harehills Lane and Harehills Recreation Ground, shown on the 1906 map as owned by the
Leeds Corporation Waterworks. The 1906 map also shows two clothing factories on Hudson Road along with a shoe works and a brick works between Hudson Road and Harehills Lane as well as an iron works on York Road. Sydney Kitson designed the Church of England parish church of St Wilfrid in an
Arts and Crafts style in 1913, but its construction did not begin until 1927. Jewish refugees from Russia and Poland formed a community around Spencer Place in the 1920s. The Catholic church of St Augustine was designed by Gribbon, Foggit and Brown in 1937 in a more modernist style notable for its open interior structure, replacing the early 20th century temporary church on the site. In 1958–9, Geoffrey Davy designed the Anglican church of St Cyprian with St James on Coldcotes Avenue; it is designed in a Corbusier style around an organ from St James church in the city centre and has typical contemporary stained glass used by Davy in several churches. After 1921,
Montague Burton's established the largest textile factory in the world on Hudson Road, where 10,000 people worked, producing 3,000 suits a week; the factory had a large canteen. In the middle of the 20th century, Harehills had three cinemas, a roller rink and dance hall, all have closed since. Following
World War II,
Greek Cypriots and Eastern European immigrants settled in Harehills; there has been a
Lithuanian supermarket there since the 1970s. In the 1970s and 1980s, the
Fforde Grene pub hosted many gigs. In 1984, some terraced houses in the area around the roads "Sandhurst Terrace", "Dorset Road", "Dorset Mount" and "Dorset Avenue" appeared in the beginning of rock band Queen's music video for "
I Want To Break Free". The Central Jamia Mosque or Leeds Islamic Centre, Spencer Place was designed by Finn & Downes Associates in 1997–2000, replacing the Chadssidishe Shul synagogue of 1934, whose hall still exists behind the mosque.
21st century In the 2000s, many Eastern European immigrants moved to Harehills, particularly from
Poland and the area is also home to refugees from
Zimbabwe,
Somalia and
Iraq as well as asylum seekers. Racial tensions have caused problems in the area, contributing to the
Harehills riot in 2001. Residents interviewed in 2002 noted their discontent at how the area had deteriorated since the 1970s. One resident described Harehills as "a horrible place to live" and complained about joy riding, rubbish, drug dealing, arson and vermin. The man's report went on to say: "Often you will see a group of young children chasing vermin into an overgrown backyard. This is a sight you would expect to see in a third-world country not the modern, vibrant city that Leeds portrays itself to be." Another resident described it as being a pleasant place until the 1970s, but has since changed "beyond recognition". As housing has increasingly been bought to let out much less money has been spent on the upkeep of houses and gardens. A man was shot in 2008, believed to be a case of mistaken identity. Another shooting also occurred in 2008. In 2008, a 14-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and murdered by a serial attacker who lived nearby. In 2019, police and firefighters were pelted with bricks and other missiles on
Bonfire Night. Community groups have combatted youth crime by running cultural and sporting activities. A feature of the community effort is a number of colourful mosaic street signs, made by youths who are residents of Harehills. Since 2008, Shine social enterprise has had a great impact supporting non-violent women ex-offenders to reintegrate into society and take care of their children; providing education and cultural activities for local children; supporting entrepreneurs and artists to develop sustainable local businesses; and in helping the environment by providing green space and working towards improving pedestrian and cycling routes in Harehills. The area saw
more rioting on 18 July 2024, with
West Yorkshire Police officers attacked, cars and a
First West Yorkshire bus set alight by local residents, substantial vandalism, and
anti-police sentiment as a result of local residents upset by a disturbance involving agency workers and children. The rioting began when a crowd of hundreds of people began attacking a marked police car. Footage shared on social media showed individuals using scooters, pushchairs, bikes, and bats to assault the vehicle. The police car was overturned, and fires were lit on the streets of the community. ==Regeneration==