Fearns Island
River island in Leeds, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Fearns Island in 2015, shortly before the buildings were demolished. | |
 Interactive map of Fearns Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | River Aire |
| Area | 0.7 acres (0.28 ha) |
| Length | 237 m (778 ft) |
| Width | 24 m (79 ft) |
| Administration | |
England | |
| Metropolitan County | West Yorkshire |
| Metropolitan Borough | City of Leeds |
| Additional information | |
| Post code | LS10 |
Fearns Island (formerly Far Steander Island and sparingly Leeds Dam Island) is a small river island lying in the middle of the River Aire, between the banks of Leeds Dock and Leeds city centre. The island covers roughly 0.7 acres of land. The island acts as a break in the river, dividing the weir at Leeds Dam from Leeds Locks, a core lock in the Aire and Calder Navigation. Nowadays, the island is managed by the Canal & River Trust. The island falls at the centre point of Knight's Way Footbridge, built in 2007 to connect Leeds Dock with the apartments on the other side of the river. Leeds Dam was refurbished in 2017 as part of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme.[1]
The island falls within the council ward of Hunslet and Riverside and the parliamentary constituency of Leeds South.[2]
The northern half of the island was once home to various industrial sites, but eventually fell into disrepair in the 20th century. A proposal was put forward in 2010 to turn the northern half of the island into a nature reserve.[3] The plan went ahead, and buildings on the island were eventually demolished in 2016 and the area was given over to wildlife. As of March 2026, there are plans to turn parts of the northern half of the island into a public space.[4] The island also hosts mooring posts for barges and other small boats along the river.[5]
Names
The island takes its name from an old district of Leeds, named Fearn's Island, named after the Fearn family that owned the mills in the area around Leeds Dam.[6][7] Unlike the old area, the name is typically spelt without the apostrophe. Historically the island was named Far Steander Island, as it was once likely considered part of the Steander area of the city.[8] The island is also sparingly referred to as Leeds Dam Island, as it acts as the western edge of Leeds Dam.[9] The island is sometimes split on maps into North Fearn's Island and South Fearn's Island, with the North being the formerly built up part of the island, and the south being the area around the lock.[10][11]
