Gated homes, expensive cars and acres of land. Ling Lane in Scarcroft is one of Leeds' richest streets.
According to analysis by Halifax, properties in Ling Lane come with an average price tag of £1,551,000. While it may get you an incredible property - perhaps complete with swimming pool and gym - it does seem to be lacking in one thing. A "neighbourly" atmosphere.
A resident in his 70s, who didn't want to be named, said: "I’ve lived here for about 10 years. I moved here from LS16. There isn’t any neighbourly atmosphere around here, no one ever speaks to anyone else because they’re rich.”
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A visitor entering the affluent neighbourhood for the first time might feel similar to how young Lucy Pevensie did in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when she first entered the magical land of Narnia. You cannot help but feel bewitched by wealth and glamour on display.
A forest of trees hangs over the North Leeds street which is adorned with luscious garden beds, trimmed and sculpted to measure. Many of the mansions are surrounded by about an acre of land and a tall stone wall. The vast majority are gated with a bell in place for visitors, gardeners, or delivery drivers to ring.
If they’re welcome to enter, the gate will electronically rumble into action, revealing the colossal homes and expansive gardens which lay within. One of the front gardens has a group of Scots Pine trees, towering into the sky with retro streetlamps dotted amongst the green – the drive could have jumped straight from the page of the Chronicles of Narnia.
But you won’t find any residents as friendly as Mr Tumnus, the faun who befriended Lucy, according to another resident who’s lived in the street. Mohammed, 38, has lived in Ling Lane for five years. The father-of-three said that dog walkers and cyclists are often friendly and but he admits he doesn’t know his neighbour’s names.
He said: "They like to keep themselves to themselves.” Mohammed doesn’t mind however, as he specifically brought his family here from Alwoodley so they could escape to the quiet peaceful sanctuary the rural street offered.
The marketing boss said: “It’s okay, it’s friendly. You get a lot of dogwalkers and cyclists. They’re friendly, you have a chitchat and everything."
Not all is peaceful in the seemingly quiet street however. Mohammed said: “We do get the odd boy racer but that’s with every road, you can’t say it’s used as a speeding track.
“It’s the older generation that are driving the expensive cars. The youngsters are driving normal cars, it’s the 40s, 50s and even 60s that have got the super cars.”
Graham, 79, was visiting Ling Lane on the day Leeds Live paid a visit to pick up a car. He had dressed the part for his visit, wearing tweed trousers, a shirt and tie, smart leather brogues and a Gillet.
Graham, who didn't want his last name published, said he was surprised by such little human interaction on the street. He said: “I’ve been here all morning, and no one has said hello to me. I won’t hold that against anybody here.
“I don’t have any problems with rich people but at the end of the day, whether you’re rich or poor, doesn’t mean to say you shouldn’t say ‘good morning’ or ‘good afternoon’.”
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