Elland

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 53.683605
longitude= -1.840002
map_type= West Yorkshire
official_name= Elland
population = 10,710
metropolitan_borough= Calderdale
metropolitan_county = West Yorkshire
region= Yorkshire and the Humber
constituency_westminster= Calder Valley
post_town= ELLAND
postcode_district = HX5
postcode_area= HX
dial_code= 01422
os_grid_reference= SE106208
static_

static_image_caption=Elland

Elland is a market town in Calderdale, in the county of West Yorkshire, England, south of Halifax, by the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation. Its name comes from "ea-land", land near the water.

History

Mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book as "Elant" and as being of more importance at that time than the nearby towns of Halifax and Huddersfield, Elland was a centre of wool production. The decline of the woolen industry has had a significant effect on the town, with many of the mills having been demolished or turned over to other uses, mainly apartments.

At the request of John de Warenne, 8th Earl of Surrey, Edward II granted a charter, to John de Elland, for a free market on Tuesday at his Manor of Elland, and two fairs.

The remains of Elland Hall, for many generations, the seat of a knightly family of that name, were demolished in 1978, to make way for the Elland bypass, Calderdale Way.

Elland was famous for its durable flagstones which, thanks to the nearby canal, could be transported very economically all over the county. Elland is also the home of the "Gannex" raincoat and is famous for its traditional sweet factory, Dobsons ( [http://www.dobsons.co.uk] )which is still producing traditional boiled sweets today.

Buildings of interest in the town include the Parish church of St Mary's the Virgin, the former Rose and Crown in Northgate, the Old Town Hall off Southgate, Southgate Methodist Church and the Fleece Inn (reputedly haunted) at the top of Westgate. Waxman ceramics on Elland Lane.

Trivia

The A643 road begins in Leeds and used to end in Elland. The A643 Elland Road goes past the Leeds United AFC football ground which is also named Elland Road. It now ends at junction 23 of the M62 Motorway.