Keighley

For the constituency of the same name, see Keighley (UK Parliament constituency).

Coordinates: 53°52′01″N 1°54′40″W / 53.867°N 1.911°W / 53.867; -1.911

Keighley
North Street, Keighley
Keighley  Keighley shown within West Yorkshire
Population	74,098 ([1])([2])
OS grid reference	SE058412
Metropolitan borough	City of Bradford
Metropolitan county	West Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	KEIGHLEY
Postcode district	BD20, BD21, BD22
Dialling code	01535
Police	West Yorkshire
Fire	West Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
EU Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	Keighley
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Keighley (ⁱ/ˈkiːθli/ keeth-lee) is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated 11 miles (17.7 km) northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth. The town area, which is part of the Brontë Country, has a population of 51,429 (2001 Census), making it the third largest civil parish in England.^[1]

Keighley lies in a fold between the countryside of Airedale and Keighley Moors. The town is the terminus of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, a heritage steam branch line which has been restored and runs through the Worth Valley to Oxenhope via Oakworth and Haworth.

History

The name Keighley, which has gone through many changes of spelling throughout its history, is accepted to mean "Cyhha's farm or clearing"^[2] and was mentioned in the Domesday Book, "In Cichhelai (Keighley), Ulchel, and Thole, and Ravensuar, and William had six carucates to be taxed."

Henry de Kighley, a Lancashire knight, was granted a charter to hold a market in Keighley on 17 October 1305 by King Edward I.^[3] The poll tax records of 1379 show population of Keighley, in the wapentake of Staincliffe in the West Riding of Yorkshire, was 109 people (47 couples and 15 single people).^[4]

The town's industries have typically been in textiles, particularly wool and cotton processing. In addition to the manufacture of textiles there were several large factories making textile machinery. Two of these were Dean, Smith & Grace and Prince, Smith & Stell. The former operated as a manufacturer of CNC machine tools, particularly precision lathes, until 2008.

The 1842 Leeds Directory description of Keighley reads "Its parish had no dependent townships though it is about six miles (10 km) long and four broad, and comprises 10,160 acres (41.1 km²) of land (including a peaty moor of about 2,000 acres (8.1 km²)) and a population which amounted, in the year 1801, to 5,745."

The town became a municipal borough in 1882, but was merged into the Metropolitan Borough of Bradford in 1974 under the Local Government Act. The merger caused a lot of bitterness among Keighley people who resented being 'taken over' by Bradford and accused the city's council of neglecting the town.^[5] Civil parish status was restored to Keighley in 2002,^[6] providing it with its own town council. The council's 30 members elect a mayor from amongst their number once a year.

Geography

A view over Keighley

Illustrious Victorian-era terraced buildings on Cavendish Street.

A ground-level view of the Victorian commercial quarter.

Keighley lies at the confluence of the River Worth and River Aire in Airedale, in the south Pennines. Its northern boundary is with Bradley and its southern limit is the edge of Oxenhope. To the west, the town advances up the hill to the suburb of Black Hill and in the east it terminates at the residential neighbourhoods of Long Lee and Thwaites Brow. The outlying northeastern suburb of Riddlesden is sometimes referred to as a separate village, but is part of the town.

Keighley War Memorial

Past Black Hill and via Braithwaite Edge Road lies Braithwaite Village which leads to Laycock, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book. Laycock is a conservation area which overlooks the hamlet of Goose Eye.

The River Aire passes through north eastern Keighley, dividing the neighbourhood of Stockbridge and running roughly parallel to the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. The Worth links up with the Aire in Stockbridge and runs south westerly, dividing eastern Keighley from central and western districts of the town. The Worth is lined with abandoned, semi-derelict industrial sites and tracts of waste ground dating from the period when Keighley thrived as a major textile centre.

Parts of Keighley are prone to flooding and the town was particularly badly hit in by floods 2000.^[7][8] Since then, millions have been spent on strengthening flood defences.

Other outlying villages around the town are Oakworth, Cross Roads, Haworth, Stanbury and Oxenhope. The two main settlements to the north are Silsden and Steeton. Although these villages are often referred to as separate places they are part of the wider Keighley area. These areas add a total of 22,669 to the Keighley area, taking the population of the wider Keighley area up to 74,098(2001 Census.

To the north east is Rombald's Moor which contains many signs of stone age and bronze age occupation including cup and ring marks,^[9] and as it drops back down into Wharfedale and the town of Ilkley, approximately five miles away, becomes the more famous Ilkley Moor.

Demography

Census population of the ancient parish/civil parish of Keighley
Year	1801	1811	1821	1831	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891
Population	5,745	6,864	9,223	11,176	13,413	18,259	18,819	24,704	30,395	36,176
Source: Vision of Britain - Keighley AP/CP: Total Population.[10]

Census population of the municipal borough of Keighley
Year	1901	1911	1921	1931	1939 †	1951	1961	1971
Population	41,564	43,487	41,921	40,441	56,631	56,944	55,845	55,325
Source: Vision of Britain - Keighley MB: Total Population.[11]

† The 1939 population is estimated from the National Registration Act figures.^[12] The 1941 census did not take place because of the Second World War.

Amenities

Central Hall: an old Methodist chapel recently converted to a community resource centre by infrastructure support group KIVCA.

Victorian architecture in the town centre's Lord Street.

Airedale Centre

Keighley Picture House airs a vintage movie afternoon as part of several local Older Peoples' Week events.

Keighley College, part of Leeds City College.

The 'Airedale Centre', is a large indoor shopping precinct which houses most of the town's high street retailers such as Marks and Spencer and other retailers such as Next, Dorothy Perkins and New Look. Much of the town centre has been pedestrianised. Keighley has three large supermarkets, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Asda which opened in 2009. There are several budget supermarkets such as Aldi situated in small retail parks around the town. Keighley benefits from an electrified railway service with connections to Leeds, Bradford, Shipley, Bingley, Skipton, Carlisle and Morecambe and the Keighley and Worth Valley railway is a heritage steam railway, which links the town with Haworth, Oakworth and the Bronte Country.

Religion

Keighley has a parish church (St. Andrew's Shared Church) and is home to many Christian denominations. It has churches and places of worship for Anglicans, Methodists, United Reformed, Mormons, Quakers, Salvation Army and Jehovah's Witnesses. Keighley has a significant Roman Catholic minority established in the mid-19th century with the arrival of Irish immigrants who came to work in the textile and weaving industries. Keighley has three Roman Catholic churches (St Anne's 1840, St Joseph's 1934 and Our Lady of Victories 1939) and four Roman Catholic schools (St Anne's 1857, St Joseph's 1922, Our Lady of Victories 1960 and Holy Family 1964).

The first spiritualist church in Britain was founded at Keighley in 1853 by David Richmond,^[13] who although not originally from the town, stayed for many years, and helped to establish the movement throughout the country. Spiritualism died out after the Second World War, but the Keighley church remains open.

Muslims make up the second largest religious group in the town. According to the 2001 census there were about 8,000 Muslims in Keighley. Most had come to Britain in the 1960s from the Mirpur region of Azad Kashmir, in Pakistan, and the Sylhet region of Bangladesh. As of 2011 there were seven mosques in Keighley, including the purpose-built Markazi Jamia Masjid ('Central Community Mosque') in Emily Street, and the Ghosia Mosque, in Cark Road.

There is a Buddhist centre on Lawkholme Crescent, in the town centre. The Keighley Kadampa Buddhist Centre is used by lay and ordained Buddhist practitioners and also runs day and evening classes for newcomers to the faith.

Architecture

Like many other British towns and cities, Keighley was extensively remodelled in the 1960s and lost many historic buildings. However, the town managed to retain some of its heritage and has many Victorian buildings. The local millstone grit gives many of the buildings a distinctive look.

East Riddlesden Hall, Cliffe Castle Museum and Whinburn Mansion are fine, country houses. There are large town houses along Skipton Road which contrast with the cramped rows of terraces in the streets behind them.

The town's central library was the first Carnegie Library in England opened in 1904 with a grant of £10,000 from Andrew Carnegie.^[14] The library has undergone refurbishment which was completed in 2007. Many of the town's former mill buildings are still intact.

The town centre contains modern buildings such as Leeds City College and examples of Victorian commercial architecture, including the long terrace of Cavendish Street with its 200 metre ornamental canopy. There is an award winning bus station which opened in 2002 near the Airedale Shopping Centre.^[15][16] There are several tower blocks in Parkwood Rise, Holycroft and Ingrow and a central multi-storey car park.

Amongst the modern houses in Laycock, 2 miles (3.2 km) outside Keighley town centre is a 17th century three-storey manor house (which is said to be the former wing of a much bigger property), converted barns and 18th century cottages.

Local attractions

Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, Keighley, West Yorkshire

Keighley railway station

On the outskirts of town is Cliffe Hall, also known as Cliffe Castle, now Keighley Museum.^[17] Keighley is the location of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, a heritage railway that passes through Haworth (part of the Brontë Country, home of Anne, Charlotte and Emily Brontë) and terminates at Oxenhope. At Ingrow is the Museum of Rail Travel.

Top Withens and the Brontë Waterfall are within walking distance of Stanbury, a mile and a half from Haworth. East Riddlesden Hall is close to Keighley.

Education

Local schools are University Academy Keighley (UAK) in Utley,^[18] Oakbank School,^[19] Parkside Comprehensive School in Cullingworth^[20] and The Holy Family Catholic School.^[21] These schools are for pupils aged 11 to 18.

The Keighley campus of Leeds City College was located at the junction of North and Cavendish Streets in the town centre. However, this further and higher education college has had a new campus built in Dalton Lane, which opened its doors to staff and students in September 2010. The college includes a nationally acclaimed 'Star Centre' facility,^[22] designed to encourage more young people to study maths and science. This features a mock mission control centre, a planetarium, a simulated rocky planet surface and many other space-related items.

Sport and entertainment

Keighley Cougars RLFC are based at Royd Ings Avenue and as of 2010 they will play in the top domestic league, the Co-operative Championship. The ground's traditional name is Lawkholme Lane but has more recently been named Cougar Park. Keighley RUFC are based at Rose Cottage, Utley and play in Yorkshire league one.

Keighley is home to the Timothy Taylor Brewery, the makers of several, Campaign for Real Ale, Champion Beer of Britain award-winning ales such as Landlord, Taylor's Best Bitter and Golden Best.

Keighley has a popular local music scene. There have been various venues where local bands play. Most notable was the now defunct CJ's bar (also known as Chrome, VW's, Cheese and Trumpet) that played host to many popular touring bands. Examples of local bands are The Sailmakers, Random Hand,The Get Guns, Dead Message, Control Is Dead and Eyesore Angels. The British rock bands Skeletal Family and Terrorvision were also originally formed in Keighley.

Keighley Picture House, a cinema on North Street opened in 1913 making it one of the oldest in Britain. A brief closure in the mid-1990s prevented it from being listed as one of the oldest in continuous operation - a record that goes to the Curzon Cinema which opened in Clevedon, Somerset in 1911 .

The Airedale Shopping Centre houses a statue of the giant Rombald holding a boulder above his head. According to local legend the giant Rombald threw a giant rock at his enemies (or in some versions of the tale his wife) killing them. The rock is the "calf" of "cow and calf" rock fame which can be seen today at the top of Rombald's Moor on Ilkley Moor.

In film

Keighley was the setting for the film Blow Dry starring Josh Hartnett, Alan Rickman, and Bill Nighy. Blow Dry opens with the announcement that the small town of Keighley will host the year 2000 British Hair Championships. Keighley's mayor (Warren Clarke) is thrilled about the news, but when he announces it to the town's press, they all yawn disapprovingly. The film although set in Keighley was shot in several locations.^[23]

The 2004 documentary Edge of the City, about the City of Bradford social services, and the people and problems they deal with, was partly filmed in Keighley, and concerned sexual abuse of underage white girls by some Asian men.^[24]

Most of the 2004 film Yasmin was shot in Keighley. Written by Simon Beaufoy and mostly filmed in Lawkholme, it tells the story of a British Muslim woman who has her life disrupted by the impact of the September 11 attacks on America. Mr Beaufoy said the film was originally set in Oldham, Greater Manchester, but "worked its way across the Pennines".

The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway (KWVR), running steam trains from Keighley to Haworth and Oxenhope, has been used in several films, including The Railway Children, Yanks, and the film of the Pink Floyd musical The Wall.

A great part of the 2004 BBC television drama North and South was shot on Keighley, with Dalton Mill being one of the serial's main locations.^[25]

A Touch of Frost starring David Jason was also filmed at the railway line close to Ingrow West.

The 1950s set British feature film Between Two Women (2000) was filmed extensively in and around Keighley and its mills, in particular around the railway and close to the main town railway station. The same director's next film The Jealous God (2005) also featured Keighley railway station and nearby streets.

Christopher Ingham

Utley cemetery contains the grave of Christopher Ingham, a veteran of the conflict against Napoleon. He was a member of the Duke of Wellington's elite 95th Rifle Regiment and fought in ten battles against the French in Spain, France and Belgium including the Spanish Peninsula War and the Battle of Waterloo, for which he was awarded several medals, including the Peninsula Medal. He died in 1866. Some local historians believe Mr Ingham's heroism may have inspired the author Bernard Cornwell's saga about Major Richard Sharpe.^[26] The TV series episode Sharpe's Justice, which focuses on the roots of the title character, is set in and around Keighley.

Notable people with Keighley links

See also: Category:People from Keighley

The following people were born in Keighley, have lived there in the past or are currently resident in the town.

• Ian Dewhirst, Former librarian of Keighley MBE local historian.
• Simon Beaufoy, An Oscar, Bafta and Golden Globe award-winning British screenwriter who was born in Keighley
• Gordon Bottomley, a Victorian era poet (1874–1948) was born and educated in Keighley
• Brontë Sisters, lived in the village of Haworth, which is two miles (3 km) south of Keighley
  • Anne (17 January 1820 – 28 May 1849)
  • Charlotte (21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855)
  • Emily (30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848)
• Alastair Campbell, former Labour party spin doctor who was born in Keighley^[27]
• John Tiplady Carrodus (1836–1895) was a violinist
• Kiki Dee, successful singer-songwriter, originally from Bradford, whose career spanned 40 years
• Jake Wright, professional footballer who plays for Oxford united
• Peter Hartley, former county cricketer for Warwickshire and Hampshire
• Denis Healey, a prominent Labour party politician who has previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Defence^[28]
• Mike Hellawell, professional footballer who made two appearances for England and also played for Birmingham City, Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland
• Trevor Hockey, Welsh international footballer, who also played with Bradford City and Birmingham City
• Sir Isaac Holden, 1st Baronet (1807–1897) was an inventor and manufacturer, known for lucifer matches, and served as Liberal MP for Keighley 1888–1895
• Paul Hudson, a local television weather forecaster was born in the town
• Saima Hussain, first Asian female rugby player to represent Great Britain^[29]
• Keith Jessop, a famous salvage diver and successful marine treasure hunter
• Peter Judson, a former boxer who challenged for the British featherweight title in the 1990s
• Henry de Kighley, granted the first charter to hold a market in Keighley on 17 October 1305 by King Edward I^[3]
• John Kilcoyne, a star of the television programme Brainiac: Science Abuse was born and raised in Keighley
• Dougie Lampkin, born Silsden is an internationally renowned motorcycle trials rider
• Tommy Lee, who is a goalkeeper for Macclesfield Town
• Peter Mayhew, British actor who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars films, lived in Keighley between 1987 and 2000^[30]
• Reynold Alleyne Nicholson, or R. A. Nicholson, (Keighley, 18 August 1868 — Chester 27 August 1945) was an eminent English orientalist, scholar of both Islamic literature and Islamic mysticism, and widely regarded as one of the greatest Rumi scholars and translators in the English language.
• George Nicholson (1760–1825), printer, was born in Keighley^[31]
• Eric Pickles, a former Chairman of the Conservative Party was born in the town
• Claire Rayner, (1931–2010) a television agony aunt who lived in Keighley as an evacuee during the Second World War
• Michael Sams murderer^[32]
• Geoff Smith, a former Bradford City goalkeeper, lives in Keighley
• Philip Snowden The first Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer was born in the Colne Valley. He was also the editor of the Keighley Labour Journal and in 1906 became the MP for Blackburn.
• Mollie Sugden (1922–2009), television comedy actress
• Sir John Taylor, Baron Ingrow, Lord Ingrow, (1917–2002) a soldier and politician. From 1985 to 1992 he was Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire
• Timothy Taylor, local brewer who opened the Timothy Taylor Brewery in 1858
• Percy Vear, (12 July 1911 – 16 March 1983), was a British Professional Boxer during the 1920s and 1930s
• Ricky Wilson, of Leeds five-piece Kaiser Chiefs, is a native of Keighley
• Margaret Wintringham (1879–1955), the second woman to take a seat in the House of Commons^[33]
• Leigh Marklew, of Bradford rock band Terrorvision, is a native of Keighley
• Frank Whitcombe (1913–1958) Bradford Northern & Great Britain International Rugby League player
• Frank Whitcombe Jr (1936–2010) Bradford RFC Yorkshire RUFC & North Eastern Counties RUFC
• Martin Whitcombe Leicester Tigers, Yorkshire RUFC & England 'B' International Rugby Union player.

Opinions about Keighley

The town was mentioned in the John Cooper Clarke poem, Burnley: "I'll tell you now and I'll tell you briefly, I don't never want to go to Keighley." However, many residents do not feel this way about the town and are proud of its history and character.

In 2003, The Idler magazine set up an online poll to decide which were the 50 worst places to live in Britain. The results were published in the book Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places to Live in the UK. Keighley came in at number 40. Keighley's local newspaper, the Keighley News, reported the reaction of Councillor Andrew Mallinson, chairman of Keighley Town Centre Management Group: "On the positive side, it's nice to know that out of all the towns in the country, Keighley has got a mention! But on a serious note, as a group, we take any complaints or concerns seriously and are always striving to improve the town centre's image."

Politics

Keighley is represented in the House of Commons by Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Kris Hopkins, who won the seat at the 2010 general election, taking over from Ann Cryer who had been in office since 1997.

Keighley was contested by the British National Party (BNP) in the May 2005 general elections when the party's leader Nick Griffin stood for Parliament. He was defeated by Ann Cryer, one of a small number of Labour MPs with an increased majority. In March 2006, the town's mayoress, Rose Thompson, announced she had joined the BNP.^[34]

In June 2006, the leader of Bradford District Council, Conservative Councillor Kris Hopkins, was quoted in the Craven Herald & Pioneer as suggesting it might be a good idea for Keighley to become an independent authority once again.^[35]

Keighley has had a town council since 2002.^[6]

A turf war between local drug gangs resulted in the murder of four Asian men in a five-and-a-half month period, from September 2001 to February 2002. Those killed were Yasser Hussain Nazir, Yasser Khan, Zaber Hussain and Qadir Ahmed. Qadir, was stabbed and beaten to death near Victoria Park after being ambushed and chased by rival gang members. The killings sparked a police investigation leading to the of a number of men who given long prison sentences.^[36]

Town twinning

Keighley Hall in Poix-du-Nord

• Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• Poix-du-Nord, France
• Manzini, Swaziland

References

1. ^ Neighbourhood Statistics - Keighley CP (Parish). URL accessed 3 February 2008.
2. ^ Keighley - Name Meaning ancestry.com. URL accessed 24 January 2009
3. ^ ^{a b} Latin Expert Sought to Decipher Charter. Keighley News 15 January 2009. URL accessed 24 January 2009.
4. ^ 1379 Yorkshire Poll Tax Subsidy Rolls. URL accessed 24 January 2009.
5. ^ Keighley grappling to find Voice for the future. Keighley News, first published 9 April 2001.
6. ^ ^{a b} Town council makes history. Telegraph & Argus, first published 24 May 2002.
7. ^ Flood: Hundreds Homeless as Floods Hit. Telegraph & Argus 3 November 2000. URL accessed 24 January 2009.
8. ^ Floods Could Cost Millions. Keighley News 1 November 2000. URL accessed 24 January 2009
9. ^ Rombald's Moor Stone Circles.URL accessed 24 January 2009.
10. ^ Keighley AP/CP: Total Population. Vision of Britain. URL accessed 1 March 2008.
11. ^ Keighley MB: TotalPopulation. Vision of Britain.URL accessed 1 March 2008.
12. ^ National Registration Act, 1939. Rootsweb.com. URL accessed 8 June 2007.
13. ^ History of Modern Spritualism. URL accessed 24 January 2009
14. ^ Keighley Public Library. URL accessed 24 January 2009.
15. ^ Shopping Centre Award for Keighley Bus Station. URL accessed 24 January 2009
16. ^ New bus station is just the ticket Keighley News 8 February 2002. URL accessed 24 January 2009.
17. ^ keighleyonline. URL accessed 3 February 2008.
18. ^ University Academy Keighley. URL accessed 3 August 2011.
19. ^ Oakbank School. URL accessed 3 February 2008. URL accessed 3 February 2008.
20. ^ Parkside Comprehensive School. URL accessed 3 February 2008.
21. ^ The Holy Family Catholic School. URL accessed 3 February 2008.
22. ^ STAR centre may be leading light in next space race Keighley News 2 March 2008. URL accessed 24 January 2009
23. ^ Blow Dry (2001) - Filming locations
24. ^ Channel 4 Edge of the City. URL accessed 24 January 2009
25. ^ BBC Drama - North and South - Soundtrack and Location information. URL accessed 24 January 2009.
26. ^ Woman pays tribute to Sharpe hero. Telegraph & Argus, first published 7 November 2003.
27. ^ Campbell cashes in his chips. Scotland on Sunday, first published 31 August 2003.
28. ^ Denis Healey biography. spartacus.schoolnet. URL accessed 3 February 2008.
29. ^ Rugby's Hussain fights tradition - Kick it Out Wednesday 17 Apr 2002. URL accessed 24 January 2009
30. ^ Star Wars giant returns. Telegraph & Argus, 2 May 2003. URL accessed 24 January 2009.
31. ^ Oxford Online Dictionary of National Biography - George Nicholson
32. ^ Yorkshire and Lincolnshire: The Price of Justice? BBC News
33. ^ Oxford Online Dictionary of National Biography: Margaret Wintringham
34. ^ BNP Mayoress stripped of position. 'BBC News, 13 March 2006. URL accessed 24 January 2009
35. ^ South Craven 'could split from Bradford'. Craven Herald & Pioneer, 14 July 2006. URL accessed 24 January 2009
36. ^ Tit-for-tat gang war plunged into killings. Telegraph & Argus. URL accessed 2009

External links

• Keighley Town Council
• Keighley at the Open Directory Project