Silsden

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 53.914
longitude= -1.937
map_type= West Yorkshire
official_name= Silsden
population =
metropolitan_borough= City of Bradford
metropolitan_county = West Yorkshire
region= Yorkshire and the Humber
constituency_westminster= Keighley
post_town= KEIGHLEY
postcode_district = BD20
postcode_area= BD
dial_code= 01535
os_grid_reference= SE042465

Silsden is an English town situated in West Yorkshire. It lies on the northern slope of the Aire river valley between Keighley and Skipton. It is about 0.6 miles (1km) from the river. Along the lower edge of the town is the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

History

Silsden was mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book ("Siglesdene") as the most important village in Craven.

Generally an agricultural area, industry came with the canal and the Industrial Revolution. The town hosted a number of mills none of which now operate in their original form. There is still industry in the town, some in old mill buildings and some in a new industrial estate between the town and the river. The town retains some manufacturing.

In 1998 a hoard of 27 gold coins dating back to the 1st century AD were found in the town and subsequently valued at £20,000 by experts appointed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. [ [http://treasurehunting.tv/?p=88 The Silsden Hoard] ]

The Guinness Book of World Records says that the biggest onion ever was grown by Vincent Throup in Silsden, England, at convert|10|lb|14|oz|kg|abbr=on

Transport

While Silsden does not have its own railway station, there is a station 1.6 km from the village in nearby Steeton. Even so the station is well patronised by Silsden residents as it serves the cities of Leeds and Bradford. With modern electric trains it is well used by commuters. In deference to Steeton's larger neighbour the official name of the station is Steeton and Silsden.

Lying between Keighley and Ilkley Silsden is well served by buses to both of these towns. Silsden's public transport benefits from Silsden being part of West Yorkshire rather than North Yorkshire the border of which runs along one end of the village.

Administration and democracy

Silsden has been administered by the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council since 1974. It also has its own town council.

Personalities

Silsden has been the home of a number of personalities over the years. The Lampkin family settled in the town after WW2 and Arthur, Martin and Douglas Lampkin, commonly caled Dougie Lampkin were champions in motorcycle off road sport. Martin Lampkin and his son Douglas were both world trials champions.

Henry Price, the Fifty Shilling Tailors started his first shop in Silsden. With this fortune the now Sir Henry Price bought Wakehurst Place which is now owned by the National Trust.

Television

On April 27 1995, a one-off anthology supernatural drama, titled "Chiller", aired in which episode 6, titled "number 6" featured Silsden. Silsden was featured almost for the entire one-hour episode, from locations all across the town. Details of the series can be found [http://www.tv.com/chiller/show/13755/episode_guide.html here] and [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324723/ here] .

Bonapartes Restaurant, located on Kirkgate, was the subject of the first-ever episode of Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares" in 2004. After the show aired, Bonapartes' owner Sue Ray threatened to take legal action against Ramsay, Channel 4 and the programme makers, Optomen, after claiming that the show put her £400,000 in debt. Christine Hall, producer of "Kitchen Nightmares", refused to accept the blame, stating Ray only had herself to blame. [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article456638.ece "Ramsay's nightmare put me out of business"] - TimesOnline] The programme revisited the restaurant in the second series, but Ray would only talk to Ramsay off-camera.

In June 2006, Ramsay won a High Court case against the "London Evening Standard", which had alleged, after reports from Ray, that scenes and the general condition of Bonapartes had been faked. Ramsay was awarded £75,000 plus costs. Ramsay said at the time: "I won't let people write anything they want to about me. We have never done anything in a cynical, fake way."cite web
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5098094.stm
date = 2006-06-20
accessdate =
title = "Chef Ramsay wins £75,000 damages"
publisher = BBC News]

References

External links

* [http://silsden.net/ Silsden.net] - Local resource