Keighley
Template:Infobox England place with map Keighley (pronounced Keith-Leigh or [ˈkiːθli]) is a town and civil parish in the county of West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Bradford, on the meeting point of the River Aire and the River Worth. The town has a population of 51,429 (2001 census), making it the third largest civil parish in England. It is within the Metropolitan Borough of Bradford and part of the Brontë Country. It is located at 53°52′4″N 1°54′45″W / 53.86778°N 1.91250°W.
History
The town's industries have typically been in textiles, particularly wool and cotton processing. The population grew from less than 6,000 in 1800 to more than 60,000 in 1850 during a boom spurred by these industries.
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. Civil parish status was restored to Keighley in 2002.
In the 1960s the town sustained a significant influx of newcomers from the Azad Kashmir region of Pakistan and the Sylhet district of what is now Bangladesh. Most of these predominantly Muslim migrants were initially employed in the textiles industry but the decline of this sector inflicted great economic hardship on the two communities.
Since then the Kashmiris and Sylhetis have struggled to carve a fresh niche through private enterprise, particularly in the taxi and restaurant trades. In 2006 the town was home to about 8,000 Muslims and seven mosques. The purpose-built Emily Street mosque in Lawkholme is set to be one of the largest in northern England. Most of Keighley's Muslims live in Lawkholme, Highfield, Showfield and Knowle Park, with smaller clusters residing in Dalton Lane, Stockbridge and Shann Park. 15% of the indigenous population is Muslim.
The area's white, non-Muslim population has also suffered from the economic decline. It includes a large number of people of Irish descent, plus well-established groups from eastern European countries such as the Ukraine.
Geography
Keighley town lies in the valleys of the Worth and Aire rivers. Its northernmost boundary is marked by the suburb of Utley and its southern limit is the Bracken Bank housing estate. 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, though strictly speaking it is part of the town.
The river Aire passes through northeastern 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 southwest, 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 very prone to flooding and the town was particularly badly hit in 2000. Since then, millions have been spent on strengthening flood defences.
Outlying villages to the south of the town include Oakworth, Cross Roads, Haworth, Stanbury, Oxenhope, Cullingworth and Denholme. The two main settlements to the north are Silsden and Steeton.
Architecture
Like dozens of other UK towns and cities, Keighley was hard-hit by the collective madness which gripped architects and town planners in the 1960s. However, the town has managed to hang onto some of its heritage.
East Riddlesden Hall and Cliffe Castle are fine, attractive and well-maintained buildings. There are also a succession of large, gracious town houses along Skipton Road which contrast sharply with the cramped rows of terraces in the streets behind them. Lawkholme is dominated by the Markazi Jamia mosque on Emily Street, which will have an ornamental minaret and two prominent green domes when finished.
The town's central library is another highlight. The first Carnegie library in England was opened in 1904 with a grant of £10,000 from Andrew Carnegie. The facade of the building is looking increasingly sad and grimy due to the volume of traffic which flows past it. Many of the town's former mill buildings are still intact, though a lot of these are crumbling due to vandalism and neglect.
The centre of the town has been marred by monstrosities such as Keighley College and Churchill House, though opinions seem to be divided on the award winning bus station opened in 2002 near the Airedale Shopping Centre. There are several hopelessly out-of-place looking tower blocks in Parkwood Rise, Holycroft and Ingrow. Other disasters include the central multi-storey carpark, though this does fulfill a vital function. Traffic management (or lack of it) is a perennial problem in Keighley.
Local highlights
On the outskirts there is Cliffe Hall, also known as Cliffe Castle, and now Keighley Museum. Keighley is also the home base 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 there is the Museum of Rail Travel. Top Withens and the Brontë Waterfalls are within walking distance from a village called Stanbury, a mile and a half from Haworth.
East Riddlesden Hall is close to Keighley. There is a Morrisons on Worthway, and a Sainsburys on Cavendish Street. Local schools are Greenhead High School in Utley, Oakbank School, South Craven School in Cross Hills (North Yorkshire), and the Holy Family Catholic School. These schools are for ages 11-18.
Keighley Cougars RLFC are based at Royd Ings Avenue and play semi-pro Rugby League in National League 2.
Keighley is also home to the Timothy Taylor Brewery, the maker of several award-winning ales such as Landlord, Taylor's Best Bitter and Golden Best.
Famous people who have lived in Keighley include the Labour politician Denis Healey, former Labour spindoctor Alastair Campbell, television comedienne Mollie Sugden and the 1970s/80s pop singer Kiki Dee. Television agony aunt and author Claire Rayner lived in Keighley as an evacuee during the Second World War. Paul Hudson, a local weather forecaster, is a Keighleyite.Ricky Wilson,of Leeds five-piece Kaiser Chiefs,is also a native of Keighley.
Keighley was also 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 Championship. 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 was actually shot in Dewsbury.)
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 11th attacks on America. Mr Beaufoy said the film was originally set in Oldham but "worked its way across the Pennines".
The Joy of Keighley
Bill Bryson in his book Notes from a Small Island jokingly asked why it was that the British army uses beautiful countryside for munition target practice, rather than a place like Keighley.
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."
The town also rated a mention on a website which condemned Keighley as being full of lower class yobs or chavs. The unflattering portrayal appeared on www.chavtowns.co.uk.
The attitude of most outsiders to Keighley, and, indeed, many of its residents can be summed up by the Martin Newell poem: "I'll tell you once, I'll tell you briefly / I don't want to go to Keighley." However, many residents do not feel this way about the town and are quite fond of its history, charm, and character. These are also often remarked upon by tourists.
Keighley is surrounded by plenty of beautiful scenery, some of which is visible from the centre of the town. Its rather unfair, downmarket image is also being countered by the popularity of pleasant, middle class neighbourhoods such as Shann Park, High Spring Gardens, Riddlesden and Thwaites Brow – areas which combine low crime rates, decent housing and stunning views across the town.
Politics
Keighley is represented in the House of Commons by Labour MP Ann Cryer, who has been in office since 1997, when she took over from Conservative MP Gary Waller.
Keighley was also at the centre of activities by the BNP in the May 2005 general elections when the party's leader Nick Griffin stood for parliament. He was defeated by Ann Cryer, who was one of a small number of Labour MPs to report an increased majority. In March 2006 the town's Mayoress, Rose Thompson, caused further political shockwaves by announcing she had joined the BNP.
Even more recently, the issue of Keighley being part of Bradford has become a political issue. In June 2006, the leader of Bradford District Council, Conservative Councillor Kris Hopkins, was quoted in the Keighley News as suggesting it might be a good idea for Keighley to become an independent authority once again.
