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Guiseley

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Guiseley
Otley Road, Guiseley
Population22,347 (ward Guiseley and Rawdon. 2011)
OS grid referenceSE193422
• London175 mi (282 km) S
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLEEDS
Postcode districtLS20
Dialling code01943
PoliceWest Yorkshire
FireWest Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire

Guiseley (/ˈɡaɪzlɪ/)[1] is a small town in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Otley and Menston, is now a suburb of north west Leeds. At the 2001 census, Guiseley together with Rawdon had a population of over 21,000,[2] increasing to 22,347 at the 2011 Census.[3] The A65, which passes through the town, is the main shopping street. Guiseley railway station has regular train services into Leeds, Bradford and Ilkley on the Wharfedale Line.

History

Guiseley's name is of Saxon origin. The settlement predates the Domesday Book, in which it is listed as "Gisele."[4] Much of the Aire valley was once wooded, and "ley" means a clearing in the woodland.[citation needed]

Guiseley's church dedicated to St Oswald was the centre of a large parish that included many surrounding villages. It was used by generations of the Longfellow family. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 5th great-grandfather left here for the New World in the 17th century. The rector of St Oswald's for several decades was Rev. Robert More (died in 1642), the father-in-law of the English explorer, Captain Christopher Levett.[5] Patrick Brontë and Maria Branwell were married at St Oswald's and became the parents of six children, including Anne, Charlotte and Emily Brontë.

Guiseley was an ancient parish in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The parish also included the townships of Carlton, Horsforth, Rawdon and Yeadon, all of which became separate civil parishes in 1866. In 1937 the civil parish of Guiseley was abolished and merged into the new Aireborough Urban District.[6] In 1974 Aireborough was itself abolished and absorbed into the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in the new county of West Yorkshire.

Business

Harry Ramsden's

Crompton Parkinson was a major employer until its factory closed in 2004. The town was the home of Silver Cross, a pram manufacturer, whose factory was operational from 1936 to 2002.[7]

The town is significant for Harry Ramsden, whose fish and chip shop traded from a small shed next to the tram stop. In 1930 he opened "the world's biggest fish and chip shop". The original restaurant was closed in December 2011. The Wetherby Whaler group purchased the site and planned a £500,000 refurbishment to open during the summer of 2012.[8] The new Wetherby Whaler restaurant opened on 22 May 2012.

Harry Corbett, significant for his children's television glove puppet character Sooty stage act, lived with his parents, who owned a fish and chip shop on Springfield Road.[9]

Religion

Guiseley Baptist Church was built in 1883 on Oxford Road in the old town. Today it has a congregation of all ages. Other churches in the area include St. Oswald's C of E, and Guiseley Methodist Church.

Amenities

Guiseley has two retail parks: Guiseley Retail Park in the centre of town, and Westside Retail Park between Guiseley and Yeadon. The town has a Morrisons supermarket, charity shops and beauty stores on the High Street, as well as many pubs, bars, takeaways and restaurants located around the town and a leisure centre with swimming pool and gym on The Green.

Many of the retail outlets in the town are now stood on the converted sites of old factories or mills. Recently, the town has seen an increase of 'big name brands' opening stores in the area, with names such as Argos, TK Maxx, Marks & Spencer (food), Asda Living, Currys, Costa Coffee, Next and Sports Direct opening in the area. McDonald's, KFC and Subway all have stores in the town. Poundworld have also recently opened a store in the Westside Retail Park.

Sports and recreation

Guiseley's semi-professional football team, Guiseley A.F.C., play at Nethermoor Park. They played in the Conference North during the 2014–15 season, gaining promotion to the Conference Premier through the playoffs. Guiseley Cricket Club shares the club house and plays in the Airedale-Wharfedale Senior Cricket League.[10] Aireborough RUFC play at Nunroyd Park.[11] Local philanthropist Jonathan Peate gave Nethermoor Park (Guiseley) and Nunroyd Park (between Yeadon and Guiseley) to local people in the early 20th century. Two other parks were regenerated in 2011/12, Springfield Road and Parkinson's Park.[12] Parkinson's Park was given to Guiseley in the 1930s by Frank and Albert Parkinson. By 2002 it had become an anti-social wasteland but is now owned by Bellway Homes, and supported by the Friends of Parkinson's Park.

Schools

Guiseley School on Fieldhead Road[13] was built as a secondary modern in the 1960s and is sometimes known as Fieldhead School. Aireborough Grammar School opened in 1910 and closed in 1991.[14]

Primary schools include Tranmere Park School[15] and St. Oswald's C of E School.[16]

Notable people

Harry Corbett, the creator of the glove puppet Sooty,[9] Tasmin Archer, whose co-written song "Sleeping Satellite" reached number one in the UK charts, and Maurice Lee of The Grumbleweeds also lived in the town.

Geography

Guiseley is situated on the higher land to the north of the Aire Valley. The A65 road passes through, there is a railway station and Leeds Bradford Airport is nearby.

References

  1. ^ BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names
  2. ^ "2001 Census Pdf" (PDF). Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  3. ^ "City of Leeds Ward population". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Services. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  4. ^ Parsons, Edward (1834); The Civil, Ecclesiastical History of Leeds, Halifax, Huddersfield and the Manufacturing District of Yorkshire, p. 217
  5. ^ Will of Rev. Robert More, Christopher Levett of York: The Pioneer Colonist in Casco Bay, James Phinney Baxter, Printed for the Gorges Society, Vol. 5, Portland, Maine, 1893
  6. ^ Vision of Britain website
  7. ^ Silver Cross Story 1877 - prams, pushchairs, car seats and other nursery equipment
  8. ^ "First Harry Ramsden's chip shop bought by Whaler Group". BBC News. 6 February 2012.
  9. ^ a b McIntyre, Annette; "Guiseley chip shop wraps up place in TV show", Wharfedale and Aireborough Observer, 30 April 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2008
  10. ^ "Home". Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  11. ^ "Aireborough RUFC". Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  12. ^ "Parkinson's Park website". Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  13. ^ "Home - Guiseley School Website". Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  14. ^ "Aireborough Grammar School". Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  15. ^ "Tranmere Park". Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  16. ^ "St Oswald's C of E Junior School, Leeds :: Home Page". Retrieved 20 September 2010.
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