Guiseley is a small
townA town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the
City of Leeds metropolitan boroughThe City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
in
West YorkshireWest Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England. Situated south of
Otley-Transport:The main roads through the town are the A660 to the south east, which connects Otley to Bramhope, Adel and Leeds city centre, and the A65 to the west, which goes to Ilkley and Skipton. The A6038 heads to Guiseley, Shipley and Bradford, connecting with the A65...
and
MenstonMenston is a village and civil parish in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Along with Burley in Wharfedale, Menston is part of Wharfedale Ward in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford. It has a population of 4,660.-Landmarks:...
, it is a suburb of north west Leeds. At the 2001 census, Guiseley together with
RawdonRawdon is a village in the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.-Early beginnings:With William the Conqueror was a commander of archers named Paulyn who rendered such faithful and courageous service to the Norman cause that he was rewarded with lands, a portion of...
had a population of over 21,000. The
A65The A65 is a major road in England. It runs north west from Leeds in Yorkshire via Kirkstall, Horsforth, Yeadon, Guiseley, Ilkley and Skipton, passes west of Settle, then continues through Ingleton and Kirkby Lonsdale before terminating at Kendal in Cumbria....
, which passes through the town, is the main shopping street.
Guiseley railway stationGuiseley railway station is a railway station in Guiseley, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England. On the Wharfedale Line between Ilkley and Leeds/Bradford Forster Square, it is served mostly by Class 333 electric trains run by Northern Rail, which also manages the...
has regular train service into Leeds and
IlkleyIlkley railway station is a railway station in Ilkley, in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. On the Wharfedale Line, it is served by Class 333 electric trains run by Northern Rail, who also manage the station.-Services:...
.
History
The settlement predates the
Domesday BookDomesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. Its name is of Saxon origin. It was named "Gisele" in the
Domesday Book, much of the Aire valley was once wooded and "ley" means a clearing in the woodland.
Guiseley's church dedicated to
St OswaldOswald was King of Northumbria from 634 until his death, and is now venerated as a Christian saint.Oswald was the son of Æthelfrith of Bernicia and came to rule after spending a period in exile; after defeating the British ruler Cadwallon ap Cadfan, Oswald brought the two Northumbrian kingdoms of...
was the centre of a large parish that included many surrounding villages. It used by generations of the Longfellow family.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowHenry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
's grandfather left here for the New World in the 18th century. The rector of St Oswald's for several decades was Rev. Robert More, who died in 1642. He was the father-in-law of the English explorer, Captain
Christopher LevettCapt. Christopher Levett was an English writer, explorer and naval captain, born at York, England. He explored the coast of New England and secured a grant from the King to settle present-day Portland, Maine, the first European to do so. Levett left behind a group of settlers at his Maine...
. Patrick Brontë and Maria Branwell were married at St Oswald's and became the parents of six children, including
AnneAnne Brontë was a British novelist and poet, the youngest member of the Brontë literary family.The daughter of a poor Irish clergyman in the Church of England, Anne Brontë lived most of her life with her family at the parish of Haworth on the Yorkshire moors. For a couple of years she went to a...
,
CharlotteCharlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood, whose novels are English literature standards...
and
Emily BrontëEmily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...
.
Business
Crompton ParkinsonCrompton Parkinson was a British electrical manufacturing company formed in 1927 by the merger of Crompton & Co., and F & A. Parkinson Ltd.Crompton & Co. was a lamp manufacturer founded by Colonel Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton in 1878 and had designed and installed electric lighting installations at...
was a major employer until its factory closed in 2004. The town was the home of
Silver CrossSilver Cross is a British manufacturer of wheeled baby transport, and is traditionally associated with large, four-wheel baby carriages that featured wooden bodies and leaf spring suspension....
, a
pramBaby transport consists of devices for transporting and carrying infants. A "child carrier" or "baby carrier" is a device used to carry an infant or small child on the body of an adult...
manufacturer, whose factory was operational from 1936 to 2002.
The town is famous for
Harry RamsdenHarry Ramsden's is a fast food restaurant chain based in the United Kingdom which offers fish and chips and assorted themed dishes. The business has 35 owned and franchised outlets throughout the UK and Ireland and serves around four million meals annually....
, whose
fish and chip shopFish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
traded from a small shed next to the tram stop. In 1930 he opened his first fish restaurant (which is still trading) and was, for many years, "the world's biggest fish and chip shop".
Harry CorbettHarry Corbett OBE was a British puppeteer, known as the creator in 1948 of the long running 'Sooty' glove puppet character.He was born in Bradford to coal miner James W...
, famous for his children's television glove puppet character
SootySooty is a British glove puppet bear and TV character popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. The children's television show which bears his name has continued in various forms since the 1950s and, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the...
stage act lived with his parents who owned "Springfield" fish and chip shop on Springfield Road. The restaurant featured in a BBC documentary in spring 2008 and now boasts the slogan, 'As Seen on TV', on the shopfront.
Religion
Guiseley Baptist Church was built in 1883 on Oxford Road in the old town. Today it has a congregation of all ages.
Sports
Guiseley's semi-professional football team,
Guiseley A.F.C.Guiseley A.F.C. are an English football club from Guiseley, West Yorkshire, England.-History:Founded in 1909 by a local group of enthusiasts, the club’s first success came in 1913 when they won the local Wharfedale League...
, play at Nethermoor Park, and at the start of the 2011–12 season are in the
Conference NorthThe Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
. Guiseley Cricket Club shares the club house and plays in the
Airedale-Wharfedale Senior Cricket LeagueThe Airedale and Wharfedale Senior Cricket League is an amateur cricket competition in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. It is made up of 36 local teams spread over three divisions. The league runs 3 distinct competitions as well as a cup competition for each.- Organisation & Structure :36 clubs...
. Aireborough RUFC play at Nunroyd Park.
Schools
Guiseley School on Fieldhead Road was built as a secondary modern in the 1960s and is sometimes known as Fieldhead School.
Aireborough Grammar SchoolAireborough Grammar School was an English state Grammar school situated on the Yeadon / Guiseley border in Aireborough, West Yorkshire. The school was founded in 1910 and closed in 1991.-History:...
opened in 1910 and closed in 1991.
Primary schools include Tranmere Park School and St. Oswald's C of E School.
Notable residents
Victorian actress
Adelaide NeilsonLilian Adelaide Neilson , born Elizabeth Ann Brown, was an English stage actress.-Early life:Neilson was the daughter of a strolling actress, named Brown, and was born, out of wedlock, at 35 St Peters Square Leeds in the West Riding of Yorkshire...
, born in
LeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, passed the majority of her childhood in Guiseley, where she worked at Green Bottom Mill and was a nursemaid to a local family, before running away to seek her fortune in London.
The former
YorkshireYorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
and England cricket captain
Brian CloseDennis Brian Close , usually known as Brian Close, is a former cricketer who is the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked for the Test team to play against New Zealand, in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England,...
lived in the town during his childhood and still lives there now.
Barney ColehanBarney Colehan was an English radio and television producer.Major Bernard Colehan arrived at the BBC from the British Forces Broadcasting Service. He first came to prominence in 1946 as a BBC radio producer responsible for Have A Go hosted by Wilfred Pickles...
lived in Guiseley until his death in 1991. He is buried in Guiseley cemetery on Chevin End Road.
Geography
Guiseley is situated on the higher land to the north of the Aire Valley. The A65 road passes through and there is a railway station and Leeds Bradford Airport is nearby.
External links