Keighley

Market town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, England

For other uses, see Keighley (disambiguation).

Human settlement in England

Keighley

Clockwise from top : View over Keighley, Dalton Mills, Markazi Jamia Mosque, North street, Town Hall

Keighley

Location within West Yorkshire

Population| 57,345 (2021 Census)[1]
OS grid reference| SE058412
Civil parish|

* Keighley[2]

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
01274
Police| West Yorkshire
Fire| West Yorkshire
Ambulance| Yorkshire
UK Parliament|

* Keighley

List of places

England
Yorkshire

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

Keighley (/ˈkiːθli/ ⓘ KEETH-lee[3][4]) is a market town and a civil parish[5] in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford.

Keighley is eight miles (thirteen kilometres) north-west of Bradford city centre, 3+3⁄4 mi (6 km) north-west of Bingley, 10+1⁄2 mi (17 km) north of Halifax and 7+1⁄2 mi (12 km) south-east of Skipton. It is governed by Keighley Town Council and Bradford City Council. Keighley is located in West Yorkshire, close to the borders of North Yorkshire and Lancashire. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies between Airedale and Keighley Moors. At the 2011 census, Keighley had a population of 56,348.[6]

## History[edit]

### Toponymy[edit]

The name Keighley, which has gone through many changes of spelling throughout its history, means "Cyhha's farm or clearing",[7] and was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086: "In Cichhelai, Ulchel, and Thole, and Ravensuar, and William had six carucates to be taxed."

### Town charter[edit]

Henry de Keighley, a Lancashire knight, was granted a charter to hold a market in Keighley on 17 October 1305 by King Edward I.[8] The poll tax records of 1379 show that the population of Keighley, in the wapentake of Staincliffe in the West Riding of Yorkshire, was 109 people (47 couples and 15 single people).[9]

### 1700s and 1800s[edit]

From 1753, the Union stage coach departed on the Keighley and Kendal Turnpike from what was the Devonshire Arms coaching inn on the corner of Church Street and High Street. Rebuilt about 1789, this public house has a classical style pedimented doorcase with engaged Tuscan columns in the high fashion of that age. The original route towards Skipton was Spring Gardens Lane – Hollins Lane – Hollins Bank Lane.[10] Keighley was to become an intersection with other turnpikes, including the Two-Laws to Keighley branch of the Toller Lane – Blue Bell turnpike (1755) from Bradford to Colne, the Bradford to Keighley turnpike (1814), and the Keighley—Halifax turnpike.

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 miles [6 km] broad, and comprises 10,160 acres [4,110 ha] of land (including a peaty moor of about 2,000 acres or 800 ha) and a population which amounted, in the year 1801, to 5,745."

### Christopher Ingham[edit]

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.[11] The TV series episode Sharpe's Justice, which focuses on the roots of the title character, is set in and around Keighley.

### Hindenburg parcel[edit]

On 22 May 1936, the Zeppelin Hindenburg crossed Yorkshire in a diversion of her normal route between the United States and Germany.[12] As the airship passed over the town, a parcel was dropped and landed in the High Street, where two boys, Jack Gerrard and Alfred Butler, picked it up. The parcel contained a bunch of carnations, a small silver and jet crucifix, some postage stamps, a picture postcard and some Hindenburg notepaper.[13]

The note was written by John P Schulte, who called himself the first flying priest. The note requested that the carnations and crucifix be placed on the grave of his brother, Lieutenant Franz Schulte, who had died of Spanish flu, during the deadly influenza pandemic of 1918, as a Prisoner of War at Raikeswood Prisoner of War Camp, Skipton, originally built as a training camp for the Bradford Pals, in 1915. Schulte was, at that time, buried at Morton Cemetery, two miles (three kilometres) east of Keighley (though the letter stated that he was buried at Skipton, which was incorrect).[14]

> To the finder of this letter. Please deposit these flowers and the cross on the grave of my dear brother, Lieutenant Franz Schulte, I. Garde Regt zu Fuss. Prisoner of War in Skipton Cemetery in Keighley near Leeds. Many thanks for your kindness, John P Schulte, the first flying priest. N.B. Please accept the stamps and picture as a small souvenir from me. God bless you![15]

> — Hindenburg note, 22 May 1936

The carnations were placed on the grave and the two boys kept the postage stamps and the postcard. The crucifix was placed in St Anne's Church to avoid it being stolen.[15]

## Governance[edit]

### Constituency[edit]

Keighley is represented in the House of Commons by Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Robbie Moore, who won the seat by defeating his predecessor John Grogan at the 2019 general election. Grogan had a majority of just 249 over the previous incumbent, Conservative Kris Hopkins.[16]

In 2015, Hopkins won the seat at the 2015 general election – securing a second term. Hopkins increased the Conservatives vote share in the area from 41.9%[17] in 2010 to 44.3%[18] in 2015. The Conservatives won the seat in 2010, 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 election, 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 and was immediately dismissed by the mayor Tony Wright.[19]

### Parish[edit]

Keighley Town Hall

The town was incorporated as a municipal borough on 28 July 1882 under the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act 1882 in the West Riding of Yorkshire. In 1938, the boundaries of the borough and civil parish of Keighley were expanded to include the former urban districts and civil parishes of Haworth, Oakworth and Oxenhope, along with the parish of Morton from the abolished Keighley Rural District and a small part of the Bingley urban district.

On 1 April 1974, Keighley borough became part of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District in accordance with the Local Government Act 1972 in the newly formed county of West Yorkshire. 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.[20] Civil parish status was restored to Keighley in 2002,[21] providing it with its own town council.[22]

The council's 30 members elect a mayor from amongst their number once a year. The parish boundaries are based on but not identical to the pre-1938 borough boundaries. 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.[23] The town has a local history society, Keighley and District Local History Society, and a family history society, Keighley and District Family History Society.[24]

### Arms[edit]

Coat of arms of Keighley

Notes
Originally granted February 1883 to Keighley Borough Council [25]
Crest
On a wreath of the colours in front of a dragon's head erased Gules entwined by a serpent Or a fountain Proper.
Escutcheon
Argent on a fess Sable between three stags' heads caboshed a Fountain proper all within a Bordure embattled Azure.
Motto
By Worth

## Geography[edit]

* Victorian era terraced buildings on Cavendish Street

* A ground-level view of the Victorian commercial quarter

* North Street

* Keighley railway station

Keighley lies at the confluence of the rivers Worth and Aire in Airedale, in the South Pennines. It benefits from an electrified railway service with connections to Leeds, Bradford, Shipley, Bingley, Skipton, Carlisle and Morecambe.

The post town of Keighley's 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 north-eastern suburb of Riddlesden is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a separate village but is part of the town.

Past Black Hill and via Braithwaite Edge Road lies Braithwaite village, which leads to Laycock, which was also 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 and 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 by floods in 2000.[26][27] 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 people to the Keighley area, taking the population of the wider Keighley area up to 74,098 (2001 Census).

To the north-east is Rombalds Moor, which contains many signs of Stone Age and Bronze Age occupation, including cup and ring marks;[28] as it drops back down into Wharfedale and the town of Ilkley, approximately five miles away, it becomes the more famous Ilkley Moor.

Neighbouring towns, villages and places

| Skipton, Gargrave, Yorkshire Dales | Steeton, Silsden, Addingham | Ilkley, Burley-in-Wharfedale

|
|

|  |
Colne, Nelson, Burnley |

Keighley

| Menston, Guiseley, Yeadon
|  |
Oakworth, Haworth, Oxenhope | Cullingworth, Denholme, Halifax | Bingley, Shipley, Bradford

## Demography[edit]

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.[29]
Census population of the municipal borough of Keighley  Year  | 1901  | 1911  | 1921  | 1931  | 1939 †  | 1951  | 1961  | 1971  | 2011

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Population  | 41,564  | 43,487  | 41,921  | 40,441  | 56,631  | 56,944  | 55,845  | 55,325  | 56,348
Source: Vision of Britain – Keighley MB: Total Population.[30]

† The 1939 population is estimated from the National Registration Act figures.[31] The 1941 census did not take place because of the Second World War.

## Economy[edit]

Hattersley Domestic Loom built by Geo. Hattersley, Keighley on display at Queen Street Mill Textile Museum, Burnley

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. These included Dean, Smith & Grace, George Hattersley & Son, and Prince, Smith & Stell. The first of these operated as a manufacturer of CNC machine tools, particularly precision lathes, until 2008.

Keighley is home to Timothy Taylor Brewery, the makers of CAMRA, Champion Beer of Britain award-winning ales Landlord and Boltmaker (previously known as 'Best Bitter'). They also brew Ram Tam, Golden Best, Dark Mild, Knowle Spring and a new French style blonde ale, Le Champion, which was first brewed for the Tour de France in 2014 and has been brewed for the Tour de Yorkshire in 2015 and 2016.[32] They also own many pubs in the area, including the Albert Hotel, Boltmakers Arms, Lord Rodney, Royal Oak and The Fleece Inn in Haworth.

## Community and culture[edit]

Much of the town centre has been pedestrianised. Keighley has four large supermarkets, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Aldi and Asda. There are several budget supermarkets situated in small retail parks around the town.

Airedale Centre

The Airedale shopping centre is a large indoor shopping precinct which houses most of the town's high street retail chains. The Airedale Shopping Centre housed the 12-foot-tall (3.7 m) statue of the giant Rombald holding a boulder above his head. It was moved to a different part of the centre when a glass ceiling was added to the whole complex. A public consultation favoured placing the statue on the Beechcliffe roundabout on the A650 road approaching Keighley from the east.[33] 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.

Keighley has one cinema, The Picture House on North Street. It 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. It was restored from its derelict condition in 1996 by Northern Morris Associated Cinemas and operates to this day.[34]

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, the Undecided, Foxes Faux, Random Hand, the Get Guns, Eyesore Angels and Dead Message, who recently parted ways after 9 years. The British rock bands Skeletal Family and Terrorvision were also originally formed in Keighley.

## Media[edit]

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire. Television signals are received from the local TV transmitter. [35] Keighley's local radio stations are BBC Radio Leeds on 102.7 FM, Heart Yorkshire on 107.6 FM, Capital Yorkshire on 105.6 FM, Pulse 1 on 97.5 FM, Greatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire on 96.3 FM, and Rombalds Radio, a community based radio station that broadcast online.[36] Local newspapers are the Keighley News and Telegraph & Argus. [37][38]

### Town twinning[edit]

Keighley Hall in Poix-du-Nord

Keighley has the unique record of having the first recorded town twinning agreement in the world, having entered into an agreement with Poix-du-Nord, France in 1920.[39][40] This actually followed an even earlier sister city arrangement with two communes on the outskirts of Paris, France – Suresnes and Puteaux – starting in 1905.[39][41]

* Poix-du-Nord, Nord, Hauts-de-France, France
* Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, US[42]
* Manzini, Eswatini[citation needed]

## Landmarks[edit]

### Architecture[edit]

Further information: Listed buildings in Keighley

Keighley War Memorial Former Mechanics' Institute on Lord Street

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 townhouses along Skipton Road, which contrast with the rows of smaller terraces in the streets behind them, although many of these larger buildings have since been converted into flats and bedsits.

The town's central library was the first Carnegie library in England, opened in 1904 with a grant of £10,000 from Andrew Carnegie.[43] 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 220-yard (⅛ mile/a furlong) ornamental canopy. There is a bus station which opened in 2002 near the Airedale Shopping Centre.[44][45] There are several tower blocks in Parkwood Rise, Holycroft and Ingrow and a central multi-storey car park.

Amongst the modern houses in Laycock, two miles (three kilometres) 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.

### Attractions[edit]

On the outskirts of town is Cliffe Hall, also known as Cliffe Castle, now Keighley Museum.[46]

Locomotive on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway

The Keighley and Worth Valley railway is a heritage steam railway, which links the town with Haworth, Oakworth, Oxenhope and the Bronte Country. 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 in Riddlesden. Keighley Police Museum is in the Keighley Civic Centre opposite the Town Square. The old police station has many pieces of police memorabilia, including a Victorian horse-drawn Black Mariah.

## Education[edit]

Local high schools are Carlton Keighley in Utley,[47] Beckfoot Oakbank,[48] Parkside School in Cullingworth[49] and the Holy Family Catholic School.[50]

Keighley College buildings in 2010

Keighley College, formerly the local campus of Leeds City College, itself formerly known as Park Lane College, is situated near Keighley railway station on Bradford Road.[51] In 2010, the college opened this new £30 million campus, moving away from the former site on Cavendish Street, which was in need of repair and has since been demolished. The college includes an Industrial Centre of Excellence and a nationally acclaimed Star Centre facility,[52] designed to encourage more young people to study STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). This features a mock mission control centre, a planetarium, a simulated rocky planet surface and many other space-related items.

## Religion[edit]

Central Hall, an old Methodist chapel converted to a community resource centre by infrastructure support group KIVCA[53] Keighley Shared Church, the parish church of Keighley

Keighley has a parish church, Keighley Shared Church,[54] 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 re-established following the repeal of the penal laws. The Catholic population was boosted in the mid-19th century with the arrival of Irish immigrants escaping the 1840s Great Famine, who came to work in the textile and weaving industries. Keighley has two Roman Catholic churches (St Anne's – 1840 and St Joseph's – 1934) 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,[55] who, although not originally from the town, stayed for many years and helped to establish the movement throughout the country. Spiritualism was at its height during Victorian times and Keighley Spiritualist church remains open.

The mosque on Bradford Street

Muslims make up the second-largest religious group in the town. According to the 2011 census, there were more than 12,400 Muslims in Keighley in March of that year. Most had started coming to Britain in the 1960s from the Mirpur region of Azad Kashmir, in Pakistan, and the Sylhet region of Bangladesh. As of 2013, there were eight mosques in Keighley, including the purpose-built Markazi Jamia Masjid ('Central Community Mosque') in Emily Street and the purpose-built Jamia Masjid Ghosiyah (Ghosiyah Community Mosque – named after the saint Abdul Qadir Jilani), on Skipton Road. The rest are buildings which have been converted into Mosques, with the oldest being the Shahjalal Jami Masjid and Jamiah Quraniah (ShahJalal Community Mosque and Quran Teaching School – named after the saint Shah Jalal), on Temple Row, which was previously the Wesleyan Methodist Church, 1845–46.

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.

## Sport[edit]

Keighley Cougars are a semi-professional rugby league team based at Royd Ings Avenue. The ground's historical name is Lawkholme Lane but has been known as Cougar Park since 1992. Keighley RUFC rugby union team are based at Rose Cottage, Utley, and play in the amateur Yorkshire Second Division.

Keighley Central F.C., was a football club that won the Yorkshire Football League Division 3 title in 1964.[56]

On 6 July 2014, Stage 2 of the 2014 Tour de France from York to Sheffield, passed through the town. It was also the location of the stage's intermediate sprint after 42.6 miles (68.6 km). The 20 points for the Points jersey was claimed by Blel Kadri of AG2R La Mondiale.[57]

## Filmography[edit]

### Film[edit]

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.[58]

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. Beaufoy said the film was originally set in Oldham, but "worked its way across the Pennines".[59]

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, the film of the Pink Floyd musical The Wall and an episode of the long-running situation comedy, The Last of the Summer Wine.[60] A Touch of Frost, starring David Jason, was also filmed at the railway line close to Ingrow West.[61]

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.[62] The same director's next film, The Jealous God, (2005) also featured Keighley railway station and nearby streets.[63]

The film God's Own Country about the young life of a sheep farmer was filmed in Laycock and also at Keighley bus station[64]

### Television[edit]

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.[65]

A great part of the 2004 BBC television drama North and South was shot on Keighley, with Dalton Mills being one of the serial's main locations.[66]

## Notable people[edit]

See also: Category:People from Keighley

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Keighley" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

|

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

* Simon Beaufoy (1967–), an Oscar, Bafta and Golden Globe award-winning British screenwriter who was born in Keighley
* Steve Binns (1960–), long distance runner who competed in the 1988 Olympic Games.
* Gordon Bottomley (1874–1948), poet.
* Asa Briggs (1921–2016), historian and academic.
* Brontë Sisters, lived in the village of Haworth, which is two miles (3 km) south of Keighley.
* Anne (1820–1849), novelist.
* Charlotte (1816–1855), novelist.
* Emily (1818–1848), novelist.
* Harry Brook (1999–), cricketer for Yorkshire and England
* Alastair Campbell (1957–), former Labour party spin doctor.[67]
* John Tiplady Carrodus (1836–1895), violinist.
* Peter Dixon, British Lions and England rugby union Captain
* Kiki Dee (1947–), singer-songwriter, originally from Bradford.
* Ian Dewhirst, local librarian and historian.
* Sandra Dorne (1924–1992), actress in 1940s and 1950s films, and parts in TV series.
* Roma Gill (1934–2001), academic and literary scholar.
* Jeff Hall (1929–1959), footballer for Birmingham City FC and England FC. Born in Scunthorpe but raised in Keighley.
* Willis Hall (1929–2005), playwright, lived in Oldfield near Keighley in the 1970s and 1980s.
* Peter Hartley, (1960–), former county cricketer for Yorkshire, Warwickshire and Hampshire.
* Denis Healey (1917–2015), a Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Defence.[68]
* Mike Hellawell (1938–), footballer for Birmingham City, Queens Park Rangers, Sunderland and 2 appearances for England FC.
* Trevor Hockey (1943–1987), Welsh international footballer, who also played with Bradford City and Birmingham City.
* Sir Isaac Holden, 1st Baronet (1807–1897), inventor and manufacturer, known for Lucifer Matches, and served as Liberal MP for Keighley 1888–1895.
* Lesley Horton, crime novelist and author of the detective inspector John Handford series lives in Keighley.
* Paul Hudson (1971–), local television weather forecaster.
* Keith Jessop (1933–2010), salvage diver and marine treasure hunter.
* Alexander Keighley (1861–1947), pictorialist photographer & member of the Linked Ring group.
* Henry de Keighley (−1313), Lancashire knight, granted the first charter to hold a market in Keighley on 17 October 1305 by King Edward I.[8]
* Dougie Lampkin (1976–), born in Silsden, a motorcycle trials rider.
* Tommy Lee (1986–), footballer who is a goalkeeper for Chesterfield.
* Robin Ling (1927–2017), orthopaedic surgeon.
* Leigh Marklew (1968–), of Bradford rock band Terrorvision.
* Peter Mayhew (1944–2019), British actor who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars films, lived in Keighley between 1987 and 2000.[69]
* Chris Melling (1979–), professional pool player and former world number one.
* Sir Tom Moore (1920–2021), former British Military Officer, fundraiser for NHS Charities during the COVID-19 pandemic.[70]
* Herbert Morley (1883–), Victorian explorer.[citation needed]
* Ian Mosey, professional golfer. Winner of two European Tour events.
* Reynold A. Nicholson (1868–1945) was an English orientalist, scholar of Islamic literature, Rumi and Islamic mysticism
* George Nicholson (1760–1825), printer.[71]
* Matty Pearson (1993–), professional footballer for Huddersfield F.C.
* Eric Pickles (1952–), former Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and a former Chairman of the Conservative Party.
* Michael Sams (1941–), murderer.[72]
* Geoff Smith (1928–2013), former Bradford City goalkeeper, lived in Keighley.
* Michelle Smith (1983–), rifle shooter who won Silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.
* J. Keighley Snowden (1860–1947), journalist and novelist.
* Philip Snowden, (1864–1937), the first Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer. Editor of the Keighley Labour Journal. 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 (1826–1898), local brewer who opened the Timothy Taylor Brewery in 1858.
* Percy Vear (1911–1983), a British professional boxer during the 1920s and 1930s.
* Ricky Wilson (1978–), musician and part of Leeds five-piece Kaiser Chiefs.
* Margaret Wintringham (1879–1955), the second woman to take a seat in the House of Commons.[73]
* Frank Whitcombe (1913–1958), Bradford Northern & Great Britain rugby league footballer.
* Frank Whitcombe Jr (1936–2010), Bradford RFC, Keighley RUFC, Yorkshire RUFC & North Eastern Counties RUFC.
* Martin Whitcombe (1961–), Leicester Tigers, Bedford RFC, Leeds Tykes, Yorkshire RUFC & England 'B' International Rugby Union player.
* Jake Wright (1986–), professional footballer who plays for Oxford United.

## Freedom of the Town[edit]

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Keighley.

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (May 2020)

|

### Individuals[edit]

* Benjamin Septimus Brigg (First Mayor[74])
* Sir John Brigg[citation needed]
* W A Brigg (Mayor)[citation needed]
* Henry Isaac Butterfield (Textiles Manufacturer and owner of Cliffe Castle)[citation needed]
* Andrew Carnegie[citation needed]
* John Tiplady Carrodus: 5 February 1895.[75]
* John Clough (mill owner and owner of Haincliffe House[76])
* William Clough[citation needed]
* 8th Duke of Devonshire[citation needed]
* Sir Isaac Holden, 1st Baronet[citation needed]
* H C Longsdon (Mayor in 1901[74])[citation needed]
* James Lund (Mill Owner 1829–1903 and builder of Lund's Tower)[citation needed]
* Captain Sir Thomas Moore: 16 April 2020.[77]
* Sir Swire Smith: March 1918.[78]
* Sir Bracewell Smith: 6 February 1957.[79]
* Lord Snowdon of Ickornshaw[citation needed]

### Military Units[edit]

* The Yorkshire Regiment: 2011.

## See also[edit]

* Baildon
* Bingley
* Bradford
* Cowling
* Cross Hills
* Cross Roads
* Cullingworth
* Damems
* East Morton
* Eastburn
* Hainworth
* Harden
* Haworth
* Ingrow
* Laycock
* Long Lee
* Lumbfoot
* Oakworth
* Oldfield
* Oxenhope
* Riddlesden
* Ryecroft
* Silsden
* Stanbury
* Steeton
* Sutton-in-Craven

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Yorkshire and the Humber". City Population. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
2. ^ "Keighley Town Council | Keighley, West Yorkshire, England". Retrieved 4 May 2020.
3. ^ "Keighley". Collins Online Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
4. ^ "Keighley". Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
5. ^ "Keighley CP (Parish)". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
6. ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Keighley Parish (E04000165)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
7. ^ "Keighley – Name Meaning". ancestry.com. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
8. ^ a b "Latin Expert Sought to Decipher Charter". Keighley News. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
9. ^ "1379 Yorkshire Poll Tax Subsidy Rolls". Retrieved 28 November 2023.
10. ^ "Keighley Town Centre Conservation Area Assessment" (PDF). Transportation, Planning and Design Department, the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
11. ^ "Woman pays tribute to Sharpe hero". Telegraph & Argus. 7 November 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
12. ^ "The Day The Hindenburg Visited Yorkshire". Yorkshire Air Museum. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
13. ^ "Keighley schoolchildren to make film about Hindenburg visit before Second World War". Keighley News. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
14. ^ "Riddlesden man made famous by crucifix-find dies aged 89". Telegraph & Argus. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
15. ^ a b Dewhirst, Ian (1974). "10". A History of Keighley. Keighley: Tempus. p. 135\. OCLC 41722645.
16. ^ "Election results 2017: Labour increase hold on West Yorkshire". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
17. ^ "BBC Election Results". BBC. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
18. ^ "BBC Election Results". BBC.
19. ^ "BNP Mayoress stripped of position". BBC News. 13 March 2006. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
20. ^ "Keighley grappling to find Voice for the future". Keighley News. 9 July 2001. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
21. ^ "Town council makes history". Telegraph & Argus. 24 May 2002. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
22. ^ "Keighley Town Council". Retrieved 5 November 2021.
23. ^ "South Craven 'could split from Bradford'". Craven Herald & Pioneer. 14 July 2006. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
24. ^ "kdfhs.org.uk". www.kdfhs.org.uk.
25. ^ "Yorkshire Region". Civic Heraldry. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
26. ^ "Flood: Hundreds Homeless as Floods Hit". Telegraph & Argus. 3 November 2000. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
27. ^ "Floods Could Cost Millions". Keighley News. 1 November 2000. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
28. ^ "Rombald's Moor Stone Circles". Retrieved 24 January 2009.
29. ^ "Keighley AP/CP: Total Population]". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 1 March 2008.
30. ^ "Keighley MB: Total Population". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 1 March 2008.
31. ^ "National Registration Act, 1939". Rootsweb.com. Retrieved 8 June 2007.
32. ^ "Our Range of Beer". Timothy Taylor. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
33. ^ "Rombald is to stay put". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 6 August 2004. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
34. ^ "Picture House Cinema Keighley | Movies | Latest Films | Book Online | Cinema in Keighley". keighley.nm-cinemas.co.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
35. ^ "Full Freeview on the Keighley (Bradford, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
36. ^ "Romsbalds Radio". Retrieved 30 September 2023.
37. ^ "Keighley News". British Papers. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
38. ^ "Telegraph & Argus". British Papers. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
39. ^ a b "France Magazine – Twin Towns". www.francemag.com. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
40. ^ Handley, Susan (2006). Take your partners: The local authority handbook on international partnerships. London: Local Government International Bureau. p. 4\. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
41. ^ Frank Crane (2008). War and World Government. BiblioBazaar, LLC. p. 200\. ISBN 978-0-559-44381-7. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
42. ^ "Sister Cities Program". City of Myrtle Beach. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
43. ^ "Keighley Public Library". Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
44. ^ "Shopping Centre Award for Keighley Bus Station". Archived from the original on 24 June 2004. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
45. ^ "New bus station is just the ticket". Keighley News. 8 February 2002. Archived from the original on 3 August 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
46. ^ "keighleyonline". Retrieved 3 February 2008.
47. ^ "University Academy Keighley". Retrieved 3 August 2011.
48. ^ "Oakbank School". Retrieved 3 February 2008.
49. ^ "Parkside School". Retrieved 3 February 2008.
50. ^ "The Holy Family Catholic School". Retrieved 3 February 2008.
51. ^ "Further & Higher Education Opportunities". Keighley College. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
52. ^ "STAR centre may be leading light in next space race". Keighley News. 2 March 2008. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
53. ^ "KIVCA".
54. ^ "Keighley Shared Church". www.keighleysharedchurch.org.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
55. ^ "History of Modern Spiritualism". Archived from the original on 17 February 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
56. ^ "Football Club History Database – Yorkshire League 1963–64". fchd.info.
57. ^ "Tour de France Stage 1". Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
58. ^ "Blow Dry (2001)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
59. ^ "Bafta-winner tackles 'racial divide'". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 5 January 2005. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
60. ^ Jos, Simon (2015). A Rough Guide to Yorkshire. Chalfont St Peter: Bradt. p. 110\. ISBN 978-1409371045.
61. ^ "Keighley and Worth Valley Railway – Culture & Art – Haworth – West Yorkshire | Welcome to Yorkshire". www.yorkshire.com. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
62. ^ "Film shot in Keighley is released". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 7 April 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
63. ^ "Jealous God a reel cinema hit". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 19 September 2005. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
64. ^ Knights, David (29 April 2016). "New movie God's Own Country filmed at Keighley bus station". Keighley News. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
65. ^ "Edge of the City". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 5 August 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
66. ^ "North and South – Soundtrack and Location information". BBC Drama. Archived from the original on 23 June 2006. Retrieved 24 January 2009.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
67. ^ "Campbell cashes in his chips". Scotland on Sunday. 31 August 2003.
68. ^ "Denis Healey biography". spartacus-educational. Archived from the original on 30 December 2006. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
69. ^ "Sat[sic] Wars giant returns". Telegraph & Argus. 2 May 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
70. ^ "Captain Sir Tom Moore: 'National inspiration' dies with Covid-19". BBC News. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
71. ^ Oxford Online Dictionary of National Biography – George Nicholson
72. ^ Yorkshire and Lincolnshire: The Price of Justice? BBC News
73. ^ Oxford Online Dictionary of National Biography: Margaret Wintringham
74. ^ a b "Keighley mayoral regalia". keighley.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
75. ^ "John Tiplady Carrodus: a tale of seven violins". themessiahviolin. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
76. ^ "About Hainworth Woods". hainworth.co.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
77. ^ "Veteran Capt Tom Moore to be given freedom of Keighley after raising £13m for NHS". ITV News. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
78. ^ The Times, 18 March 1918 p. 5
79. ^ "Photograph of Sir Bracewell Smith's Freedom of Keighley Scroll". Flickr. Retrieved 11 March 2022.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Keighley.

* Keighley Town Council
* Keighley Shared Church
* Keighley at Curlie
* Keighley Online – News, business and Keighley community site
* The ancient parish of Keighley: historical and genealogical information at GENUKI.

* v
* t
* e

City of Bradford

Towns,
villages,
areas
and wards|

Addingham
Allerton
Apperley Bridge
Baildon
Barkerend
Belle Vue
Ben Rhydding
Bingley
Bingley Rural
Bingley ward
Bolton and Undercliffe
Bowling and Barkerend
Bradford
Bradford Moor
Broomfields
Burley in Wharfedale
Burley Woodhead
Buttershaw
City of Bradford
City ward
Clayton
Cottingley
Craven ward
Crossflatts
Cross Roads
Cullingworth
Cutler Heights
Denholme
Dudley Hill
East Morton
East Bowling
Eastburn
Eccleshill
Egypt
Eldwick
Esholt
Frizinghall
Forster Square
Gilstead
Girlington
Great Horton
Greengates
Hainworth
Harden
Haworth
Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury
Heaton
Holme Wood
Idle
Idle and Thackley
Ilkley
Ingrow
Keighley
Keighley Central
Keighley East
Keighley West
Laisterdyke
Laycock
Little Germany
Little Horton
Long Lee
Longlands
Low Moor
Lumbfoot
Manningham
Menston
Oakenshaw
Oakworth
Odsal
Oldfield
Oxenhope
Queensbury
Ravenscliffe
Riddlesden
Royds
Ryecroft
Saltaire
Sandy Lane
Shipley
Silsden
Staithgate
Stanbury
Steeton
Steeton with Eastburn
Thackley
Thornbury
Thornton
Thornton and Allerton
Thorpe Edge
Toller
Tong ward
Tong village
Trident
Tyersal
Wharfedale ward
Wibsey
Wilsden
Windhill and Wrose
Worth Valley
Wrose
Wyke

Governance|

Bradford-Keighley Youth Parliament
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Constituencies
Council
Councillors
Parishes
Politics
Wards

Culture
Leisure and
Tourism|

| Countryside|

Airedale
Bradford Dale
Brontë Country
Harden Moor
Heaton Woods
Ilkley Moor
Judy Woods
Penistone Hill Country Park
Pennine Way
Wharfedale
Worth Valley
Yorkshire Dales

|

Buildings and
Listed buildings|

The Gatehaus
Mechanics' Institute Library
Midland Hotel
Milligan and Forbes Warehouse
Old White Horse Inn
Salts Mill
Top Withens
White Wells
Wool Exchange
Halls
Bingley Town Hall
Bolling Hall
Bradford City Hall
Cartwright Hall
Cottingley Town Hall
East Riddlesden Hall
Heathcote
Ilkley Town Hall
Keighley Town Hall
Oakwood Hall
Oakworth Hall
Paper Hall
Ponden Hall
Royds Hall
Shipley Town Hall
Silsden Town Hall
Victoria Hall
Mills
: Drummond Mill
Lister Mills
Places of Worship
All Saints' Parish Church
Al Mahdi Mosque
Bradford Cathedral
Bradford Grand Mosque

Bradford Tree of Life Synagogue
Holy Trinity Church, Bingley
St Patrick's Church
Saltaire United Reformed Church
St Peter's Church, Addingham
Shree Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple

Entertainment|

Bradford Alhambra
Bradford Odeon
Bradford Playhouse
Cubby Broccoli Cinema
Ilkley Playhouse
IMAX
Keighley Picture House
Odeon Leeds-Bradford
Pictureville Cinema
St George's Hall

Museums
and galleries|

BD1 Gallery
Bolling Hall
Bracken Hall Countryside Centre and Museum
Bradford Industrial Museum
Brontë Parsonage Museum
Cartwright Hall
Cliffe Castle Museum
Colour Experience
Ilkley Toy Museum
Impressions Gallery
Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
Manor House Museum
Museum of Rail Travel
National Science and Media Museum
Peace Museum
Transperience

Clubs and
societies|

Airedale Boat Club
Bradford Festival Choral Society
Bradford Girls' Choir
Bradford Mechanics' Institute Library
Fanderson
Idle Working Men's Club
Keighley and District Local History Society
The 1 in 12 Club

Shopping|

Sunbridge Wells
The Broadway
Wool Exchange

Parks|

Bingley St Ives
Bowling Park
Bradford City Park
Harold Park
Holden Park
Horton Park
Lister Park
Northcliffe Park
Peel Park
Roberts Park

Events|

Bingley Music Live
Bradford Literature Festival
Bradford Mela
Moor Music Festival
Ilkley Literature Festival
Infest
Ilkley Trophy
Keighley Festival
Saltaire Festival

Heritage|

Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
Saltaire International Heritage Centre
Shipley Glen Tramway
Undercliffe Cemetery

Services|

| Education|

Bradford College
Bradford Libraries
Bradford Mechanics' Institute Library
Bradford Schools
Shipley College
University of Bradford

|

Health|

Airedale General Hospital
Bradford Royal Infirmary
St Luke's Hospital

Mass media|

| Publishing|

Emerald Group Publishing
Keighley News
Telegraph & Argus

|

Radio|

Pulse 1
Greatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire
RamAir
Sunrise Radio

TV|

AAP TV

Organisations|

| Companies|

Bradford Trades Council
British Wool Marketing Board
Club 18-30
Damart
Dean, Smith & Grace
Findel plc
Four Door Lemon
Grattan
Greenwoods
Hallmark Cards
Hield
JCT600
Kelda
Wm Morrison Supermarkets
Mumtaz Group
Pace Micro Technology
Safestyle UK
Seabrook Potato Crisps
Sports Turf Research Institute
Standard Wool
Telegraph & Argus
Timothy Taylor Brewery
Vanquis Banking Group
Wharfedale Brewery
Yorkshire Building Society
Yorkshire Water

|

Other|

Anchor Hanover Group
Association of Nail Technicians
Bradford Mechanics' Institute Library
Ilkley Upstagers' Theatre Group
Charity
Christians Against Poverty
Human Relief Foundation
Sacar
Religious
Al-Mustafa Centre
LIFE Church UK

Sport|

| Clubs|

Basketball
Bradford Dragons
Cricket
Bradford Premier League
Cycling
Ilkley Cycling Club
Football
Albion Sports A.F.C.
Bradford City
Bradford City W.F.C.
Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.
Eccleshill United F.C.
Ilkley Town A.F.C.
Silsden F.C.
Thackley A.F.C.
Golf
Ilkley Golf Club
Rowing
Bradford Amateur Rowing Club
Rugby
Bradford & Bingley RFC
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls Women
Bradford Dudley Hill
Clayton A.R.L.F.C.
Ilkley Rugby Club
Keighley Cougars
Keighley RUFC

|

Venues|

Cougar Park
Great Horton Road
Horsfall Stadium
Odsal Stadium
Park Avenue
Valley Parade

Waterways|

| Rivers|

Bradford Beck
Harden Beck
Holme Beck
River Aire
River Wharfe
River Worth
Tyersal Beck

|

Canals|

Bingley Five Rise Locks
Bingley Three Rise Locks
Leeds and Liverpool Canal

Crossings|

Beckfoot Bridge
Ireland Bridge
Thornton Viaduct

Transport|

| Air|

Leeds Bradford Airport

|

Rail|

Lines
Airedale
Calder Valley
Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
Shipley Glen Tramway
Wharfdale
Stations
Tunnels
Bowling
Thackley

Bus|

Stations
Bradford Interchange
Ilkley bus station
Keighley bus station
Services
Arriva Yorkshire
First West Yorkshire
Keighley Bus Company

Road|

Road
M62
M606
A647
A650
A658
A6036
A6177

Miscellaneous|

Crime
History
Military
Postcodes
Timeline
People
Geology
Aire Valley Fault
Denholme Clough Fault

Category

* v
* t
* e

Ceremonial county of West Yorkshire

Yorkshire Portal

Metropolitan districts|

* City of Bradford
* City of Leeds
* City of Wakefield
* Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale
* Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees

Major settlements
(cities in italics)|

* Baildon
* Batley
* Bingley
* Birstall
* Bradford
* Brighouse
* Castleford
* Cleckheaton
* Denholme
* Dewsbury
* Elland
* Farsley
* Featherstone
* Garforth
* Guiseley
* Halifax
* Hebden Bridge
* Heckmondwike
* Hemsworth
* Holmfirth
* Horbury
* Horsforth
* Huddersfield
* Ilkley
* Keighley
* Knottingley
* Leeds
* Liversedge
* Meltham
* Mirfield
* Morley
* Normanton
* Ossett
* Otley
* Pontefract
* Pudsey
* Queensbury
* Rothwell
* Shipley
* Silsden
* South Elmsall
* South Kirkby
* Sowerby Bridge
* Stanley
* Thornton
* Todmorden
* Wakefield
* Wetherby
* Yeadon
See also: List of civil parishes in West Yorkshire

Topics|

* Parliamentary constituencies
* West Yorkshire Joint Services
* Places
* Population of major settlements
* SSSIs
* Country houses
* Grade I listed buildings
* Grade II* listed buildings
* Listed buildings
* Windmills
* History
* Lord Lieutenants
* High Sheriffs
* Monastic houses
* Museums
* Rivers

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* Israel
* United States

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template