Riddlesden

Riddlesden is a suburb of Keighley (historically a separate village) in the county of West Yorkshire, England and on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.[1]

Riddlesden

Bar Lane in Riddlesden
Riddlesden
Location within West Yorkshire
OS grid referenceSE080424
Civil parish
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townKeighley
Postcode districtBD
Dialling code01535
PoliceWest Yorkshire
FireWest Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament

The village lies 1.9 miles (3 km) east of Keighley town centre and is on the B6265 road between Keighley and Bingley.[2] The part of the village by the canal is at a height of 360 feet (110 m) above sea level.[3]

History

Riddlesden is mentioned in the Domesday Book as belonging to William the Conqueror and being in the Wapentake of Skyrack.[4] The name of the village appears throughout history as Redlesden and as Redelesden and it derives from the name of a wooded vale (or farm) of Rœd or Redwulf.[5][6]

The village was historically in the parish of Bingley,[7] but it is currently in the civil parish of Keighley. There have been proposals in 2010 and 2012 for Riddlesden to have a separate parish which includes nearby Stockbridge and Sandbeds.[8][9] The ecclesiastical parish is known as Riddlesden St Mary, which is the name of the church in the village.[10] The Diocese of Leeds estimates the ecclesiastical parish to have a population of 4,500.[11] The village lies in the Ward of Keighley East for the purposes of census data.[12]

In 1773, the Bingley to Skipton section of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal was opened. Riddlesden had several wharves which allowed for the exportation of coal from the nearby collieries.[13] Coal was mined at Riddlesden between 1700 and the early 1920s.[14]

The manor of Riddlesden, incorporating both houses (East and West Riddlesden Halls[15]), was the breeding place of the Airedale Heifer, a legendary heavy cow similar in stature to the Craven Heifer.[16] A pub called the Airedale Heifer is located in nearby Sandbeds, just to the east.[17][18]

Landmarks
East Riddlesden Hall

East Riddlesden Hall is in the care of the National Trust. It was built in 1642 by a wealthy Halifax clothier, James Murgatroyd. There is a medieval tithebarn in the grounds.[19]

East Riddlesden Hall was featured on an episode of the paranormal themed reality television programme Most Haunted.[20]

A lot of walkers and campers and various clubs, e.g. Scouts, are attracted to the village because of its sights, such as the peculiarly shaped cliff known as "turtle rock" to locals.[21]

Amenities

The school for Riddlesden is St. Mary's Church of England Primary School and Nursery.[22] The village has a large grocery shop and two pubs.[23] Walks in the area are centred on the towpath of the canal, which is also designated as National Cycle Route 69.[2][24]

Between 1927 and 2017, Riddlesden had a golf course to the west of the village overlooking the canal. The site closed due to dwindling numbers and has been converted into a scout activity centre.[25] Just past the former golf course is Low Wood Nature Reserve, which is run by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.[26]

Notable people
  • Denis Healey - Labour MP, later Baron Healey, of Riddlesden in the County of West Yorkshire, was brought up in the village from the age of eight.[27]

See also

References
  1. Knights, David (23 March 2018). "Boost for canal towpath between Silsden and Riddlesden". Keighley News. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  2. "297" (Map). Lower Wharfedale & Washburn Valley. 1:25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 9780319245491.
  3. "Riddlesden, Bradford - area information, map, walks and more". getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  4. "Riddlesden | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  5. Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 386. ISBN 0-19-869103-3.
  6. Johnston, James B (1915). The Place-names of England and Wales. London: J Murray. p. 417. OCLC 457619292.
  7. "Genuki: Bingley, Yorkshire (West Riding)". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  8. White, Clive (24 January 2010). "'We want more say in affairs'". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  9. "People must feel their voice will be heard". Keighley News. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  10. "Riddlesden: St Mary the Virgin - A Church Near You". www.achurchnearyou.com. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  11. PPSM 2016, p. 5.
  12. UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Keighley East Ward (as of 2011) (E05001356)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  13. Gill, M C (2004). Keighley coal : (a history of coal mining in the Keighley district). Sheffield: Northern Mine Research Society. p. 7. ISBN 0-901450-57-X.
  14. Shand, Alistair (17 January 2013). "Pit shaft discovered during Riddlesden roadworks". Keighley News. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  15. Historic England. "West Riddlesden Hall  (Grade I) (1313939)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  16. Speight, Harry (1891). Through Airedale from Goole to Malham. London: E Stock. p. 178. OCLC 5824116.
  17. Historic England. "Airedale Heifer Public House and Attached Barn  (Grade II) (1199346)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  18. Shand, Alistair (30 July 2015). "Pub opens its doors after major refurbishment". Keighley News. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  19. Winn, Christopher (2010). I never knew that about Yorkshire. London: Ebury. pp. 123–124. ISBN 978-0-09-193313-5.
  20. "Most Haunted - S8 - Episode 9: East Riddlesden Hall". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  21. Loweth, Jenny (5 February 2016). "Schoolgirl rape: Twelfth man to sexually abuse teenager had raped another victim in the same park". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  22. Shand, Alistair (25 May 2017). "Science honour for Riddlesden school". Keighley News. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  23. PPSM 2016, p. 6.
  24. "A Walk from the Towpath" (PDF). www.bradford.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  25. Shand, Alistair (11 September 2017). "Former golf club to be transformed into activity centre for young people". Keighley News. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  26. "Low Wood | YWT". www.ywt.org.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  27. Radice, Giles. "Healey, Denis Winston, Baron Healey". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.109840. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

Sources
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