Cononley

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cononley is a village in the Aire Valley of North Yorkshire, 3 miles south of Skipton and with an estimated population of 1080 (2001 est.). It is situated near the A629 creating easy access to Skipton, Keighley and other nearby settlements. Also joined to the Leeds-Carlisle railway, the village has commuter access to Leeds and Bradford.

[edit] History and Information

The settlement dates back to medieval times when much of the cultivated land formed part of the estate of Bolton Priory. It is clear that most of the dwellings in Cononley date back to mostly the 17th century whilst the other half mostly date back to the first half of the 19th century which was when the village was a centre for hand loom weaving and lead mining.

By 1851, the population of Cononley had grown to 1,272. In the late 19th century most of the citizens of Cononley were employed in one of the two textile mills in the village. Back then Cononley was physically in the West Riding of Yorkshire where as now it is in North Yorkshire county.

Today, with a population of 1080 (2001 census), farming is still significant as well as there being still a few local businesses. The number of people employed in industry within the village has radically declined over the last 25 years.

Housing development in the 20th century was very limited due to the lack of economical growth. Even so, the village is a quite popular place to live with its predominant stone buildings.

As well as part of the working community in the village commuting to Skipton and Keighley, a large number also travel large distances which is made possible by the frequent electric trains to Leeds and Bradford.

The village also has a joint Anglican-Methodist church, a primary school, two pubs and a post office.