Shipley, West Yorkshire

Shipley is a town in West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, north of Bradford and north-west of Leeds.

It is within the Metropolitan Borough of Bradford but is outside Bradford itself (it was also outside the pre-1974 Bradford county borough boundaries, forming an urban district in its own right) although the town forms a continuous urban area with Bradford. It has a population of approximately 28,162.^[1]

History

In Shipley is a World Heritage Site: the village of Saltaire, which was planned by the industrialist Sir Titus Salt to house the workforce at his mill. Salt built the mill beside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal for the manufacture of alpaca and woollen cloth. Salts Mill is no longer used for textile production, but now contains the 1853 Gallery, dedicated to the work of David Hockney, along with a variety of shops, restaurants and local businesses, including Pace Micro Technology.

To the north of Shipley, across the River Aire, is a wooded ridge called Shipley Glen (the word "glen" referring to the little valley beneath the ridge). This has long been a popular beauty spot, and in 1895 the Shipley Glen Tramway was built to carry visitors up to the top. The tramway has weathered periods of neglect and even closure, but at present (2008) it runs most weekends, staffed by volunteers.

Transport

Shipley railway station serves the town, and has an unusual triangular layout, corresponding to the Skipton to Leeds line, the Leeds to Bradford (Forster Square) line, and the Bradford to Skipton/Ilkley lines. There is also a railway station in the suburb of Saltaire. There is a small bus station in Shipley Market Place.

Notable residents

Oscar-winning film director, Tony Richardson was born in Shipley in 1928 and directed films including, "Look Back in Anger" in 1959, "The Entertainer" in 1960, A Taste of Honey in 1961 and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner in 1962.^[2]

England spin bowler Jim Laker is from Shipley. He still holds the world record for the number of wickets taken by one player in a first-class cricket match - 19 out of a possible 20 (Old Trafford 1956, vs Australia). A residential street in the Moorhead district of Shipley has been named Jim Laker Place, in his memory.^[3]

TV actor Steven Hartley comes from Shipley.

Actor Bryan Mosley (Alf Roberts in Coronation Street) lived in Shipley for many years until his death.

Richard Corbett, the Labour MEP, lives in Saltaire, as does Liberal Democrat peer Lord Wallace of Saltaire.

2007 BRC Stars of the Future Rally Champion Luke Pinder is from Shipley.^[4]

Joseph Wright, author of the English Dialect Dictionary and one of the earliest users of phonetic notation, was born in nearby Thackley but grew up in Windhill (now east Shipley). He wrote a book, A Grammar of the Dialect of Windhill.

Economy

The town today is typical of many of its size. It has one major supermarket, an Asda in the town centre as well as budget supermarkets and convenience shops around the town. The town has a market hall known for its 1960s brutalist architectural design, in particular its clock tower. There is also a pedestrianised market square, an Arndale Centre and many other shops. Notable retailers include Laura Ashley, Argos, Boots and until recently, Woolworths. A pedestrian precinct with some shops and leisure businesses links Asda and its multi-storey free car park with Market Square. This area also includes the Shipley Library. The town is known to be busy as it is the main route for traffic between Bradford and the towns of Bingley, Keighley and Skipton.

References

External links

• Shipley at the Open Directory Project
• Salts Mill official website
• Shipley College official website
• Photographs of The Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Shipley
• St Paul's Church, Shipley
• The ancient parish of Bradford: historical and genealogical information at GENUKI (Shipley was in this parish).