Rodley, West Yorkshire
Coordinates: 53°49′19″N 1°39′29″W / 53.822°N 1.658°W
Rodley is a village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated inside, the Leeds Outer Ring Road, 5 miles (8.0 km) north-west from Leeds city centre and 4 miles (6.4 km) north-east from Bradford. The hamlet of Bagley borders Rodley.
History
Rodley village is not recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book, although several nearby places such as Horsforth, Calverley, Farsley and Bramley are. The earliest use of the name Rodley appears to be "Rodele", who was listed as a tenant in the Domesday Book, and "Redlega" who was recorded in Yorkshire in 1157.
Part of the north-western end of the village is in what was, before the Local Government Act 1972, the Municipal Borough of Pudsey; a sign, next to The Owl public house on Rodley Lane, still notes this heritage.
Industrial history
In 1820 Thomas Smith's Steam Crane Works was established and by 1888 it had gained a reputation internationally for the manufacture of cranes and lifting gear.[1] In 1847, next to the Thomas Smith works, another crane manufacturer was established: Joseph Booth & Bros, founded by Joseph Booth's father Jeremiah, a former partner of Thomas Smith's father.[2] With two prominent companies manufacturing cranes and other local ironworks producing smaller numbers of similar cranes,[3] many preserved steam cranes are referred to as being of 'Leeds Type' or 'Rodley Type.'
More recently Rodley was the home of Rowley Workshop, makers of 3-2-1, Wizbit and Dusty the Dawg. The workshop was housed in the former Bethel Chapel, which is now flats.
The Rodley microcar was made in Rodley by the Rodley Automobile Company between 1954 and 1956.
Community
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes through the village, running parallel with Rodley Town Street. Many of the stone-built industrial buildings and mills that once lined the banks of the canal have been demolished and replaced with modern apartments and houses, as Rodley develops as a commuter village equidistant between Leeds and Bradford. Some of the area is now protected as a Conservation Area.
Rodley has three public houses and a working men's social club: The Railway at Calverley Bridge, The Rodley Barge, The Crown & Anchor and Rodley Social Club on Town Street.
The Rodley Nature Reserve is a wetland reserve created in 1999 on the site of a former sewage works, just north of Town Street on the north bank of the River Aire.[4]
Adjacent, on the opposite bank to the nature reserve, is Canal Bank Sports Ground, which is the base for a cricket and an amateur Rugby League club. Rodley Cricket Club plays in the Central Yorkshire cricket league.[5] The Rodley Rockets runs rugby teams chiefly for juniors, and plays in the Pennine Amateur Rugby League.[6]
Notable people
- Lorraine Chase
- Charles M. Maud born in Rodley[7]
Location grid
 |
Horsforth | | ||
| Calverley |  |
Bramley | ||
| ||||
 | ||||
| Farsley |
References
- ↑ "Discovering Leeds - Industrial Leeds", Leeds.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2012
- ↑ Smith, Frederick H. (1947); Proud Heritage, A History of Thomas Smith & Sons (Rodley) Ltd
- ↑ McEwen, Alan; Old Glory Magazine, three part article "Yorkshire Steam Crane Manufacturers" November 2011 - January 2012
- ↑ "In the beginning". Rodley Nature Reserve. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ↑ Rodley Cricket Club
- ↑ http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/rodleyrocketsarlfc/
- ↑ "Charles Maud", Theaerodrome.com. Retrieved 15 May 2012
External links
Media related to Rodley, West Yorkshire at Wikimedia Commons
- The Ancient Parish of Calverley Rodley was in this parish
- Photographs of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Rodley