Addingham (formerly Haddincham , Odingehem 1086)Mills, A.D. (2003).

', Encyclopedia.com is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the

City of Bradford The City of Bradford () is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford, but covers a large area which includes the towns and v ...

in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated near the A65, south-east of

Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Air ...

, west of Ilkley, north-west of

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

and around north-west of

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

part of the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, it is located in the valley of the

River Wharfe The River Wharfe ( ) is a river in Yorkshire, England originating within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. For much of its middle course it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. Its valley is known as Wharfedale. ...

and is only from the

Yorkshire Dales National Park The Yorkshire Dales National Park is a national park in England covering most of the Yorkshire Dales. Most of the park is in North Yorkshire, with a sizeable area in Westmorland (Cumbria) and a small part in Lancashire. The park was designat ...

. The name is thought to mean "homestead associated with a man called Adda", although in the ''

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

'', the village was referred to as "Ediham", which may have referred to Earl Edwin of Bolton Abbey. The 2001 census numbered Addingham's population at 3,599, increasing to 3,730 at the 2011 Census. The area around Addingham is thought to have been populated from at least

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

times, indicated by the ' cup and ring' carved stones that can be found on Addingham Moor. Its beginnings may date back to the late

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...

period, as evidenced by the scattered remains of early flint tools across Rombald's Moor to the south. The earliest of the existing houses were built in the 17th century when the village was a farming community, but the real growth began in the late 18th century and early 19th century when the textile industry arrived and five working mills, plus other loomshops and weaving sheds, were established, and the village developed into a busy industrial community. The village grew up around three centres; Church Street in the east; The Green, about a mile away in the west; and the Old School in between. This is thought to be one of the reasons the village used to be known as "Long Addingham". Since the decline of the textile industry during the 20th century, the village has now become largely a commuter and retirement community. It is home to an award-winning Medical Centre, a public park, four public houses, several retirement homes and a solitary school, Addingham Primary School.

History

Early history

There is evidence of civilisation around Addingham as far back as the late Mesolithic,

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

and early Bronze Ages, as indicated by the remains of early man in the form of flint tools on Rombald's Moor, which may date back to around 11,000 BC. The first 'fixed' artefacts are the 'cup and ring' marked stones, several of which can be found on top of Addingham Moor and

Ilkley Moor Ilkley Moor is part of Rombalds Moor, the moorland between Ilkley and Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. The moor, which rises to 402 m (1,319 ft) above sea level, is well known as the inspiration for the Yorkshire "county anthem" ...

to the east, which are thought to date back to the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age, around 1800 BC. The first evidence of settlements come from the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

– evidence of major tree clearance dating back to 700 BC has been found, as well as quern-stones on Addingham Moorside, which were shaped like small straw beehives and have hence been named 'beehive querns'. While a settlement on the Moorside has never been found, remains of an Iron Age settlement have been found on Addingham Low Moor, today known as Round Dikes. It has been suggested that Round Dikes, along with similar nearby sites Woofa Bank and Nesfield Scar, were summer encampments of the Romans. Little evidence truly remains of the 350 years of Roman occupation, save for the Roman road towards

(now Moor Lane) which, up until the 1800s, was still the primary route between the two settlements. It is thought that the

Craven Craven may refer to: * Craven in the Domesday Book, an area of Yorkshire, England, larger area than the district ** Craven District, a local government district of North Yorkshire formed in 1974 Places * Craven, New South Wales, Australia, see ...

area, including what now constitutes Addingham, was settled by Anglo-Saxons around 612 AD following the defeat of the local

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

tribe. Addingham is considered to be one of the earlier Anglo-Saxon settlements because of the ending – ''inghaem.'' It is likely that the village was an early Christian centre: Ecgfrith of Northumbria presented the lands in this area to St. Wilfrid in 678 AD, while a letter describing events taking place in 867 AD describes Archishop

Wulfhere of York Wulfhere (died ) was Archbishop of York between 854 and 900. Life Wulfhere was consecrated in 854.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 224 In 866 the viking Great Heathen Army attacked and captured York, and the following year ...

residing in Addingham during the conflict between the Angles and

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

, which suggests there was already a church and a hall in the village – most likely at the site of St Peter's Church – in the 9th century AD.

Middle Ages

The ''Domesday Book'' in 1086 places the village in the region of

Burghshire Claro was a wapentake of the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was split into two divisions. The Upper Division included the parishes of Farnham, Fewston, Hampsthwaite, Kirkby Malzeard and Pannal and parts of Aldborough, Knaresborough, Otl ...

and refers to the village as "Ediham". The Lord in 1066 was Earl Edwin of Bolton Abbey ("Bodeltone"), who was Lord of several other surrounding settlements ranging as far west as Skipton,

Hellifield Hellifield is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England (). Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the village was once an important railway junction on the Settle-Carlisle Railway between th ...

and Anley, and may have given his name to the village. The weir of a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

corn mill that is located near modern-day High Mill has been dated back to 1315, and is one of the oldest medieval structures in the village. Despite this, the main occupation in the 1370s, when

poll tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...

was levied, was agriculture, iron smelting and blacksmithing.

Early Modern Period: Reformation and early textile mills

During the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

dissolved the monastery in Bolton Abbey, and while most of Addingham accepted the Reformation,

Richard Kirkman William Lacy (Lacey) (died 1582) was an English Catholic priest and martyr. He and fellow priest Richard Kirkman were executed at York on 22 August 1582. Biography William was born at Houghton or Tosside, West Riding). He married a widow, name ...

remained faithful to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and was subsequently arrested in 1578, tried, and executed in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

alongside William Lacy. The Roman Catholic Church "Our Lady and of the English Martyrs", which was built in 1927 on Bolton Road, is dedicated to him and to other Catholics persecuted by Henry VIII. During the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

in 1642, Addingham was probably mainly

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

, as several villagers are thought to have helped to defend Skipton Castle from the Parliamentarians. The earliest indications of the

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of yarn, cloth and clothing. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry. Industry process Cotton manufacturi ...

in the village can be found in the will of William Atkinson in 1568, in which it states that he left a solitary

loom A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...

to his son-in-law. The cloth making industry remained stagnant, however, until the 18th century, when revolutionary

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...

inventions such as John Kay's

Flying shuttle The flying shuttle was one of the key developments in the industrialization of weaving during the early Industrial Revolution. It allowed a single weaver to weave much wider fabrics, and it could be mechanized, allowing for automatic machine l ...

and, later, water-powered machines such as Crompton's Spinning mule, allowed the textile industry in Addingham to leap forward as it entered the 19th century. John Cunliffe, a cloth manufacturer, and John Cockshott, a glazier and woolstapler, took advantage of the new developments in technology and leased land on the side of the River Wharfe in 1787 at the site now known as Low Mill. They built a spinning mill which enabled yarn to be spun more quickly than by hand and thus increased the production of cloth. A weir was constructed on the river and a wheel installed to provide the power. It was the first successful worsted mill in the world.

19th century: Thriving textile industry

West Hall Suspension Bridge, Addingham - geograph

The start of the 19th century saw the textile industry begin to thrive in the village – existing mills, such as the one at High Mill which had been built in 1787 to produce corn, were converted and extended and used for

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

worsted Worsted ( or ) is a high-quality type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of Norfolk. That village, together with North Walsham and Aylsham, for ...

and finally

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

spinning, while other new mills were built, such as Town Head Mill and Fentimans, the latter of which was built in 1802 originally to spin cotton and was later converted into a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

in the 1860s. Several small workshops were also built, as well as three-storey high workers' houses, in which the lower two floors would be for domestic use, and the top floor would house the looms, with inter-connecting doors along the row of houses. These buildings still exist today, and examples can be seen on Stockinger Lane. In 1826, Low Mill, now under the tenancy of Jeremiah Horsfall, was the scene of a

Luddite The Luddites were a secret oath-based organisation of English textile workers in the 19th century who formed a radical faction which destroyed textile machinery. The group is believed to have taken its name from Ned Ludd, a legendary weaver s ...

uprising. In the census reports between 1831 and 1861, it was reported that there was a dramatic decline in the population of the village, and the 1841 census stated that this was due to the closure of Low Mill. In the 1851 census, so many of the houses at Low Mill were reported as empty that it is assumed that the mill remained closed until then. By 1861, hand loom weavers had practically disappeared. However, shortly afterwards, Samuel Cunliffe Lister re-opened Low Mill, with commercial operations being handled at Piece Hall at 19 Main Street. In 1875, the Lord of the Manor, Richard Smith of London, proposed the construction of 20 streets, each with 40 to 50 houses. Small shops lined the Main Street, such as grocers, greengrocers and butchers. An Addingham co-operative society was formed; it prospered sufficiently to buy land on Bolton Road and build new premises and a row of cottages. The old ferry which brought parishioners from Beamsley was replaced by a foot bridge, and around about the same time a horse-drawn bus service to Ilkley was introduced. By the end of the 19th century, there were five operating mills in the village, three of them owned by Lister, and the village was thriving again.

20th century: Second World War and industrial decline

The village continued to produce textiles until the start of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and despite high levels of production during the war, the textile industry never really recovered. However, after the bombing of the SU Carburetter factory in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in 1941, production switched to Addingham, at which time up to 1,000 people worked there and prefabricated homes were erected in Ilkley to cater for the sudden increase in employees. The other textiles factories were busy during the war, and the Listers, having produced silk between wars with a German company, were able to use their expertise to produce silk parachutes. After the war, Carburetter production ceased and Low Mill returned to textiles. For a short time the mills were working hard, as textiles were in short supply. However, the machinery was out of date, and there was a major closure of

textile mill Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...

s throughout the country. In Addingham, the last mill to close was at Low Mill in 1976. In the meantime, the demand for small, cheap housing increased, and this saw new council houses being built at Moor Lane after the First World War, and at School Lane, Burns Hill and Green Lane after the Second World War. After the closure of the railway line in 1969, a modern housing estate was built where the line used to run, and has since been expanded. In 1998, textiles briefly returned to Addingham and Low Mill in the form of a Norwegian-based company, Straum (UK), who started production of scoured wool, but this business closed in 2002. Today, the village is mainly a retirement and commuter community, with several people commuting every day to nearby towns such as Skipton and Ilkley and also to larger cities like Leeds and Bradford.

Governance

The lowest form of governance is the Parish Council, which was formed in 1894, when the village was part of the

Skipton Rural District Skipton was a rural district in the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1894 to 1974. It was named after Skipton, which constituted an urban district on its southern border. The district was expanded in 1937 by taking in the parishes of Steeton with ...

. In 1974, as part of the Local Government Act of 1972, the village was redistributed to become part of the

Bradford Metropolitan District Council City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council is the local authority of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of five in West Yorkshire and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, ...

. The council comprises 11 members, with elections held every four years to coincide with the year's District Council elections. The village is part of the

ward of the

Metropolitan borough A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts within metropolitan ...

of the

, part of the

Metropolitan county The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level administrative division of England. There are six metropolitan counties, which each cover large urban areas, with populations between 1 and 3 million. They were created in 1974 and are each di ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

. Addingham is part of the Keighley UK Parliament constituency, represented by

Robbie Moore Robert David Moore (May 3, 1954 – January 7, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals. He played his college hockey at the University of Michigan and the Universi ...

of the Conservatives since the 2019 general election. The constituency was previously represented by

John Grogan John Joseph Grogan ( ; born March 20, 1957) is an American journalist and non-fiction writer. His memoir ''Marley & Me'' (2005), was a very best selling book, about his family's dog, Marley, in real life. Early life Grogan was born to a Catholi ...

(Labour 2017–2019),

Kris Hopkins Kristan Frederick Hopkins (born 8 June 1963) is a British Conservative Party politician, who was formerly the Member of Parliament for Keighley in West Yorkshire. Elected in 2010, he served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, a government wh ...

(Conservative, 2010–2017), and before that by

Ann Cryer Constance Ann Cryer JP (''née'' Place; born 14 December 1939) is a British former politician who was the Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Keighley from the 1997 general election up until she stood down at the 2010 general election ...

(Labour, 1997–2010). Like Ilkley, Addingham is a Conservative majority, which contrasts to the Labour voting area in

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...

Demographics

According to the 2001 census, Addingham had a population of 3,599 living in 1,645 households. Of the 2,997 people aged 16 or over, 2,052 were either married or living with a partner, 587 were single and 544 were divorced or widowed. The mean age of the village was 44.42. Of the 1,645 households, 1,631 heads of houses were of white ethnicity, suggesting that around 99.15% of the village is of white ethnicity, a high figure compared to the rest of the Bradford district. The average distance to work is 19.69 km, confirming Addingham's status as a commuter village.

Population change

As the data below suggests, the closure of the majority of the mills between 1831 and 1851 affected the population of the village, with the population dropping by around 600 in 20 years. In 1861 and again in 1881, it is assumed that the population began to grow again due to the re-opening of Low Mill.

Economy

The village relies heavily on local businesses to support the economy, and such businesses provide an array of services, including property services,

butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesal ...

carpentry Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tr ...

driving schools Driver's education, driver education, driving education, driver's ed, driving tuition or driving lessons is a formal class or program that prepares a new driver to obtain a learner's permit or driver's license. The formal class program may also ...

and electrical repairs. In 2009 Addingham Newsagents was re-opened by local businessman Mark Preston, thereby continuing his family's long tradition of shopkeeping in the community, which dates back to the 19th century when his great-grandfather opened a general stores on the site which is now Dixon's Butchers. However, due to the economic climate of recent times, and not helped by the arrival of the Co-op supermarket in 2013, many local businesses have been forced to shut down, prompting the Parish Council to set up a sub-committee, with the purpose of finding new ways to promote local businesses not only around the village but further afield. Addingham has five

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, ''The Fleece'', ''The Crown'', ''The Swan'', ''The Sailor'' and ''The Craven Heifer'' (named for the eponymous

Craven Heifer Craven Heifer (1807–1812) was a cow which lived in the early 19th century, and to this day remains the largest cow ever shown in England: weight , length nose to tip of rump , height at the shoulder , thickest girth . Craven Heifer was bred b ...

), and a social club that are all situated on Main Street. All the pubs in some form offer quizzes and live music. In September 2011, both the Craven Heifer and the Fleece closed. Since then, local businessman Craig Minto has taken over The Fleece, which reopened on 1 December 2011. The Craven Heifer briefly re-opened as a new Chinese restaurant, run by the owners of Po Sang in Ilkley but closed again in June 2012 and is due to re-open in late summer 2012 under the same ownership as the Fleece. The Sailor also closed in June 2012 and remains closed at the time of writing (July 2012).

Transport

Addingham once had its own

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

, but this closed in 1965. It has been suggested that the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway could be extended back to the village and a new LMS Style station could be built on the surviving embankment, a few metres from the old original station site which has now long been redeveloped as housing. Addingham has a half-hourly bus service to Ilkley and

, hourly to

and

, and infrequently between Ilkley and

Grassington Grassington is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 1,126. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is situated in Wharfedale ...

in the

Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales is an upland area of the Pennines in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Yorkshire, England, most of it in the Yorkshire Dales National Park created in 1954. The Dales comprise river valleys and the hills ri ...

. Night-time and Sunday buses are restricted to an hourly service between Ilkley and Keighley. The nearest railway station is in Ilkley, with regular services to Leeds and

Public services

A new Medical Centre in the village was officially opened on 14 August 2009, having been the culmination of many years of battling for a purpose-built surgery to serve local patients. It has replaced the previous centre situated further along the main road. In March 2011, the new centre was awarded a Royal College of General Practitioners' Quality Practice Award (QPA) for the highest standard of patient care. Addingham has a public library on Main Street, which used to be the site of the local school. In February 2011, Bradford Council outlined a money-saving scheme in which five of the areas most under-used libraries, in Addingham,

Denholme Denholme is a town and civil parish in the Bradford Metropolitan Borough, West Yorkshire, England. It is west of Bradford, from Keighley and roughly the same distance from Halifax. Administratively, it is part of the Bingley Rural ward of ...

, Heaton,

Wilsden Wilsden is a village and civil parish in west Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. Wilsden is west of Bradford and is close to the Aire Valley and the nearby villages of Denholme, Cullingworth, Harden, Cottingley and Allerton. Wilsden re- ...

and

Wrose Wrose is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, about three miles north of Bradford city centre, and south-east of Shipley. The civil parish population taken at the 2011 Census was ...

, would be closed. However, parish councillors urged Bradford Council to delay the closure until a takeover could be organised. In November 2011, the library became the first in the area to be fully staffed by community volunteers, and the library is now open for over twice the number of hours it was whilst run by Bradford Council.

Education

The Old School was built in 1669 by Anthony Ward. The school started as a single-storey two-roomed cottage but another storey was added in 1805 when the school moved into the upper room. The school remained as it was until 1845 when it was replaced by the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

school (the 'Low School' in North Street in 1845). In 1874, on Chapel Street, the

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles W ...

s built a day school which in turn became the National School in 1891. This remained as the infant and junior school until the building of the First School and

Middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

s in the 1960s. The First School, closed when the two-tier education system was introduced in 2000, was demolished in 2001. The Middle School then became Addingham Primary School which has around 240 pupils.

Culture, media and sport

Gala

Since at least 1960, Addingham has held a village gala in July. It includes a parade, which begins at Green Lane proceeds down Main Street, culminating at the village park, and several attractions including rides and stalls. Each year, there is a different theme for the Gala. In 2010, a traditional fell race organised by Ilkley Harriers, which had not taken place for over 20 years, was reinstated to the agenda. In 1998, for the first time in living memory, the village was unable to hold a Gala, due to the previous organiser having to step down due to other commitments, and the village being unable to find a replacement. Eventually, a 15-strong team, led by former chairman of the Addingham Civic Society Don Barrett, was set up to organise the Gala, and it took place once again in 1999. However, in 2000, Barrett claimed that village apathy was threatening the Gala once again and the organisation was in need of volunteers 'before it's too late'. Following a local appeal in the ''

Ilkley Gazette The ''Gazette & Observer'', in full the ''Ilkley, Wharfedale and Aireborough Gazette & Observer'', was a weekly newspaper published by Wharfedale Newspapers of Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England, and part of the Newsquest group. It began publicat ...

'', local Rebecca Carter volunteered her help and was elected Chairman of the new Addingham Gala Committee and the gala went ahead. In 2001, the Gala was cancelled due to the Foot and Mouth outbreak, but the Gala Committee instead organised a 'Keep It Local' day, which was intended to give the locals the opportunity to support their local business and create a sense of community spirit. The day involved a

treasure hunt Treasure hunt generally refers to: * Treasure hunting, the physical search for treasure, typically by finding sunken shipwrecks or buried ancient cultural sites * Treasure hunt (game), a game simulating a hunt for treasure Treasure Hunt may refer ...

, morris dancing, and an award for the person who spent the most money in the village throughout the day. In 2007, after seven successful years at the helm, during which the popularity of Addingham Gala significantly grew, Rebecca Carter stepped down as Chairman and was replaced by Angela Hutton, who had been a part of the volunteering team for three years previously.

Pantomime

Performances of a local pantomime began in 1905 with a performance of Bluebeard. For several years, the pantomime was funded, organised and run by Friends of Addingham Primary School (FAPS), but in 2003, the organisation felt unable to commit the time to organise the project and decided to discontinue its support of the project. This led to the formation of the Addingham Pantomime Group, which has staged the pantomime every February ever since. Addingham Cricket Club - geograph

Since 2009, the pantomime has entered the Wharfedale Festival of Theatre. In their debut year in the competition, they won seven awards, including the Pantomime Cup for Best Pantomime.

Sport

Addingham has many sports teams including a football team previously part of the

Harrogate and District League The Harrogate and District Football League is a football competition based in North Yorkshire, England. It now has a total of two divisions, the highest of which, the Premier Division, sits at level 14 of the English football league system. It i ...

. A decision was made before the start of the 2010–11 season to transfer to the Craven and District League due to the closer proximity of most of the teams. In their inaugural season in the league, they finished 10th in Division 4. Addingham Cricket Club plays in the Aire-Wharfe Senior Cricket League. The extreme sports scene in Addingham is also thriving with an array of mountain bikers and skateboarders making good use of the facilities and surrounding hills. On 5 July 2014, the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

Stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate passed through the village. On 6 July 2014, Stage 2 of the 2014

from York to Sheffield, passed through the village.

Future

Low Mill

Work is under way to convert Low Mill into a residential complex. The development will consist of 32 units in the mill building and 22 new houses and 6 apartments. 17 of the units will be reserved for local buyers at affordable prices. The conversion will increase the height of the mill as well as the removal of surrounding buildings to be landscaped.

Motel

Planning permission for a motel to be built on an overgrown plot of land near the cricket ground on Main Street was first granted in 1991 and renewed in 1996. In 2001, an application to redevelop the land into nine houses was rejected due to the site being part of a

Green Belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which hav ...

site, leading to renewed efforts on a 32-bedroom "budget" motel. In 2005, revised plans for an 'American-style' 30-bedroom motel with less car parking space and a residents only bar were approved, with the Parish Council objecting on the grounds that the new design would be out of character for the village. In 2007, after no visible work had been done, the Parish Council were awarded a £4,000 grant and were able to clean it up and erect a new fence. By 2008, it had once again become overgrown, leading to Parish Councillors urging the Bradford Council to release the site from the Green Belt. In 2010, another bid was made to renew planning permission for a 30-bedroom motel, with three written objections being made to Bradford Council. Since then, no development has commenced on this plot of land and the issue is still to be resolved.

Recreational facilities

In the process of building the Medical Centre, the existing Scout Hut was demolished. The Parish Council were granted permission to refurbish the site of the present football pavilion. The Parish Council have been working together with the Scouting Organisation and Addingham Football Club on a new scheme to upgrade the facilities for the football club while providing a new home for the Scout Troop, including a potential £85,000 all-weather multi-purpose pitch. In February 2012, plans for the extension of the football pavilion were approved by Bradford Council. The Multipurpose Games Area (also known as MUGA to the residents) was opened in July 2013 by the 2013/14 Gala Queen Keira Heckman and local MP Kris Hopkins.

Location grid

References

External links

Addingham Civic Society

Addingham Village Social Club

Circular Cycle Rides from Addingham

Addingham Village Information Website

Addingham Photo Archive

Addingham Information from Yorkshire-Escapes.com
* {{authority control Villages in West Yorkshire Civil parishes in West Yorkshire Wharfedale Geography of the City of Bradford