Mirfield () is a town 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 authorit ...
in
Kirklees
Kirklees is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Kirklees Council with the status of a metropolitan borough. The largest town and administrative centre of Kirklees is Huddersfield, and the district also inclu ...
,
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 ...
, England.
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 on the
A644 road between
Brighouse
Brighouse is a town within the metropolitan borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated on the River Calder,
east of Halifax. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 ...
and
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudd ...
. At the 2011 census it had a population of 19,563. Mirfield forms part of the
Heavy Woollen District
The Heavy Woollen District is a region of textile-focused industrial development in West Yorkshire, England. It acquired the name because of the heavyweight cloth manufactured there from the early 19th century.
The district is made up of parts o ...
.
Governance
From 1894 to 1974, Mirfield was an
urban district
Urban district may refer to:
* District
* Urban area
* Quarter (urban subdivision)
* Neighbourhood
Specific subdivisions in some countries:
* Urban districts of Denmark
* Urban districts of Germany
* Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (his ...
in 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 ...
until it was merged into the
Metropolitan Borough
A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of districts of England, local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan distric ...
of
Kirklees
Kirklees is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Kirklees Council with the status of a metropolitan borough. The largest town and administrative centre of Kirklees is Huddersfield, and the district also inclu ...
. In 1988 a
parish council was formed, one of five in Kirklees, the others being:-
Denby Dale
Denby Dale is a village and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is 10 miles (17 km) to the south-east of Huddersfield and 9 miles (14 km) north-west of Barnsley.
The village is the main villag ...
,
Meltham,
Kirkburton
Kirkburton is a village, civil parish and ward in Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is south-east of Huddersfield. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the township comprises the villages of Kirkburton and Highburton ...
and
Holme Valley. As a parish council an additional tax precept to the Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council tax is levied on the town's residents. It is made up of 16 councillors who serve for a fixed four-year term, and represent wards within the parish. The members elect a town mayor, who serves for a fixed one-year term.
Local elections
In addition to the town council Mirfield is represented by three councillors on
Kirklees Metropolitan Council
Kirklees Council is the local authority providing most local government services for the borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is a metropolitan district council and one of five constituent councils of the West Yorkshire Combined Au ...
, and the local Mirfield Area Committee.
In May 2005, Mirfield became the first Fairtrade Town in Kirklees and only the fourth in West Yorkshire.
Culture
The
Mirfield Show
Mirfield Show is an annual agricultural show held at the Huddersfield Road Showground in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England on the third Sunday in August. It is organised and run by the Mirfield Agricultural Society (MAS) as a not-for-profit ev ...
is an annual agricultural event held on the third Sunday in August at Mirfield showground. It is organised and run by the Mirfield Agricultural Society (MAS) as a non-profit making event for the families of Mirfield and district.
Local residents introduced the Mirfield Food & Craft Fayre in April 2012, scheduled to be run the last Saturday of each month and "''help raise the profile of Mirfield, be a benefit to local traders, businesses, organisations and charities, and add more destination events to the Yorkshire calendar''".
Education
There are two secondary schools in Mirfield:
Mirfield Free Grammar and Sixth Form and
Castle Hall School.
Primary schools include Battyeford CE Primary School, Crossley Fields, Old Bank, Hopton Primary School and Crowlees Junior and Infant School, all of which were assessed by
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted is responsible for inspecting a range of educational institutions, incl ...
as 'Grade 1 – Outstanding' in the March 2007 inspection.
Landmarks
The 13th century
St Mary's Church was rebuilt in 1826 but proved too small for the growing population and was regarded as too minor for the growing district. A new church, designed by Sir
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...
, was built a few yards to the northwest, on the site of Castle Hall, a mansion then home to the families of Mirfields (sometimes spelled Mirfin), Hetons and Beaumonts. At Scott's suggestion, the tower of the earlier church, which retains some medieval work, was retained.
St. Mary's Church was also the boyhood church of
Sir Patrick Stewart, of
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
fame.
The
College of the Resurrection is a
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 Brit ...
theological college. There,
Rowan Williams, later the
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...
, lectured from 1975 for two years and Archbishop
Trevor Huddleston spent his last days.
Navigation
During the 18th century, a canal was constructed through the town linking the
River Calder with other rivers in the area. The canal is part of the
Calder and Hebble Navigation. Its construction resulted in many industries in Mirfield, such as the textiles and
boat yards. The canal is still in use for recreational users with duck-feeding being especially popular.
Mirfield is the base of the
Safe Anchor Trust, a charity founded in 1995 to provide canal boat trips for vulnerable and special needs people. In 2012,
Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...
commissioned a new boat for the Trust.
Notable people
*
Lee Blakeley
Richard Lee Blakeley (16 August 1971 – 5 August 2017) was a British opera and theatre director.
Born in Mirfield, West Yorkshire to Carol and Richard Blakeley, Blakeley was educated at The Mirfield Free Grammar School. He subsequently studie ...
, theatre director
*
Alun Cochrane, comedian
*
Andi Durrant, radio presenter and music producer
*
Debbie Lindley,
TV weather presenter
*
Richard Reed, co-founder of
Innocent Drinks
Innocent Drinks is a company that produces smoothies and juice sold in supermarkets, coffee shops and various other outlets. The company sells more than two million smoothies per week. Innocent is over 90% owned by The Coca-Cola Company.
Histor ...
*
Brian Robinson, cyclist, the first Briton to win a stage of 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 ...
*
Mary Snell-Hornby, translation scholar
*
Sir Patrick Stewart, actor
*
Hilda Annetta Walker, artist
*
David Whyte, poet, philosopher
Economy
There are many national businesses based in Mirfield including John Cotton Group Ltd,
Furniture And Choice and We Buy Any Stairlift.
The town has a variety of local independent shops as well as national chains such as
Lidl,
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues an ...
and
Co-op Food
Co-op Food is a brand used for the food retail business of The Co-operative Group in the United Kingdom.
Prior to reintroducing the brand in 2016, the group used " The Co-operative" branding, which is still used by a number of consumers' co- ...
.
Sport
Mirfield is represented in
Rugby League
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
by Mirfield ARLFC, who play home matches at Frank Middleton Park and compete in the Pennine League Premier Division.
The town also has three teams in the
Huddersfield Cricket League. Mirfield Cricket Club and Moorlands Cricket Club both based at the Memorial Park off Huddersfield Road. Mirfield Parish Cavaliers based on Wellhouse Lane, Northorpe.
The Mirfield
Petanque Club who currently play in the West Yorkshire Petanque League and are also based at the Memorial Park.
Location
Twin town
*
Kramolna, Czech Republic
File:St Marys Mirfield 1.jpg, St Mary's Church, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...
File:St Marys Mirfield 2.jpg, The tower of the 1826 church
Arms
See also
*
Listed buildings in Mirfield
*''
Mirfield Reporter''
References
External links
Mirfield Town Council homepageMirfield in PicturesKirklees Council Website, Mirfield Information page
{{authority control
Towns in West Yorkshire
Heavy Woollen District
Geography of Kirklees
Civil parishes in West Yorkshire