| An article describing my hometown Keighley | | | | gradients which my 4 year old grandson loves |
| with details about living and working in the | | | | to skateboard on. |
| town and tourism. | | | | |
| | | | Nights Out |
| 'The dark satanic mill town of Keighley' I | | | | |
| have never forgotten that headline from a | | | | There has always been a lot of pubs in the |
| national newspaper in the late 60s. The | | | | area, maybe because we have an award winning |
| article was about the Keighley rugby league | | | | brewery in the town. If you want to eat out |
| team who are now called Keighley Cougars. | | | | there are many restaurants offering different |
| | | | cultural meals. Nightclubs are a bit thin on |
| Back then wherever you looked on the horizon | | | | the ground with just 2 catering for different |
| you could see mill chimneys towering over the | | | | age ranges and they aren't that good. However |
| rest of the town. The mill chimneys were | | | | there are plenty of good clubs within |
| gradually demolished and now as Keighley sits | | | | travelling distance in Bradford, Leeds and |
| in a valley you can see fields and trees in | | | | even further afield at Wakefield. |
| the distance from almost any viewpoint. | | | | |
| | | | Tourism |
| Keighley in the West Riding of Yorkshire was | | | | |
| a huge manufacturer of textiles, but now the | | | | Keighley is part of Bronte Country, only a |
| mill buildings that have not burnt down or | | | | couple of miles from Haworth where the famous |
| been vandalised have been converted into | | | | Bronte literature family lived. Apart from |
| smaller units offering a wide variety of | | | | traditional means, you can travel to Oxenhope |
| businesses or homes. | | | | via Haworth on the Keighley and Worth Valley |
| | | | Line from the Keighley station on a steam |
| The population was over 51,000 at the 2001 | | | | train in the summer. It is a heritage line |
| census and apparently is the third largest | | | | and has been used for several film locations |
| civil parish in England. Approximately 18% of | | | | that include the Railway Children, Yanks and |
| the population are of ethnic minorities, | | | | the film of Pink Floyds 'The Wall' musical. |
| adding a multi cultural aspect to the town | | | | |
| and some fine Indian, Italian and Chinese | | | | At the first stop 300 yards from where I live |
| restaurants. Keighley is pronounced 'Keeth | | | | in Ingrow there is a Museum of Rail Travel. |
| lee' but to the inhabitants annoyance many | | | | It is also the starting place for Thomas the |
| people outside Keighley insist on calling the | | | | Tank Engine days out. |
| town Keeley. | | | | |
| | | | I took my grandchildren last summer and they |
| Transport | | | | could clamber on board Thomas and pull the |
| | | | whistle. There was a show performed several |
| Travelling to and around Keighley is not | | | | times during the day for the children and |
| difficult. We have a train station and an | | | | several stalls. After the show we were able |
| award winning new closed in bus station in | | | | to travel on steam trains all day for one low |
| the town centre with regular transport in and | | | | cost fee. At each stop there were more shows |
| around the area and easy access to many | | | | and stalls making it a very good day out. |
| cities. Bradford is just 10 miles away and | | | | Towards Christmas there is a Santa Special |
| Leeds 20 miles away and of course the Leeds | | | | steam train day. |
| Bradford airport is easily accessible. | | | | |
| | | | Haworth attracts a lot of American and |
| There are lots of reliable taxi firms in | | | | Japanese tourists who want to steep |
| Keighley and I have found that with using a | | | | themselves in the history of the Brontes. |
| combination of different transport facilities | | | | There is a Bronte museum up a steep cobbled |
| and on foot I really do not need my own | | | | street, the Bronte Waterfall and of course |
| transport because everything is within easy | | | | the moors where the fictional Cathy and |
| reach. It also works out cheaper than having | | | | Heathcliffe roamed. There are lots of antique |
| my own petrol guzzling transport. | | | | shops and tea rooms and some good hotels. |
| | | | |
| Shopping | | | | Skipton, 'The Gateway To The Dales' is 10 |
| | | | miles away. A good starting point for hiking |
| We have a modern shopping centre and several | | | | holidays for those who want to enjoy the |
| industrial estates offering just about | | | | beautiful countryside. Skipton also has one |
| everything that you might want to buy. If I | | | | of the most complete medieval castles in the |
| want to buy some new clothes that are a | | | | country and is over 900 years old. Historical |
| little bit different I make a day out of it | | | | re-enactment events, archery and jousting are |
| and take a 20 minute train journey to Leeds | | | | often hosted at Skipton Castle. |
| and either shop in the city centre or visit | | | | |
| the White Rose Centre. | | | | 10 miles in the other direction is the city |
| | | | of Bradford where you will find the National |
| Keighley has a permanent closed in market and | | | | Media Museum, which is the most visited |
| quite regularly we have visiting continental | | | | museum outside London. Bradford hosts several |
| markets offering a wider range of goods. | | | | festivals, including the Bradford Festival in |
| | | | June and the Bradford Mela which is the |
| Leisure | | | | largest festival of its type outside Asia. |
| | | | There are 4 theatres in Bradford and for |
| We have several parks in the area with lots | | | | those who enjoy plays it isn't difficult to |
| of green space for children to run about on | | | | get to Harrogate and their playhouse. |
| and safe fenced off playgrounds, bowling | | | | |
| greens etc. We have a leisure centre in | | | | Living In Keighley |
| Victoria Park where you will find a modern | | | | |
| swimming pool with slide and a fitness | | | | Although Keighley has often been knocked in |
| centre. Victoria Park hosts our yearly gala | | | | the press and by some inhabitants I do not |
| during the summer and occasional visiting | | | | think that it is a bad place to live. I feel |
| circuses and fairs. Within the park you will | | | | safe in my home and walking around the |
| find Victoria Hall where functions and gigs | | | | streets and I have easy access to everything |
| are often held. | | | | that I want. Housing is inexpensive compared |
| | | | to many other places in the UK. You can still |
| There is a museum at Cliff Hall in the | | | | get a 2 bedroom terrace for less than |
| grounds of Cliff Castle where exhibitions are | | | | £100,000 or any other type of dwelling at |
| often held. For families there is a fenced | | | | comparatively low prices. |
| off playground and a café. Picnic tables | | | | |
| are provided for those like my grandchildren | | | | I have never found it difficult to get |
| who prefer to picnic in between running | | | | employment in or around Keighley and the |
| around. There was a small zoo with guinea | | | | employment opportunities are diverse. The |
| pigs and a few different birds the last time | | | | inhabitants are friendly and very much down |
| I went in the summer. Years ago there were | | | | to earth. We speak with a Yorkshire accent |
| monkeys, but now all of the monkeys in the | | | | that is not as broad as some of the |
| area seem to reside at a house next door to | | | | surrounding rural areas, I certainly do not |
| my mother. Over 50 would you believe! | | | | say 'ee bah gum' on a regular basis! |
| | | | |
| In Lund park you will find 2 playgrounds, one | | | | The area in and around Keighley offers much |
| for older children and a fenced off area for | | | | more than I have mentioned but hopefully this |
| the younger ones. There is a bowling green | | | | article gives you a good idea of my hometown. |
| and a putting green and a bicycle track with | | | | |