Guiseley

Guiseley is a small town in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Situated south of Otley and Menston, it is a suburb of north west Leeds. At the 2001 census, Guiseley together with Rawdon had a population of over 21,000. The A65, which passes through the town, is the main shopping street. Guiseley railway station has regular train services into Leeds, Bradford and Ilkley on the Wharfedale Line.

History
The settlement predates the Domesday Book. Its name is of Saxon origin. It was named "Gisele" in the Domesday Book. Much of the Aire valley was once wooded, and "ley" means a clearing in the woodland. Guiseley's church dedicated to St Oswald was the centre of a large parish that included many surrounding villages. It was used by generations of the Longfellow family. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's grandfather left here for the New World in the 18th century. The rector of St Oswald's for several decades was Rev. Robert More (died in 1642), the father-in-law of the English explorer, Captain Christopher Levett. Patrick Brontë and Maria Branwell were married at St Oswald's and became the parents of six children, including Anne, Charlotte and Emily Brontë.

Business
Crompton Parkinson was a major employer until its factory closed in 2004. The town was the home of Silver Cross, a pram manufacturer, whose factory was operational from 1936 to 2002.

The town is famous for Harry Ramsden, whose fish and chip shop traded from a small shed next to the tram stop. In 1930 he opened "the world's biggest fish and chip shop". The original restaurant was closed in December 2011. The Wetherby Whaler group purchased the site and planned a £500,000 refurbishment to open during the summer of 2012. The new Wetherby Whaler restaurant opened on 22 May 2012.

Harry Corbett, famous for his children's television glove puppet character Sooty stage act, lived with his parents, who owned a fish and chip shop on Springfield Road.

Religion
Guiseley Baptist Church was built in 1883 on Oxford Road in the old town. Today it has a congregation of all ages. Other churches in the area include St. Oswald's C of E, and Guiseley Methodist Church.

Amenities
Guiseley has two retail parks: Guiseley Retail Parkbin the centre of town, and Westside Retail Parkbbetween Guiseley and Yeadon. The town has a Morrisons supermarket, charity shops and beauty stores on the High Street, as well as many pubs, bars, takeaways and restaurants located around the town and a leisure centre with swimming pool and gym on The Green.

Many of the retail outlets in the town are now stood on the converted sites of old factories or mills. Recently, the town has seen an increase of 'big name brands' opening stores in the area, with names such as Argos, TK Maxx, Marks & Spencer (food), Asda, Currys, Costa Coffee, Comet and Carphone Warehouse opening in the area. McDonald's, KFC and Subway all have stores in the town, also.

Sports and recreation
Guiseley's semi-professional football team, Guiseley A.F.C., play at Nethermoor Park, and at the start of the 2012–13 season are in the Conference North, having been runner-up in the 2011–12 season. Guiseley Cricket Club shares the club house and plays in the Airedale-Wharfedale Senior Cricket League. Aireborough RUFC play at Nunroyd Park. Guiseley's rugby league team, Guiseley Rangers play at Nunroyd No 1, running a junior team but have had success in the past with open age teams

Local philanthropist Jonathan Peate gave Nethermoor Park (Guiseley) and Nunroyd Park (between Yeadon and Guiseley) to local people in the early 20th century. Two other parks were regenerated in 2011/12, Springfield Road and Parkinson's Park. Parkinson's Park was given to Guiseley in the 1930s by Frank and Albert Parkinson. By 2002 it had become an anti-social wasteland but is now owned by Bellway Homes, and supported by the Friends of Parkinson's Park.

Schools
Guiseley School on Fieldhead Road was built as a secondary modern in the 1960s and is sometimes known as Fieldhead School. Aireborough Grammar School opened in 1910 and closed in 1991.

Primary schools include Tranmere Park School and St. Oswald's C of E School.

Notable residents
Victorian actress Adelaide Neilson, born in Leeds, passed the majority of her childhood in Guiseley, where she worked at Green Bottom Mill and was a nursemaid to a local family before she ran away to seek her fortune in London.

The former Yorkshire and England cricket captain Brian Close lived in the town during his childhood and still lives there now. Barney Colehan lived in Guiseley until his death in 1991. He is buried in Guiseley cemetery on Chevin End Road. The creator of the famous glove puppet Sooty, Harry Corbett, also lived in the town.

Geography
Guiseley is situated on the higher land to the north of the Aire Valley. The A65 road passes through and there is a railway station and Leeds Bradford Airport is nearby.