Farsley

Farsley is a town in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England 6 miles (9 km) to the west of Leeds city centre, and 4 miles (6 km) east of Bradford. Farsley could be considered a commuter town as it is situated between the two cities. It was formerly in the municipal borough of nearby Pudsey.

It is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book as Fersellei also as Ferselleia. During the industrial revolution Farsley was a centre for wool processing as there were a number of mills in the area.

Farsley is just off the main road between Leeds and Bradford and just off the A6110 Leeds outer ring road. New Pudsey railway station is between Farsley and Pudsey providing train services towards Leeds, Bradford, Manchester Victoria and Blackpool. This station was the subject of a Monty Python sketch about a Pink Blancmange.

Amenities
Most of Farsley's amenities are situated on or around Town Street. There is a Co-operative Group convenience store, a post office, bookmakers, several independent retailers as well as four pubs and a wine bar. Throstle Nest football ground also has facilities open to the general public. The only form of public transport in Farsley is bus, bus services are available to Leeds city centre, Pudsey, Horsforth, Seacroft, Bradford and Halifax. There are also several junior schools in Farsley, as well as further schools in neighbouring Pudsey. Nearby Pudsey offers a wider range of amenities, which many Farsley residents take advantage of. The nearest large supermarket is Asda at the Owlcotes Centre in Stanningley, there is also a Marks and Spencers. There are now only 4 of the previous 11 pubs left in the town. 'The Fleece' at the bottom of Town Street was the second pub purchased by Joshua Tetley's & Son the Leeds Brewer, and the first outside of the brewer's grounds.

Education
In Farsley there are four schools, Priesthorpe, Farfield Primary, Westroyd Infants and nursery and Farsley Springbank Junior

Sport
Farsley is home to the non-League football team Farsley AFC who play at Throstle Nest. They were formed to replace Farsley Celtic who played in the Football Conference for several years prior to their winding up in March 2010.

Farsley Cricket Club, whose ground is situated in Red Lane, play in the Bradford League Division 1. Raymond Illingworth, former England cricket captain, is their most notable former player.

Housing
Farsley has a variety of housing. Around Town Street there are some older terrace houses and smaller cottages. To the West of Town Street is a small council estate, consisting mainly of flats, the tallest block being twelve stories high. Towards the outskirts of Farsley there are many large detached houses.

People
The Rev. Samuel Marsden (born in Farsley) was associated with the reformist William Wilberforce in England, was ordained in 1794, married Elisabeth Fristan, and then sailed to New South Wales, Australia. He arrived in Sydney on 10 March 1794, shortly after the birth of their first child, Anne. By 1795 he was settled in Parramatta, where he became Chaplain, wealthy landowner, farmer and magistrate. He was known as the "Flogging Parson", because even by the standards of his day, he inflicted severe punishments. This has been attributed to a dislike of Roman Catholics and Irish. Joseph Holt, an Irish priest and activist, left on account of a flogging ordered by Marsden. Sheephead Park is a memorial garden dedicated to Marsden and is situated on Farsley Town Street. Rugby league footballer Fred Farrar, whose nickname was The Farsley Flyer, was a member of Hunslet's 1907–08 All Four Cups winning team.