Spenborough | |
---|---|
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Area | |
• 1921 | 4,992 acres (20.20 km2) |
• 1961 | 8,251 acres (33.39 km2) |
Population | |
• 1921 | 31,117 |
• 1971 | 40,683 |
History | |
• Created | 1915 |
• Abolished | 1974 |
• Succeeded by | Kirklees |
Status | Urban district (1915–1955), municipal borough (1955 on) |
Government | Spenborough Urban District Council (1915–1955), Spenborough Municipal Borough (1955–1974) |
• HQ | Spenborough Town Hall, Cleckheaton |
• Motto | Industry Enriches |
Spenborough was, from 1915 to 1974, a local government district in the administrative county of Yorkshire, West Riding, England.
Spenborough was created as an urban district in 1915 by the merger of Cleckheaton, Gomersal and Liversedge urban districts. [1] The amalgamation was carried out at the instigation of Cleckheaton Urban District Council, in order to resist plans by the County Borough of Bradford to annex the area. The name "Spenborough", after the River Spen, was also suggested by Cleckheaton UDC. [2] The district was expanded in 1937 by taking in the abolished Birkenshaw and Hunsworth urban districts, as well as part of the parishes of Clifton and Hartshead from the Halifax Rural District. [1] Attempts to incorporate neighbouring Heckmondwike which is considered to be in the Spen Valley area, were never successful.
On 29 July 1955, it was granted a charter of incorporation creating it a municipal borough. [3]
In 1974, Spenborough was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972, with its area forming part of the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire. Today, Kirklees Council recognises the former Spenborough borough area, with neighbouring Heckmondwike, as the Spen Valley Locality in its structure.
Despite the borough's abolition in 1974, the name continues in use in the area. Examples are the Spenborough Guardian, a Cleckheaton-based local newspaper and the Spenborough and District Athletic Club, both in Liversedge. [4] [5]
Batley is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Batley lies south-west of Leeds, north-west of Wakefield and Dewsbury, south-east of Bradford and north-east of Huddersfield. Batley is part of the Heavy Woollen District. In 2011 the population of Batley including Hanging Heaton, Staincliffe, Carlinghow, Birstall, Birstall Smithies, Copley Hill and Howden Clough was 48,730.
Gomersal is a town in Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is south of Bradford, east of Cleckheaton and north of Heckmondwike. It is close to the River Spen and forms part of the Heavy Woollen District.
The River Spen or Spen Beck, in West Yorkshire, England is a tributary of the River Calder. It rises north of Cleckheaton, runs through Liversedge and flows into the Calder to the south of Dewsbury at Ravensthorpe. The average rainfall for the river valley of between 600–1000mm per annum when combined with the steep narrow river channel, makes the Spen susceptible to regular flooding. It is referred to in the name of the local parliamentary constituency, Batley and Spen, to account for the villages and suburbs of Batley in the Spen Valley, such as Liversedge and Gomersal.
Cleckheaton is a town in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Bradford, east of Brighouse, west of Batley and south-west of Leeds. It is at the centre of the Spen Valley and was the major town in the former borough of Spenborough. Cleckheaton has a history as a mill town and forms part of the Heavy Woollen District.
Kirklees is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. The borough comprises the eight towns of Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Mirfield and Slaithwaite. It is governed by Kirklees Council. Kirklees had a population of 422,500 in 2011; it is the third-largest metropolitan district in England by area size, behind Doncaster and Leeds.
Hartshead Moor Top is a hamlet in the county of West Yorkshire, England, halfway between Brighouse and Cleckheaton on the A643. It is close to the Hartshead Moor services on the M62 motorway. In 1974 the service station was near the scene of a Provisional Irish Republican Army attack on a coach carrying soldiers and their children, killing twelve. There is a plaque in the entrance to the west-bound section commemorating those who died.
Hartshead is a village in the Kirklees district of West Yorkshire, England, 3.7 miles (6 km) west of Dewsbury and near to Hartshead Moor.
Heckmondwike is a town in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, 9 miles (14 km) south west of Leeds. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is close to Cleckheaton and Liversedge. It is mostly in the Batley and Spen parliamentary constituency, and had an estimated population of 16,986 at the 2011 Census increasing to 18,149 at the 2021 Census. Heckmondwike forms part of the Heavy Woollen District.
Clifton is a village on the eastern outskirts of Brighouse in the Calderdale district of West Yorkshire, England.
Oakenshaw is a village located in both the City of Bradford and Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is located midway between the town of Cleckheaton in Kirklees and the suburb of Wyke in Bradford. The village is close to the M606 motorway. The village's main shopping centre is on Bradford Road and its main church, dedicated to St Andrew, is a grade II listed building.
Batley and Spen is a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The current MP is Kim Leadbeater, a Labour politician, elected in a 2021 by-election by a 323-vote margin. The seat has returned Labour MPs since the 1997 general election.
Liversedge is a town and former parish of Birstall, in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Liversedge lies between Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike. The Kirklees ward is now called Liversedge and Gomersal with a population at the 2011 Census of 19,420. Liversedge forms part of the Heavy Woollen District.
Brighouse and Spenborough was a parliamentary constituency in the West Riding of Yorkshire, comprising the two municipal boroughs of Brighouse and Spenborough and neighbouring areas. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Spen Valley was a parliamentary constituency in the valley of the River Spen in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The Heaton Lodge and Wortley Railway was constructed by the London and North Western Railway, to provide a duplicate route between Huddersfield and Leeds, leaving the existing line at Heaton Lodge junction, east of Huddersfield and rejoining it at Farnley junction, south west of Leeds. During construction it became known as the Leeds New Line and following nationalisation it was referred to as the Spen Line. Passenger services ceased in the 1950s with full closure in stages between 1960 and 1990.
Heckmondwike Spen was a railway station opened by the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, England. The station was one of two in the town of Heckmondwike, the other being Heckmondwike railway station which was opened by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (L&Y). Both stations have been closed and the lines they served have closed too although the formations that they occupied have both been converted into greenways.
The Spen Valley Line was a railway that connected Mirfield with Low Moor through the Spen Valley in West Yorkshire, England. Opened up by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1847, with full opening to Low Moor in 1848, the line served a busy industrial and textile area and allowed a connection for trains between Huddersfield and Bradford. The line was absorbed by the London & North Western Railway, the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and British Railways on Nationalisation. A separate link between Heckmondwike Central and Thornhill that opened later and was known as the Ravensthorpe Branch, allowed through running to Wakefield and beyond. The line was closed down to passengers in 1965 with freight continuing sporadically until 1981. A Spur onto the former Leeds New Line from the Ravensthorpe Branch kept the very southern end open until the late 1980s. The majority of the route is now the Spen Valley Greenway cycle path.
Cleckheaton Town Hall is a municipal building in Bradford Road, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Spenborough Urban District Council, is a Grade II listed building.
The Old Town Hall is a former municipal building in Knowler Hill in Liversedge, West Yorkshire, England. The building, which formerly operated as the offices of Liversedge Urban District Council, is now used as private residential accommodation.
53°43′08″N1°41′38″W / 53.719°N 1.694°W