Idle, Bradford
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Idle is a residential suburban area in the city of
Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
,
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 ...
, in England and was a separate village, and before that it was the Manor of Idle. Idle is loosely bordered by the areas of Eccleshill,
Wrose Wrose is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, about three miles north of Bradford city centre, and south-east of Shipley. The civil parish population taken at the 2011 Census was ...
,
Thackley Thackley is a small suburb near Bradford, West Yorkshire in England. The village is loosely bordered by the village of Idle to the south, to the west by the West Royd area of Shipley and elsewhere by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Thackley i ...
,
Apperley Bridge Apperley is a village in Gloucestershire, England, about southwest of Tewkesbury, south of Deerhurst and east of the River Severn. It is the largest settlement in Deerhurst civil parish. In 2020 it had an estimated population of 625. The p ...
, and
Greengates Greengates is a small suburban area in the north-east of the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, in England. The area is bordered by Idle and Thackley to the north-west, and the large council estate known as Thorpe Edge to the west. To the sout ...
, in the north-east of the city.


History

The Manor of Idle contained the villages of Idle and Windhill and hamlets of
Thackley Thackley is a small suburb near Bradford, West Yorkshire in England. The village is loosely bordered by the village of Idle to the south, to the west by the West Royd area of Shipley and elsewhere by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Thackley i ...
, Thorpe-Green, Parkhill, Cross-Keys, Buckmill, and
Wrose Wrose is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, about three miles north of Bradford city centre, and south-east of Shipley. The civil parish population taken at the 2011 Census was ...
. The Manor of Idle was bounded by the
River Aire The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, in length. The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malham to Howden is direct, but the river's meanderings extend that to . Between Malham Tarn and Ai ...
in the north and in the east Pighill Beck (now named Haigh Beck) up to Blakehill Tongue and across westwards down a small beck to Bradford Beck. The name is thought to be a corruption of ''Idlawe'' meaning Ide's Hill, where Ida is supposed to be an Anglo Saxon settler. Thorpe middle school is in the centre of the village.


Church history

Idle was once part of the parish of
Calverley Calverley is a village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, on the A657 road, about from Leeds city centre and from Bradford. The population of Calverley in 2011 was 4,328. It is part of the City of Leeds w ...
but in 1584 a
chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently. Often a chapel of ea ...
was built on Town Lane and later in 1630 rebuilt on the same site. The building is now known as Old Chapel. A school was added to the western end of Old Chapel and later in 1836 was rebuilt as Round Steps School. The school building also contained a lockup and the town's offices, and was also used by the Mechanics Institute. It was demolished in the late 19th century. In 1914 there was a move to demolish Old Chapel to widen the road to improve access however there was a successful campaign to oppose this and preserve the Old Chapel. In 1717 Upper Chapel was built on Westfield Road by dissenters, rebuilt in 1790 and rebuilt again in 1850. This was demolished in 1953 and rebuilt again becoming the
United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. Origins and history The United Reformed Church resulte ...
in 1972. The Primitive Methodist Church was established on Town Lane in 1861. Later the property was used by the Idle branch of the
YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
but was demolished later and housing built on the site. Thorpe Methodist Chapel was built in 1814 and a new chapel built in 1871 then demolished circa 1981 and a modern chapel built on the site. Holy Trinity Church was built off Town Lane in 1830 and later the graveyard was extended into land between the church and The Grange previously occupied by Church Farm. In 1858 the Unitarian Church was built on Highfield Road but was later demolished. St John's Church was built on Cavendish Road but this has now been demolished. The Idle Baptist Chapel was built on Bradford Road in 1810 and the Idle Baptist Church was built in 1875 but was demolished in 1983.
The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...
came to Idle in 1884 and took up residence in the Old Green Mill in Idle Green. In 1890 the foundations were laid for the present Idle Citadel Salvation Army Worship Hall on Walter Street: the builders were Messrs Obank & sons of Thackley. The hall was opened in April 1893. In 1999 a new community hall was built adjoining the main hall over the site of the old
air-raid shelter Air raid shelters are structures for the protection of non-combatants as well as combatants against enemy attacks from the air. They are similar to bunkers in many regards, although they are not designed to defend against ground attack (but many ...
. The Idle Spiritualist Church was established on Highfield Road in the former premises of the White Hart Inn.


Industrial and transport history

Idle's early local industry was based on coal measures and quarrying. Stone was exported using the canal and later on the railway. Mills in the Idle area include Old Green Mill, Butt Lane Cotton Mill, Union Mills, Simpson Green Mill or Castle Mill, New Mill and Albion Mill. Idle was served at different periods by two railway stations firstly the Idle (L&BR) railway station in
Thackley Thackley is a small suburb near Bradford, West Yorkshire in England. The village is loosely bordered by the village of Idle to the south, to the west by the West Royd area of Shipley and elsewhere by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Thackley i ...
on the Leeds and Bradford line during 1847-48, and then the
Idle railway station Idle railway station was a railway station in Idle, West Yorkshire, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northw ...
in central Idle on the
Great Northern Great Northern may refer to: Transport * One of a number of railways; see Great Northern Railway (disambiguation). * Great Northern Railway (U.S.), a defunct American transcontinental railroad and major predecessor of the BNSF Railway. * Great ...
Laisterdyke Laisterdyke is an area of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, situated to the east of the city on the border with City of Leeds and located in the Bradford Moor ward and in the Bradford East parliamentary constituency. Laisterdyke borders Bark ...
Shipley line between 1875 and 1968. The railway opened to goods in 1874 and to passengers in 1875. Idle's
workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...
was on Windhill Old Road in Thackley. Watmough's printers was founded in 1888 and had premises on High Street. The business closed and the buildings demolished to make way for housing. A tram service operated from Bradford to Thorpe Garth from 1901 to 1931 after which a trolley bus service started. Jowett Cars Ltd had a car factory in Bradford Road, Idle until 1954. Jowett then sold the factory to
International Harvester The International Harvester Company (often abbreviated by IHC, IH, or simply International ( colloq.)) was an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household e ...
who made
tractors A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...
at the site until the early 1980s. The factory was demolished after International Harvester closed it, and the site is now occupied by Enterprise 5, a retail complex largely consisting of independent units,
McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
and a
Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqua ...
supermarket. Rank Leak Wharfedale had a site on Highfield Road manufacturing Hi-Fi equipment. The Idle Picture Palace (cinema) opened in 1912 located in existing buildings on The Green. Circa 1930 sound was installed and in 1955 a wide screen, but it closed in 1959 to reopen as a
Bingo Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers ** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland ** Bi ...
hall but the building was demolished in 1970/71. In more modern times there was a Hillards Supermarket off Idlecroft which later became
Dunnes Stores Dunnes Stores is an Irish multinational retail chain that primarily sells food, clothes and household wares. In addition to its main customer base in Ireland, the chain also has operations in Spain, and formerly in England and Scotland. The fo ...
. The premises remained unoccupied after Dunnes closed in 2015. The site has been developed and is now split between
Home Bargains Home Bargains is a British variety store chain founded in 1976 by Tom Morris in Liverpool, England, as Home and Bargain. It is the trading name of TJ Morris Ltd. History The retailer was founded by owner Tom Morris in 1976 as a single store ...
and
Aldi Aldi (stylised as ALDI) is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, when t ...
.


Geography

The borders between the village and its neighbouring areas are not particularly well defined, but there are three distinct areas in the village: the mainly working class area of Thorpe Edge to the south east of the village; the middle class area, centred on the main roads of Highfield Road and Town Lane, west of the village; and the middle class area centred on the main road of Leeds Road, east of the village. To the extreme west of the village, immediately on the border with the area of
Wrose Wrose is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, about three miles north of Bradford city centre, and south-east of Shipley. The civil parish population taken at the 2011 Census was ...
, is the mostly rural Idle Moor. This is a particularly hilly area of the village and provides views over the
River Aire The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, in length. The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malham to Howden is direct, but the river's meanderings extend that to . Between Malham Tarn and Ai ...
valley towards Shipley and
Baildon Baildon is a town and civil parish in the Bradford Metropolitan Borough in West Yorkshire, England and within the historic boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It lies north of Bradford city centre. The town forms a continuous urban ...
. The village centre consists of a small
village green A village green is a commons, common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common pasture, grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for ...
, around which are various shops, banks, a pubs and eateries. In the area leading away from the village centre towards Leeds Road, there is a recreational area including football fields, tennis courts, a bowling green and a children's play area. This is known locally as the ''Idle Rec''. Idle and The Green is a conservation area.


Governance

Idle was a
chapelry A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. Status It had a similar status to a township but was so named as it had a chapel of ease (chapel) which was the communi ...
in the ancient parish of Calverley in the West Riding of Yorkshire. In 1866 it became a separate
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 authority ...
, and in 1894 briefly 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) (hist ...
, but in 1899 it was included in Bradford when it became a city. Today the village is located in the
ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
of
Idle and Thackley Idle and Thackley is a ward within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council in the county of West Yorkshire, England, named after the villages of Idle and Thackley around which it is drawn. The population of 14,541 according to the ...
. The village is also located in the newly created parliamentary constituency of Bradford East, and the former constituency of
Bradford North Bradford North was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until it was abolished for the 2010 general election, it elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post sy ...
.


Landmarks

Leading down to the village from Highfield Road is the main High Street, with businesses and pubs, a medical centre and dental practice. On the High Street is the ' Idle Working Men's Club' built in 1928. To outsiders this is perhaps the best known feature of the village, as when read out the name erroneously implies that the club provides a place for '
idle Idle generally refers to idleness, a lack of motion or energy. Idle or ''idling'', may also refer to: Technology * Idle (engine), engine running without load ** Idle speed * Idle (CPU), CPU non-utilisation or low-priority mode ** Synchronous ...
' or lazy working men to drink, rather than simply being a working men's club in the village of Idle. The unique name has acquired the club a cult status around the world, with many clamouring for an official 'Idle Working Men's Pass'. The membership exceeds 1,000, a large number considering the decline of similar working men's clubs throughout the north of England. Women were allowed to become members in 1995. There are over a dozen public houses and bars in Idle. The Post Office is on Bradford Road and
West Yorkshire Police West Yorkshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the fourth largest territorial police force in England and Wales by number of officers. History West Yor ...
's Eccleshill Police Station is in Idle. On Leeds Road is the Bradford branch of the
British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...
. Idle's War Memorial in the
lytch gate A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, lyke-gate or as two separate words lych gate, (from Old English ''lic'', corpse), also ''wych gate'', is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style c ...
of the Holy Trinity Church in Town Lane memorialises the 215 men who died in both world wars. Many of the houses and buildings in Idle village date back almost a century, and provide a significant remnant of Bradford's expansion during the
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
. Idle's listed buildings can be found around Albion Road,; ; Bradford Road,; ; Cross Road, The Green, Greenfield Lane,; Highfield Road,; ; High Street,; ; ; ; ; Howgate, Ley Fleaks Road,; Town Lane,; ; ; ; ; ; ; and Westfield Lane.; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Under the western part of Idle runs the
Frizinghall Frizinghall is a district in the Heaton ward of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, lying north of the city centre close to the town of Shipley, itself a part of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District along with such other nearby towns ...
to
Esholt Esholt is a village between Shipley and Guiseley, in the metropolitan district of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated east of Shipley town centre , south-west of Guiseley Main Street , north of Bradford City Cent ...
sewage tunnel. One of the tunnel's ventilation shafts is located at the edge of the Hepworth and Idle Cricket Club's cricket field off Westfield Lane. A TV repeater transmitter is located near Idle Hill in Idle Moor.


Churches

On Town Lane is Holy Trinity Parish Church, a large, impressive Victorian church dating from 1830 complete with
graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
and bell tower. Idle Upper Chapel is on Westfield Lane and Idle Baptist Church is on Bradford Road.


Education

On Leeds Road is Immanuel CE Community College. Idle C.E. Primary School is on Boothroyd Drive, and Thorpe Primary School in Albion Road. The Stage 84 Performing Arts School is located in premises on Town Lane. Blakehill Primary School is on Highfield Road. Idle's branch library is on Albion Road.


Sport

The village was home to several
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
pitches which hosted a number of teams, including Hepworth & Idle CC. The village has a football team with multiple age groups such as under 14s and younger. Home of ocean rowing pair, Chris Nicholl and James Tordoff, of Team “Hell Oar High Water” who completed the 2019 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge in a time of 44 days 21 hours and 58 minutes.


Culture and events

Musical groups in the area include the Idle and Thackley Operatic Society and the Idle Bell Ringers. The Idle Beer Festival is held at the Hepworth and Idle Cricket Club. Stage 84 school of performing arts and ND Dance academy.


Notable people

See the category People from Idle.
Joseph Whitworth Sir Joseph Whitworth, 1st Baronet (21 December 1803 – 22 January 1887) was an English engineer, entrepreneur, inventor and philanthropist. In 1841, he devised the British Standard Whitworth system, which created an accepted standard for scr ...
(1803–1887) engineer and entrepreneur, was educated at William Vint's Academy in Idle. Sir Robert Jennings (1913–2004) ("''Robbie''") QC, former President of the
International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...
and one time Whewell Professor of International Law at
Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, was born and educated in Idle and spent his whole upbringing there until he won the scholarship to Cambridge which set him on his career. English actor
Michael Rennie Michael Rennie (born Eric Alexander Rennie; 25 August 1909 – 10 June 1971) was a British film, television and stage actor, who had leading roles in a number of Hollywood films, including his portrayal of the space visitor Klaatu in the s ...
(1909–1971) best known for playing Klaatu in ''
The Day the Earth Stood Still ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' (a.k.a. ''Farewell to the Master'' and ''Journey to the World'') is a 1951 American science fiction film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Julian Blaustein and directed by Robert Wise. It stars Michael Renn ...
'' was born in Idle as was
Vic Feather Victor Grayson Hardie Feather, Baron Feather, (10 April 1908 – 28 July 1976) was a British propagandist and General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress in Great Britain from 1969 to 1973. During his time as assistant secretary of the T ...
, Trades union leader in 1908.
Adrian Edmondson Adrian Charles Edmondson (born 24 January 1957) is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. He was part of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s and had roles in the television series ''The Young Ones (TV s ...
comic actor, writer, musician and director, was born in nearby
Wrose Wrose is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, about three miles north of Bradford city centre, and south-east of Shipley. The civil parish population taken at the 2011 Census was ...
but grew up in Idle.
Hannah Midgley Hannah Elizabeth Midgley (born 27 October 1993) is an English actress best known for playing Victoria Sugden on the ITV (TV network), ITV programme ''Emmerdale''. She replaced Jessica Haywood in 1997 and left in July 2006 to concentrate on her ...
, former Emmerdale actress has lived in Idle for most of her life.
Dickie Watmough Richard Watmough (1912 – 7 September 1962) was an English professional footballer and cricketer. He played as a midfielder in the former sport. Football Born in Sheffield (then the West Riding of Yorkshire) but brought up in Idle, Bradford ...
, former
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...
,
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
and
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
was born in Idle. Yorkshire and England cricketer
Doug Padgett Douglas Ernest Vernon Padgett (born 20 July 1934) is a former English cricketer, who played more than 500 first-class matches and represented England in Tests twice, both in 1960. Cricket writer Colin Bateman recorded Padgett was, "nimble, happ ...
was born in Idle and played for Idle Cricket Club.


See also

*
Listed buildings in Idle and Thackley Idle and Thackley is a Ward (electoral subdivision), ward in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It contains 131 Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recorded in the National Herita ...


References


External links


Visions of Britain
* {{City of Bradford Areas of Bradford Former civil parishes in West Yorkshire