''Windyridge'' is a 1912 novel by English writer
Willie Riley
William Riley (23 April 1866 – 4 June 1961) was an English novelist. He was born in Laisterdyke, Bradford. He wrote 39 books using the name W. Riley, mostly fiction and mostly published by Herbert Jenkins Ltd.
After an education at Bradf ...
, the first of his 39 published books. It sold half a million copies, stayed in print until 1961,
and was republished in 2010 with an extended introduction by David Copeland ().
The book was originally written as an entertainment for Riley's wife and two recently bereaved friends, the Bolton sisters, to be read to them in weekly episodes during 1911 and 1912.
The story concerns young artist and photographer, Grace Holden, who moves from London to spend a year in the small
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
village of Windyridge.
In 1928 Riley wrote a sequel, ''Windyridge Revisited'', which remained in print until 1949.
Riley's obituaries on his death in 1961 described him as "the famous Bradford-born author of ''Windyridge'' and 34 other novels" and "the author who established himself with his first novel, ''Windyridge''".
After moving to
Silverdale in 1919, Riley renamed his house there "Windyridge", a name it retained until sold in 2015 (now known as 8 Wallings Lane). The name became fashionable as a house name and was widely used.
Shortly before his death Riley donated his manuscript of ''Windyridge'' to
Leeds Central Library
Leeds Central Library is a public library in Leeds. Situated in the city centre, on Calverley Street, it houses the city library service's single largest general lending and reference collection and hosts the Leeds Art Gallery.
Services avai ...
.
Locations
The locations in the novel can all be identified with real places in Yorkshire, near Riley's home town of
Bradford. The village of "Windyridge" is based on
Hawksworth near
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 ...
("Marsland"), and the nearest town, "Fawkshill", where Grace attends church, is
Guiseley
Guiseley ( ) is a town in metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Otley and Menston and is now a north-western suburb of Leeds.
It sits in th ...
. Grace and her neighbour make an expedition over the moor from "Uncle Ned's" pub (now Dick Hudson's at
Eldwick
Eldwick is a small village near Bingley in the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire. It is split up into two main parts, Eldwick, the main populated part, and High Eldwick, the larger but less populated section, situated on Bingley Moor. ...
) to "Romanton" (
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, in Northern England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the ...
). The cities of Leeds and Bradford appear as "Airlee" and "Broadbeck" respectively.
References
External links
Full text of ''Windyridege''at readcentral.com
1912 British novels
Novels set in Yorkshire
Novels by Willie Riley
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