Idle, West Yorkshire
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Idle is a residential suburban area in the city of
Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
,
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
, in the north-east of the city. Historically it was a separate village, and before that it was the Manor of Idle. Idle is about 5 miles (8 km) north of the centre of Bradford and 2.5 miles (4 km) east of Shipley. It 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 southeast of Shipley. Wrose is in the Windhill and Wrose ward. The civil parish ...
,
Thackley Thackley is a small suburb near Bradford, West Yorkshire in England. The village is loosely bordered by the village of Idle, West Yorkshire, Idle to the south, to the west by the West Royd area of Shipley, West Yorkshire, Shipley and elsewhere ...
,
Apperley Bridge Apperley Bridge is a village in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England in the Idle and Thackley Ward. Apperley Bridge is north-east of Bradford on the boundary with the City of Leeds bounded in the east b ...
, 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, whilst Thorpe Edge is to the west. To the south of Greengates is Ravenscl ...
, and also bordered to the north by the
River Aire The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, in length. Part of the river below Leeds is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation. The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malha ...
along with the Leeds-Liverpool canal. At the 2021 census, the area of Idle & Thackley had a total population of 17,290 people. The etymology of Idle can be traced back to the Old English word for "Idel", meaning "Empty Space". A myth perpetuates that the etymology of Idle belongs to that of "Idlawe" or "Ide's Hill", referring to an Anglo-Saxon settler called "Ide", however, this is not widely accepted due to a lack of historical evidence. Industry in Idle, according to the 2021 census, consists of retail and wholesale (14.5%), human health and social work activities (14.5%) and education (11.6%) for people living in Idle. Historically, the village achieved some economic success and experienced high population growth during the 19th century due to advances in industrialisation which influenced the widespread textile industry of 19th century Bradford which was also prevalent within the village, evidenced by remnant mills contained within the village to the modern day. The village also had a successful quarrying industry along Idle Moor, a geographical moorland where the modern Idle area is located.


History

Evidence of human occupation within Idle can be traced as far back as Prehistoric & Roman times. Roman coins were historically unearthed by quarrymen setting up business at Catstones Quarry located on Idle moor in the 19th century. No permanent Roman settlement has been unearthed, with no plans for excavation near the old Idle Moor quarry sites. Other archaeological finds have been found dating to the 1st and 2nd centuries of various brooches and coins again at Catstones Quarry. Some prehistoric flints found on alluvium deposits of the River Aire have also highlighted even earlier human activity in the region. This suggests early human activity could have occurred around the area of Idle as evidenced by historical findings from the broader Yorkshire area.The first documented record of human settlement in Idle is from the 12th century, where Nigel de Plumpton, a local landowner, gave a portion of land to nuns living in Esholt. This land was referred to as "Idel" as opposed to "Idle" – referring to an Old English word for "Empty Space". The family of Plumpton were among the first landowners of the area of Idle, known as the Manor of Idle. By the 15th century, the Plumpton landowner family had reduced in wealth and power, thus, the manor was split with the succussive landowners being named as George, Earl of Cumberland & Sir John Constable, the latter splitting the manor further between his children. 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, West Yorkshire, Idle to the south, to the west by the West Royd area of Shipley, West Yorkshire, Shipley and elsewhere ...
, 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 southeast of Shipley. Wrose is in the Windhill and Wrose ward. The civil parish ...
. The Manor of Idle was bounded by the
River Aire The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, in length. Part of the river below Leeds is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation. The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malha ...
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. During the 19th century, Idle & the rest of Bradford had a predominantly textile industry, however, Idle also had a large quarrying industry, with Idle stone being exported across England as well as foreign exports as far as China, Australia & South America. An 1893 land survey showed mills including Castle Mills, Union Mill & New Mills employing around 1100 people, among other mills around Idle during the 19th century. Because of the industrial success of Idle & the rest of Bradford, Idle had a large population increase from the start of the 19th century to the end of the 19th century, with the population recorded as being 3,400 in 1801 to over 12,000 by 1871.


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, and lying north of the town of Pudsey. The population of Calverley in 2011 was 4, ...
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, generally due to trav ...
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 2024 it had approximately 44,000 members in around 1,250 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. The URC is a Trinitarian church whose theolog ...
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 organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...
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 Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
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 ...
. 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, West Yorkshire, Idle to the south, to the west by the West Royd area of Shipley, West Yorkshire, Shipley and elsewhere ...
on the Leeds and Bradford line during 1847-48, and then the Idle railway station in central Idle on the Great Northern
Laisterdyke Laisterdyke is an area of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, situated to the east of the city on the border with the City of Leeds and located in the Bradford Moor ward and in the Bradford East parliamentary constituency. Laisterdyke borders ...
Shipley line between 1875 and 1968. The railway opened to goods in 1874 and to passengers in 1875. Services to Idle, Thackley, Eccleshill and Shipley & Windhill were given a notice of withdrawal on 2 February 1931. Freight continued to be transported along this route until it too was given a notice of closure on 31 October 1964. Remnants of the railway can be found across the Idle area, with heavily eroded, nature-reclaimed trackbeds being located across the original route of the railway. Idle's
workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...
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 IH or International) was an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household equipment, and more. It wa ...
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 (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...
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, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
and a
Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited, trading as Morrisons, is the List of supermarket chains in the United Kingdom, fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Sco ...
supermarket. Rank Leak Wharfedale had a site on Highfield Road manufacturing
Hi-Fi High fidelity (hi-fi or, rarely, HiFi) is the high-quality reproduction of sound. It is popular with audiophiles and home audio enthusiasts. Ideally, high-fidelity equipment has inaudible noise and distortion, and a flat (neutral, uncolored) ...
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 ** B ...
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. It was founded by Ben Dunne (businessman, born 1908), Ben Dunne in 1944. In addition to its main customer base in Ireland, the chain al ...
. The premises remained unoccupied after Dunnes closed in 2015. The site has been developed and is now split between
Home Bargains T.J. Morris Limited (trading as Home Bargains) is a British variety store and garden centre chain founded in 1976 by Tom Morris in Liverpool, England, as Home and Bargain. History The retailer was founded by owner Tom Morris in 1976 as a sing ...
and
Aldi Aldi (German pronunciation: ), stylised as ALDI, is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 12,000 stores in 18 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and ...
.


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 southeast of Shipley. Wrose is in the Windhill and Wrose ward. The civil parish ...
, 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. Part of the river below Leeds is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation. The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malha ...
valley towards Shipley and
Baildon Baildon is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Bradford, Bradford Metropolitan Borough in West Yorkshire, England and within the Historic counties of England, historic boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire. ...
. 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
township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
and
chapelry A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. Status A chapelry had a similar status to a Township (England), township, but was so named as it had a chapel of ease ...
in the ancient 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, and lying north of the town of Pudsey. The population of Calverley in 2011 was 4, ...
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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
, and in 1894 briefly an
urban district An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...
, but in 1899 it was included in Bradford when it became a city. In 1951 the parish had a population of 10,516. 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. The village is also located in the newly created parliamentary constituency of Bradford East, a successor seat to the
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 ...
constituency which was originally created for the 1918 general election, with the new Bradford East seat being created in 2010 with minor changes proposed in 2023 for the
2024 general election This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2024 United Nations Security Council election * 2024 national electoral calendar * 2024 local electo ...
. Idle has historically not had an official twin town or village, however, Shipley historically made twin town associations with the German town of Hamm during the 1970s, with representatives from Hamm visiting Idle, Shipley & the rest of Bradford in the during the 1970s & 1980s. There are currently no plans to officiate a sister or twin village for Idle.


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 ** Synchronou ...
' 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, formerly the West Yorkshire Metropolitan 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 ...
'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 1 ...
. Idle's War Memorial in the
lytch gate A lychgate (from Old English ''līc'', corpse) or resurrection gate is a covered gateway found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard. Examples also exist outside the British Isles in places such as Newfoundland, the ...
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, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
. 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 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

Holy Trinity Parish Church, a large, impressive
Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...
church dating from 1830, complete with
graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...
and bell tower, is located on Town Lane. The
United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2024 it had approximately 44,000 members in around 1,250 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. The URC is a Trinitarian church whose theolog ...
's 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 games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
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. The village is home to the Idle Men's Working Club (sometimes abbreviated to "Idle W.M.C"), renowned for its ironic name, the Idle W.M.C opened in 1928 by sewage workers unable to drink at local
pubs A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
after late working shifts. The club's honorary members include Mohammad Al Fayed,
Paul Gascoigne Paul John Gascoigne (, born 27 May 1967), nicknamed Gazza, is an English former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Regarded as one of the best playmakers of his generation and one of the best English footballers of ...
and
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
. Idle is also home to the Stage 84 School of Performing Arts and the ND Dance academy. Stage 84 was founded in 1984 and has produced shows for the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
, St. George's Hall and the
Alhambra Theatre The Alhambra Theatre was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built as the Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts, opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two yea ...
. The school is also an approved examination centre for performers working to gain qualifications from
LAMDA The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...
,
Trinity College London Trinity College London (TCL) is an examination board based in London, United Kingdom which offers graded and diploma qualifications across a range of disciplines in the performing arts and English language learning and teaching. Trinity Colleg ...
and IDTA. Additionally, the school has trained famous performers including Jack P. Shepherd,
Kimberley Walsh Kimberley Jane Scott ( Walsh; born 20 November 1981) is an English singer, dancer, television presenter and actress. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality series ''Popstars: The Rivals'' on ITV (TV network), ITV. Th ...
and
Nikki Patel Nikki Patel (born 5 July 1990) is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Amber Kalirai in the ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2005 to 2009, then again from 2011 to 2012. Career Patel joined the ...
.


Notable people

*
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 screw ...
(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; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...
and one time Whewell Professor of International Law at
Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, 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 ...
(1909–1971), best known for playing Klaatu in ''
The Day the Earth Stood Still ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' is a 1951 American science fiction film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Julian Blaustein and directed by Robert Wise. It stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, F ...
'', was born in Idle *
Vic Feather Victor Grayson Hardie Feather, Baron Feather, (10 April 1908 – 28 July 1976) was a British trade unionist and General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress in Great Britain from 1969 to 1973. Early life and career Feather was born in I ...
, Trades union leader, was born in Idle in 1908. *
Adrian Edmondson Adrian Charles Edmondson (born 24 January 1957) is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. Part of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s, he and his comedy partner Rik Mayall starred in the television sitc ...
, 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 southeast of Shipley. Wrose is in the Windhill and Wrose ward. The civil parish ...
but grew up in Idle. * Hannah Midgley, former ''Emmerdale'' actress, has lived in Idle for most of her life. * Dickie Watmough, former
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...
,
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
and
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
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 lea ...
, was born in Idle. * Yorkshire and England cricketer Doug Padgett was born in Idle and played for Idle Cricket Club.


See also

* Listed buildings in Idle and Thackley


References


External links


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