Rodley is a suburb in the

City of Leeds Leeds, also known as the City of Leeds, is a metropolitan borough with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in West Yorkshire, England. The metropolitan borough includes the administrative centre of Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Gar ...

metropolitan borough A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of districts of England, local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan distr ...

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 ...

, England. The village is situated within the Calverley and Farsley ward of Leeds Metropolitan Council, just inside the

Leeds Outer Ring Road The Leeds Outer Ring Road is a main road that runs around most of the perimeter of the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The ring road is approximately 29 miles (45 km) and consists of single and dual carriageways. The road is not a lo ...

, north-west from

Leeds city centre Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is roughly bounded by the Leeds Inner Ring Road, Inner Ring Road to the north and the River Aire to the south and can be divided into several quarters. A ...

and north-east from

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 ...

. The hamlet of Bagley borders Rodley.

History

Rodley village is not recorded in the 1086

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, although several nearby places such as

Horsforth Horsforth is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, five miles north-west of Leeds city centre. Historically a village within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it had a population of 18,895 ...

, Calverley,

Farsley Farsley is a village in the City of Leeds, Leeds district, in West Yorkshire, England, west of Leeds city centre and east of Bradford near Pudsey. Before 1974, Farsley was part of the Municipal Borough of Pudsey, Borough of Pudsey. Before 193 ...

and Bramley are. The earliest uses of the name Rodley appear to be "Rodele", who was listed as a tenant in the Domesday Book, and "Redlega", who was recorded in Yorkshire in 1157. In the 19th century Rodley was part of the parish of Calverley. Part of the north-western end of the suburb is in what was, before the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, the

Municipal Borough of Pudsey Pudsey was a local government district in the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1872 to 1974 established around the town of Pudsey, covering Farsley, Calverley, and parts of Stanningley, Swinnow and Rodley, West Yorkshire, Rodley. A local board for ...

; a sign, next to The Owl public house on Rodley Lane, still notes this heritage in 2020.

Industrial history

In 1820 Thomas Smith's

Steam Crane A steam crane is a crane (machine), crane powered by a steam engine. It may be fixed or mobile and, if mobile, it may run on rail tracks, caterpillar tracks, road wheels, or be mounted on a barge. It usually has a vertical boiler placed at the ...

Works was established and by 1888 it had gained a reputation internationally for the manufacture of cranes and lifting gear. In 1847, next to the Thomas Smith works, another crane manufacturer was established: Joseph Booth & Bros, founded by Joseph Booth's father Jeremiah, a former partner of Thomas Smith's father. The cranes produced by these two prominent companies and in smaller numbers by other local ironworks are known as being of 'Leeds Type' or 'Rodley Type', and several examples have been preserved. Rowley Workshop of Ian Rowley, makers of '' 3-2-1'', '' Wizbit'' and ''Dusty the Dawg'', was once housed in the former Bethel Chapel which has been converted into flats since. The Rodley

microcar Microcar is a term often used for the smallest size of cars, with three or four wheels and often an engine smaller than . Specific types of microcars include bubble cars, cycle cars, invacar, quadricycles and voiturettes. Microcars are ofte ...

was made in Rodley by the Rodley Automobile Company between 1954 and 1956.

Community

The

Leeds and Liverpool Canal The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , crossing the Pennines, and including 91 locks on the main line. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal has several small branc ...

passes through the suburb, running parallel with Rodley Town Street. Many of the stone-built industrial buildings and mills that once lined the banks of the canal have been demolished and replaced with modern apartments and houses, as Rodley has developed into a commuter suburb, being situated roughly equidistant from Leeds and Bradford. Some of the area is now protected as a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

. Rodley has four public houses and a

Working men's club Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland, Northern Ireland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education ...

: The Railway close to the nearby Calverley Bridge, The Owl, The Rodley Barge next to the canal, The Crown & Anchor and Rodley Social Club on Town Street. The Rodley Nature Reserve is a wetland reserve created in 1999 on the site of a former sewage works, just north of Town Street on the north bank of 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 ...

. On the opposite bank to the nature reserve is Canal Bank Sports Ground, which is the base for Rodley Cricket Club, who play in the Airedale and Wharfedale Senior Cricket League.

Notable people

* Charles M. Maud (1898–1974), World War I flying ace"Charles Maud"
Theaerodrome.com. Retrieved 15 May 2012

Location grid

Gallery

File:Rodley, Rodley Lane. (080712.113532).jpg, Rodley, Rodley Lane. File:Rodley, Canal Road. (080712.113746).jpg, Rodley, Canal Road. File:Rodley, Wesley Terrace.jpg, Rodley, Wesley Terrace. File:Rodley, No.1 Rodley Lane. (080712.113836).jpg, Rodley, No.1 Rodley Lane. File:Rodley, Town Street. (080712.114920).jpg, Rodley, Town Street.

References

External links

The Ancient Parish of Calverley
of which Rodley was part in the 19th century

{{authority control Places in Leeds Villages in West Yorkshire