Addingham

Addingham (formerly Haddincham c. 972, Odingehem 1086)[2] is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England.

Its beginnings may date back to the late Mesolithic period, as evidenced by the scattered remains of early flint tools across Rombald's Moor to the south.

The village grew up around three centres; Church Street in the east; The Green, about a mile away in the west; and the Old School in between.

[7] It has been suggested that Round Dikes, along with similar nearby sites Woofa Bank and Nesfield Scar, were summer encampments of the Romans.

[6] It is thought that the Craven area, including what now constitutes Addingham, was settled by Anglo-Saxons around 612 AD following the defeat of the local Celtic tribe.

During the English Civil War in 1642, Addingham was probably mainly Royalist, as several villagers are thought to have helped to defend Skipton Castle from the Parliamentarians.

[7][12] The earliest indications of the textile industry in the village can be found in the will of William Atkinson in 1568, in which it states that he left a solitary loom to his son-in-law.

[7] The cloth making industry remained stagnant, however, until the 18th century, when revolutionary weaving inventions such as John Kay's Flying shuttle and, later, water-powered machines such as Crompton's Spinning mule, allowed the textile industry in Addingham to leap forward as it entered the 19th century.

They built a spinning mill which enabled yarn to be spun more quickly than by hand and thus increased the production of cloth.

However, shortly afterwards, Samuel Cunliffe Lister re-opened Low Mill, with commercial operations being handled at Piece Hall at 19 Main Street.

An Addingham co-operative society was formed; it prospered sufficiently to buy land on Bolton Road and build new premises and a row of cottages.

The old ferry which brought parishioners from Beamsley was replaced by a foot bridge, and around about the same time a horse-drawn bus service to Ilkley was introduced.

However, after the bombing of the SU Carburetter factory in Coventry during the Second World War in 1941, production switched to Addingham, at which time up to 1,000 people worked there and prefabricated homes were erected in Ilkley to cater for the sudden increase in employees.

In 1998, textiles briefly returned to Addingham and Low Mill in the form of a Norwegian-based company, Straum (UK), who started production of scoured wool, but this business closed in 2002.

[16] Addingham is part of the Keighley UK Parliament constituency, represented by Robbie Moore of the Conservatives since the 2019 general election.

In 2009 Addingham Newsagents was re-opened by local businessman Mark Preston, thereby continuing his family's long tradition of shopkeeping in the community, which dates back to the 19th century when his great-grandfather opened a general stores on the site which is now Dixon's Butchers.

However, due to the economic climate of recent times, and not helped by the arrival of the Co-op supermarket in 2013, many local businesses have been forced to shut down, prompting the Parish Council to set up a sub-committee, with the purpose of finding new ways to promote local businesses not only around the village but further afield.

A new Medical Centre in the village was officially opened on 14 August 2009, having been the culmination of many years of battling for a purpose-built surgery to serve local patients.

In February 2011, Bradford Council outlined a money-saving scheme in which five of the areas most under-used libraries, in Addingham, Denholme, Heaton, Wilsden and Wrose, would be closed.

In 2010, a traditional fell race organised by Ilkley Harriers, which had not taken place for over 20 years, was reinstated to the agenda.

[33] Eventually, a 15-strong team, led by former chairman of the Addingham Civic Society Don Barrett, was set up to organise the Gala, and it took place once again in 1999.

A decision was made before the start of the 2010–11 season to transfer to the Craven and District League due to the closer proximity of most of the teams.

[42] The extreme sports scene in Addingham is also thriving with an array of mountain bikers and skateboarders making good use of the facilities and surrounding hills.

[citation needed] On 5 July 2014, the Tour de France Stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate passed through the village.

[citation needed] Planning permission for a motel to be built on an overgrown plot of land near the cricket ground on Main Street was first granted in 1991 and renewed in 1996.

[46] In 2005, revised plans for an 'American-style' 30-bedroom motel with less car parking space and a residents only bar were approved, with the Parish Council objecting on the grounds that the new design would be out of character for the village.

By 2008, it had once again become overgrown, leading to Parish Councillors urging the Bradford Council to release the site from the Green Belt.

[52] The Multipurpose Games Area (also known as MUGA to the residents) was opened in July 2013 by the 2013/14 Gala Queen Keira Heckman and local MP Kris Hopkins.

A Cup and Ring marked rock on top of Addingham Moor
Kite aerial photo of Round Dykes Camp on Addingham Low Moor
Weir at Low Mill
Suspension bridge crossing the River Wharfe near West Hall, Addingham. The current structure replaced the original 1895 bridge which was washed away in a flood in 1935.
The Crown Inn, located on the intersection between Main Street and Bolton Road
The Old Station Fisheries, which stands close to the site of the old railway station
Addingham Cricket Club
Addingham Scout Hut, which was demolished to make room for the Medical Centre which has now been built