Welcome to Keighley

Keighley, in West Yorkshire, is located at the junction of the River Aire and the River Worth, approximately 200 miles north-north-west of London and 10 miles north-west of Bradford.

The town has a population of around 50,100. Administratively it is within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District which covers an area of approximately 366 sq kms.

Set amidst the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, it is an open and pleasant manufacturing town which was largely developed during the 19th-century as a result of its weaving industry. There are some notable historic attractions, including the restored Keighley and Worth Valley Light Railway, and it is a good base from which to explore the surrounding hills, moors and valleys. The town is a thriving commercial and retail centre.

Keighley was a significant manor by the time of Domesday Book-when the scribe spelled it Chichleai. It was granted a market charter by Edward I as early as 1305 and by Tudor times the textile trade had firmly taken root. It was the advent of power-driven machinery in the mills in the 19th century which brought significant change.

Historically the town's economy was based upon manufacturing, but today the service industry is the largest sector of the local economy, employing 67% of all workers.

The name Keighley derives from the Old English personal name 'Cyhha', and 'leah', meaning 'woodland clearing of a man called Cyhha'. It was recorded as Chichelai in the Domesday Book of 1086.