48-535: Aireborough was a local government district in the West Riding of Yorkshire , England from 1937 to 1974. It was formed through the abolition of the urban districts of Guiseley , Yeadon and Rawdon and enlarged by the addition of parts of Otley urban district and parts of the civil parishes of Esholt , Hawksworth and Menston in the Wharfedale rural district on 1 April 1937. Aireborough Urban District
96-447: A non-metropolitan district , and was home of the offices of Craven District Council. In 2007, proposals to make North Yorkshire County Council a unitary authority , removing the layer of government represented by Craven District, were rejected. However the council was eventually abolished in 2023, being replaced by North Yorkshire Council . Skipton has its own town council consisting of 16 councillors, formed by 4 members from each of
144-492: A community hall, green screen room and recording studio. The organisation also operates a small shop, on Otley Street, selling works from local artists. Skipton has a public library , and three bookshops ; an Oxfam bookshop , selling secondhand books for charity, Keogh's Books, a secondhand and antiquarian bookseller, and The Little Bookshop, sellers of new books. From 1979, the Box of Delights bookshop on Otley Street served
192-608: A county borough) was included in the county for census and lieutenancy purposes. The number of county boroughs increased over the years; Rotherham gained this status in 1902, Barnsley and Dewsbury in 1913, Wakefield in 1915 and Doncaster in 1927. The boundaries of existing county boroughs were also widened. Beginning in 1898, the West Riding County Council was based at the County Hall in Wakefield, which
240-428: A new autonomous Urban District Council covering a similar to the former ancient Parish of Guiseley. The name Aireborough was adopted to reflect the equality of all townships included in the district and "wipe out old jealousies, and concentrate on the problems ahead, working together as a team". On 1 April 1937, the urban district came into being. Aireborough Urban District was subsumed by Leeds metropolitan borough under
288-671: A pump track. Skipton is host to a free weekly Parkrun event which takes place in Aireville Park. On 5 July 2014, the Tour de France Stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate passed through the town. A number of notable people have been born in Skipton. The philosopher Henry Sidgwick was born in 1838. Thomas Spencer , the co-founder of Marks & Spencer , was born in Queen's Court in 1858. The American mathematician Thomas William Edmondson
336-601: A rugby union club and Skipton Golf Club , founded in 1893. The Coulthurst Craven Sports Centre is adjacent to the rugby club, with facilities including all-weather football pitches and squash courts. Skipton Tennis Club is also adjacent to the Sports Centre and has been awarded the LTA Club of the Year Award on several occasions. There are a number of gyms in the town, a public swimming pool, an outdoor skatepark and
384-625: A stone keep to repel attacks from the Kingdom of Scotland to the north, the castle elevated Skipton from a poor dependent village to a burgh administered by a reeve . The protection offered by Skipton Castle during the Middle Ages encouraged the urbanisation of the surrounding area, and during times of war and disorder the town attracted an influx of families. It is now one of the most complete and best preserved medieval castles in England and
432-475: A varied programme, from arthouse movies to big releases from major studios. The cinema plays host to Skipton Film Club and the annual Hinterlands film festival . The town has four allotment sites. Three are operated by Skipton Town Council and include two large sites, one in the Middletown area and another on Broughton Road, alongside a smaller site at Burnside Chapel. A fourth independent allotment site
480-705: Is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire , England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire , it is on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to the south of the Yorkshire Dales . It is situated 27 miles (43 km) north-west of Leeds and 38 miles (61 km) west of York . At the 2021 Census , the population
528-771: Is held annually in June and attracts thousands of spectators. The free show sees hundreds of classic, vintage rare and exotic vehicles exhibited on the town's closed high street. Police vehicles are also displayed alongside demonstrations from the town's fire service. Skipton Town Hall holds craft fairs and special events and houses the Craven Museum & Gallery as well as a tourist information centre. The town has two theatres . The Mart Theatre located in Craven Cattle Mart opened in October 2005 with funding from
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#1732781109135576-481: Is located behind the town's Plaza Cinema. The local newspaper is the Craven Herald & Pioneer , with a history stretching back to 1853. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire . Local radio stations are BBC Radio York , Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire , Drystone Radio and Rombalds Radio. Skipton railway station is managed by Northern Trains and
624-512: Is open to the public. One of the oldest mills in North Yorkshire, High Corn Mill is powered by the waters of Eller Beck , and dates to 1310 when it was owned by Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford ; at that point it was transferred to the powerful Clifford family by the then King Edward II . Skipton became a prosperous market town, trading sheep and woollen goods. A market stemming from its formative years still survives. In
672-419: Is served by the following routes: Skipton bus station was rebuilt in 2009 and is the focal point for bus services throughout the local area. Key routes link the town with Clitheroe , Harrogate , Ilkley , Malham and Preston . Services are operated by Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire , Harrogate Bus Company , Keighley Bus Company and North Yorkshire County Council . Skipton lies close to
720-589: Is the nearest and largest town to a significant area of the Dales, it attracts numerous visitors, particularly on market days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday). Owing to the town's many independent shops and national chains, Skipton has received praise for its enduring individuality and character. In 2008, the Academy of Urbanism voted High Street the best shopping spot in Britain. The wide high street once hosted
768-634: The European Regional Development Fund , Yorkshire Forward, Craven District Council and the Arts Council England. It provides rural theatre, events and other facilities. Skipton Little Theatre is a smaller 70-seater theatre located on Clifford Street and operated by a not-for-profit group. The theatre is the home of Skipton Players, the town's amateur dramatics society . Craven Arts is an organisation founded in 2017 by experienced local artists which supports
816-617: The Freemasons . It is also retained in the name of some British Army squadrons, such as the 106 (West Riding) Field Squadron, and some historical re-enactment groups. A flag designed to represent the West Riding was registered with the Flag Institute charity in 2013. 53°52′N 1°09′W / 53.86°N 1.15°W / 53.86; -1.15 Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven )
864-662: The Old English sceap (sheep) and tun (town or village). The name is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. The town was important during the English Civil War , and was the site of prisoner-of-war camps during the First and Second World Wars. Skipton Castle was built in 1090 as a wooden motte-and-bailey by Robert de Romille , a Norman baron . In the 12th century William le Gros strengthened it with
912-501: The wards of England's four northernmost historic counties. The administrative county was formed in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888 , and covered the historic West Riding except for the larger urban areas, which were county boroughs with the powers of both a municipal borough and a county council . Initially there were five in number: Bradford, Leeds, Huddersfield, Halifax, and Sheffield. The City of York (also
960-570: The 1974 local government reorganisation. The name Aireborough has been used by many official bodies or organisations. Yeadon and Guiseley Secondary School was renamed Aireborough Grammar School in 1937 (when the Urban District was formed) and retained the name until its closure in 1991 – the names of the different townships emblazoned on the school frontage are now set into the stone wall opposite Nunroyd Park. The Royal Mail has an Aireborough delivery office . Community organisations using
1008-445: The 19th century, Skipton emerged as a small mill town connected to the major cities by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and its branch Thanet Canal , (known locally as 'Springs branch canal'). During the 20th century Skipton's economy shifted to tourism , aided by its historic architecture and proximity to the Yorkshire Dales . Skipton was the seat of Craven District Council from 1974 until April 2023. The Skipton Building Society
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#17327811091351056-437: The West Riding until the mid-1960s had a distinctive style. At the top of the post was a roundel in the form of a hollow circle with a horizontal line across the middle, displaying "Yorks W.R.", the name of the fingerpost's location, and a grid reference. Other counties, apart from Dorset , did not display a grid reference and did not have a horizontal bar through the roundel. From 1964, many fingerposts were replaced by ones in
1104-636: The West Riding's time as a county; rural districts , Urban districts and municipal boroughs were under the administrative county while county boroughs were in the wider geographic county. The term "West Riding" continues to be used by organisations based in the historic area of the riding, such as the West Riding Sailing Club, the Ramblers , the West Riding County Football Association , and
1152-446: The arts and operates centres in the town for exhibitions, events and creative workshops. In December 2022, with funding from Craven District Council, English Heritage , Heritage Action Zone , Arts Council England and Architectural Heritage Fund , Craven Arts renovated the former Parish Church school located on Otley Street and opened an arts centre. Named 'Craven Arts House', the centre provides studio space, classrooms, meeting rooms,
1200-574: The basis of the 2009 A level results, Ermysted's performed 13th best in the UK and SGHS was rated 42nd but, in 2011, it was rated at number 44. Craven College is sited next to The Skipton Academy. Skipton is home to Skipton Town A.F.C. ; Skipton Juniors F.C.; Skipton Cricket Club, Skipton Church Institute Cricket Club and Skipton Kashmir, all cricket clubs; Skipton Cycling Club; Skipton Swimming Club; Skipton Athletics Club; Skipton Karate Centre; Strike Taekwondo; Craven Energy Triathlon Club; Skipton R.F.C.,
1248-494: The first Baron Moran , was born in Skipton in 1882. The poet and author Blake Morrison was born in Skipton in 1950. The former Manchester City footballer Rick Holden was born in Skipton in 1964. The actress Elaine Glover , who appeared in Footballers' Wives and HolbyBlue , was born in Skipton in 1983. Former Lancashire and England cricketer and current head coach of Lancashire County Cricket Club, Glen Chapple
1296-409: The form West Treding ) in the Domesday Book of 1086. Unlike most English counties, Yorkshire, being so large, was divided first into the three ridings ( East , North and West) and, later, the city of York (which lay within the city walls and was not part of any riding). Each riding was then divided into wapentakes , a division comparable to the hundreds of southern and western England and
1344-523: The four wards within the parish boundaries, North, East, South and West. The council offices are based on the high street, upstairs in the Town Hall. The councillors elect a town mayor each year at an annual general meeting. For 2024 the town mayor is Councillor Mrs Sheila Bentley. The town is known as the 'Gateway to the Dales', because of its close proximity to the Yorkshire Dales. As Skipton
1392-401: The gala continued raising money for local charities and non-profit-making organisations. Skipton hosts a Christmas market during which the high street is closed to traffic and the regular market traders are joined by more than 50 additional stall holders. The event features entertainment, live music, a brass band, funfair and the switch-on of the town's Christmas lights . Skipton Car Show
1440-558: The industrial region were Goole , Ilkley , Knaresborough , Otley and Selby . The West Riding also contained a large rural area to the north including part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park (the remainder of the park being in the North Riding). The subdivision of Yorkshire into three ridings or "thirds" ( Old Norse : Þriðungr ) is of Scandinavian origin. The West Riding was first recorded (in
1488-945: The junction of the A65 road (from Leeds to the Lake District ) and the A59 (from York to Liverpool ). The northern section (A65 & A59) of the £16.4 million Skipton by-pass opened in December 1981; the rest of the 6 miles (10 km) route ( A629 ) opened in October 1982, greatly reducing journey times to the Dales. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal runs through Skipton and is a popular destination for tourists, with walking and boat hire. As well as The Skipton Academy (ages 11–16), there are two single-sex grammar schools : Ermysted's Grammar School for boys and Skipton Girls' High School (SGHS). Both schools are selective by entrance exam and have obtained comparable high A-Level scores. On
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1536-403: The modern style, but some of the old style still survive within the West Riding boundaries. By 1971 1,924,853 people (or 50.85% of the West Riding's population) lived in the administrative county, against 1,860,435 (or 49.15%) in the ten county boroughs. In the Domesday Book of 1086 they were eleven wapentakes, these were as follows: In the end of regular use, the wapentakes were: During
1584-421: The name include: 53°52′12″N 1°40′52″W / 53.870°N 1.681°W / 53.870; -1.681 West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire , England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding . The lieutenancy at that time included the city of York and as such
1632-665: The nation's happiness and wellbeing by the ONS found Craven - which includes the town of Skipton - reported the highest levels of happiness and life satisfaction and the lowest levels of anxiety among residents. In 2018, the town was again listed in The Sunday Times , in their report on the 'Best Places to Live' in northern England. Additionally, the town was twice listed in the UK's top ten happiest places to live in Rightmove's 'Happy at Home Index' in 2020 and 2023. In 2024,
1680-704: The north and from Dunsop Bridge in the west to Adlingfleet in the east. The southern industrial district, considered in the broadest application of the term, extended northward from Sheffield to Skipton and eastward from Sheffield to Doncaster , covering less than one-half of the riding. Within this district were Barnsley , Batley , Bradford , Brighouse , Dewsbury , Doncaster , Halifax , Huddersfield , Keighley , Leeds , Morley , Ossett , Pontefract , Pudsey , Rotherham , Sheffield , Todmorden (partly in Lancashire until 1888, when fully incorporated into Yorkshire) and Wakefield . Major centres elsewhere in
1728-450: The riding included Harrogate and Ripon . Within the industrial region, other urban districts included Bingley , Bolton on Dearne , Castleford , Cleckheaton , Elland , Featherstone , Handsworth , Hoyland Nether , Liversedge , Mexborough , Mirfield , Normanton , Rawmarsh , Rothwell , Saddleworth , Shipley , Skipton , Sowerby Bridge , Stanley , Swinton , Thornhill , Wath-upon-Dearne , Wombwell and Worsborough . Outside
1776-495: The second Saturday of June. The gala begins with a procession through the town centre featuring decorated floats , a marching band and classic cars. The procession ends in Aireville Park with live music performances, a firework display and a variety of stalls. The gala was first held in 1901 to raise money for the Skipton and District Cottage Hospital, but following the formation of the National Health Service ,
1824-538: The sheep market, but now a general market is held there and livestock is auctioned at the Auction Mart on the western edge of the town. The town is home to a number of hotels, holiday companies, cottage holiday firms and independent holiday lets. The town is the base for several recruitment agencies, environmental and engineering consultancies and financial and legal services. Skipton is a popular commuter town, with direct trains to Leeds, Bradford and London. One of
1872-702: The south-western areas of North Yorkshire (including Ripon ), the Sedbergh area of Cumbria , the Barnoldswick and Slaidburn areas of Lancashire , the Saddleworth area of Greater Manchester and the part of the East Riding of Yorkshire around Goole and southwest of the River Ouse . The West Riding encompassed 1,771,562 acres (7,169 km ) from Sheffield in the south to Sedbergh in
1920-415: The town for almost 40 years, before closing in 2018. Skipton has a hospitality sector, with around 85 public houses , cafés, coffee shops, bars and restaurants. These establishments serve a wide range of food and drink in various settings, from restaurants specialising in world cuisines to traditional Yorkshire pubs. The town is home to the independent Plaza Cinema on Sackville Street, a cinema showing
1968-481: The town was again judged by The Sunday Times as one of the best places to live in the UK. Events in Skipton include the annual heritage event 'Skipton Sheep Day' which takes place on the first Sunday in July and celebrates the town's association with sheep. The event takes place on the high street and features a petting zoo , educational shows and a variety of food and drink stalls. Skipton has an annual gala on
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2016-402: The town's larger employers is Skipton Building Society , with its subsidiary companies. Chocolatier Whitakers, based in the town, was established in 1889 in nearby Cross Hills . Ida Whitaker began making chocolates there in 1903, taught by the wife of the vicar of Kildwick . In 2014, The Sunday Times judged Skipton as the 'best place to live' in Britain. In 2017, an annual study of
2064-452: Was 15,042. The town has been listed as one of the best and happiest places to live in the UK. Evidence for prehistoric habitation in the Skipton area includes an "important outlying group" of cup and ring marked rocks on Skipton Moor, to the south-east of the town, and in the same area there is an enclosed Iron Age hilltop settlement. The name Skipton means 'sheep-town', a northern dialect form of Shipton . Its name derives from
2112-560: Was administered from Micklefield House in Rawdon which had been acquired by Rawdon UDC in 1930. On 1 April 1974 the district was abolished to form the metropolitan district of Leeds . Aireborough is the name of a UK census ward , which was named "the most average place in England and Wales", following studies arising from the 2001 census . In 1936, the urban district councils of Guiseley, Yeadon and Rawdon, along with smaller settlements belonging to Wharfedale Rural District , decided to form
2160-685: Was born in 1869. Geoffrey Dawson , editor of The Times from 1912 to 1919 and from 1923 until 1941, was born in 1874. Two politicians were born in Skipton: the former Conservative MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer Iain Macleod in 1913, and the Labour MP Joan Humble in 1951. Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill 's personal physician during the Second World War, Charles Wilson ,
2208-644: Was founded in the town. Skipton is twinned with the Bavarian town of Simbach and Erquinghem-Lys in France. Skipton is part of the parliamentary constituency of Skipton and Ripon , which was created in 1983. Since its creation, the constituency has returned a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP). As of 2024 , the seat is held by Julian Smith , a former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland . Before 1983 Skipton had its own eponymous constituency . From 1974 to 2023 Skipton formed part of Craven District,
2256-631: Was inherited by the West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council in 1974. The Local Government Act 1888 included the entirety of Todmorden with the West Riding administrative county, and also in its lieutenancy area ("county"), though the postal address for Todmorden was Lancashire. Other boundary changes in the county included the expansion of the county borough of Sheffield southward in areas historically in Derbyshire such as Dore . Fingerposts erected in
2304-571: Was named "West Riding of the County of York and the County of the City of York". The riding ceased to be used for administrative purposes in 1974, when England's local government was reformed. Contemporary local government boundaries in Yorkshire largely do not follow those of the riding. All of South Yorkshire (except Finningley ) and West Yorkshire were historically within its boundaries, as were
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