Airedale
{{Short description|Valley in North and West Yorkshire, England}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
File:View of Airedale - geograph.org.uk - 495841.jpg|upright=1.4]]
{{coord|53.8819|-1.9048|display=title|region:GB_scale:200000}}
Airedale is a valley, or dale, in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. It is named after the River Aire, which flows through it. The upper valley, from Malham Cove to Airton, is known as Malhamdale, named after the village of Malham.{{Cite web |last=Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority |title=Landscape Character Assessment interactive map |url=http://lca.yorkshiredales.org.uk/#13/54.0556/-2.1427 |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=Yorkshire Dales National Park}} At Airton the valley widens and becomes Airedale proper. The river flows past Skipton on to Keighley, Bingley, Shipley, and Leeds.
Airedale, in conjunction with the Ribble Valley, provides low-altitude passes from Yorkshire to Lancashire through the Aire Gap. It is therefore an important transport route and was a strategically important area historically.{{cite web|title=The Aire Gap|url=http://www.yorkshire-dales.com/aire-gap.html|website=The Yorkshire Dales|access-date=26 November 2015}}
History
{{missing information|date=November 2024|reason=the history of Airedale between the Romans and the 18th and 19th centuries}}
File:Gaps through Pennine Mountains UK topographic map.gif can be easily traversed by low passes:
- Airedale to Ribblesdale {{convert|144|m|abbr=on|0}} near Barnoldswick.
- Airedale to Pendle Water {{convert|165|m|abbr=on|0}} near Colne.
- Airedale to Londsdale {{convert|166|m|abbr=on|0}} near Settle.[http://www.earth.google.com Google Earth] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100908230721/http://earth.google.com/ |date=8 September 2010 }} Altitudes given by Google Earth maps]]
The upper Aire valley was formed 12,000 years ago by a retreating glacier. A moraine formed in the Cononley area and the lake stretched as far north as Gargrave. Colonisation by man developed later on, especially during the Iron Age. The peoples that occupied the Aire Valley (and much of north eastern England) were called Brigantes by the Romans.{{cite web|last1=Hodgson|first1=Trevor|last2=Gulliver|first2=David|title=A history of Cononley; an Airedale village|url=http://lakelanddawndesigns.com/cpick/THE%20HISTORY%20OF%20CONONLEY.pdf|website=Lakeland dawn designs|publisher=Kiln Hill|access-date=26 November 2015|date=2000}}
Transport improved in the 18th and 19th centuries with the building of the Aire and Calder Navigation{{cite web|title=Aire and Calder Navigation|url=https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network/aire-and-calder-navigation-main-line|website=Canals and River Trust|access-date=26 November 2015}} and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.{{cite web|title=Leeds and Liverpool Canal|url=https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network/leeds-and-liverpool-canal|website=Canals and River Trust|access-date=26 November 2015}} The railways arrived from the 1830s onwards and during the twentieth century the roads were vastly improved in the valley.
Airedale was wholly within the West Riding of Yorkshire until the reform of local government in 1974.{{cite web |title=Yorkshire Map|url=http://www.yorkshireridings.org/news/yorkshire-map.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130716153401/http://www.yorkshireridings.org/news/yorkshire-map.html|archive-date=16 July 2013 |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=Yorkshire Ridings Society}}
Description
File:Shipley tax office - geograph.org.uk - 964549.jpg
File:View of Airedale - geograph.org.uk - 495841.jpg
The upper valley is within the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Dales National Park. From Aire Springs the river flows past Skipton and Keighley, through Bingley, Saltaire, Shipley and into Leeds. Until this point the river is essentially swift flowing and fed by streams and becks.
The broad definition of Airedale includes all the areas adjacent to the River Aire and its tributaries. The Aire Catchment Flood Management Plan (CFMP), which takes into account all the becks and streams that feed the river, lists the Worth Valley and most of Bradford City as part of Airedale.{{cite web|title=Aire Catchment|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/289346/River_Aire_Catchment_Flood_Management_Plan.pdf|website=Gov|publisher=Environment Agency|access-date=26 November 2015|page=5|date=December 2010}} Similarly, the Airedale Partnership's Masterplan, which is sponsored by Bradford Council, shows the same boundaries as the Aire CFMP.{{cite web|title=Airedale Corridors|url=http://www.airedalepartnership.org/pdf/Airedale_Corridors_1.pdf|website=Airedale Partnership|publisher=AP|access-date=26 November 2015|page=10}}
Geology
The upper section between Malham and Skipton is largely upfaulted Carboniferous limestone. The middle section between Skipton and Knottingley is peat and gritstone, with steep valley walls crested with moorland prevalent between Skipton and Shipley.{{cite web |date=1986 |title=Skipton |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-396000-450000/page/1 |access-date=26 November 2015 |website=Domesday Reloaded |publisher=BBC}} The sandstone deposits between Skipton and Leeds have characterised the buildings within this part of Airedale, whilst the deposits of Limestone, Coal, Fireclay and Ironstone fuelled industrial developments.{{cite web|title=Airedale Corridors|url=http://www.airedalepartnership.org/pdf/Airedale_Corridors_1.pdf|website=Airedale Partnership|publisher=AP|access-date=26 November 2015|page=11}}
Tourism
Airedale is notable for several tourist sites and the World Heritage Site of Saltaire village.{{cite web|title=Salts Mill|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bradford/content/articles/2008/04/07/saltaire_guide_feature.shtml|website=Bradford and West Yorkshire|publisher=BBC|access-date=26 November 2015|date=4 March 2008}} Other attractions include the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, Bingley Five Rise Locks, the Shipley Glen Tramway, East Riddlesden Hall, Rodley Nature Reserve, Kirkstall Abbey, the Royal Armouries (Leeds), St Aidan's Nature Reserve and Fairburn Ings Nature Reserve.
Industry
Many of the former woollen and cotton mills of the dale have been demolished or converted into housing. The heavy industry east of Leeds is still in existence and two of the three coal fired powers stations in the lower section take their water from the River Aire. Industry that lies alongside the Aire includes Ferrybridge,{{cite web|title=Ferrybridge|url=http://sse.com/whatwedo/ourprojectsandassets/thermal/ferrybridge/|website=SSE|access-date=26 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704184756/http://sse.com/whatwedo/ourprojectsandassets/thermal/ferrybridge/|archive-date=4 July 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} Eggborough and Drax power stations, Eggborough Saint Gobain glassworks, Stolze and Allied Glass in Knottingley and Kellingley Colliery.
Leeds City Council have an enterprise zone that covers 400 acres of regenerated land along the Aire Valley from the city centre up to junction 45 of the M1 (known as Gateway 45). This houses several manufacturing and food companies.{{cite web|title=Aire Valley Leeds|url=http://www.leeds.gov.uk/leedsenterprisezone/Pages/AireValleyLeeds.aspx|website=Leeds city region enterprise zone|publisher=LCC|access-date=26 November 2015|date=2014}}
Eponyms
The names Aire and Airedale are associated with many things and areas. Most notable in the valley are Airedale General Hospital, Aireborough{{cite web|title=Aireborough Historical Society|url=http://www.aireboroughhistoricalsociety.co.uk/|website=Aireborough Historical Society|access-date=26 November 2015}} (a region comprising mostly Wharfedale towns) and Airedale, a suburb of Castleford.
The area gives its name to the Airedale Terrier, the largest of the terrier group of dogs. They were first bred in the area in the nineteenth century.{{cite news|last1=Rush|first1=James|title=Bingley walk organised for famous breed|url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/4088439.Terriers_will_be_coming_home_to_Airedale/|access-date=26 November 2015|work=Telegraph and Argus|date=30 January 2009}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Commons category|Airedale}}
{{Yorkshire Dales}}
Category:Geography of the City of Bradford
Category:Geography of the City of Wakefield
Category:Valleys of North Yorkshire
Category:Valleys of West Yorkshire