Morley, West Yorkshire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Morley |
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View over Morley |
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Population | 44,440 (Including Adwalton. 2011) |
OS grid reference | SE265275 |
Civil parish |
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Metropolitan borough | |
Metropolitan county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | LEEDS |
Postcode district | LS27 |
Dialling code | 0113 |
Police | West Yorkshire |
Fire | West Yorkshire |
Ambulance | Yorkshire |
EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
UK Parliament |
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Morley is a market town and a civil parish within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. Morley is the largest town in the Borough of Leeds after Leeds itself. Morley forms part of the Heavy Woollen District.
It lies approximately 5 miles (8 km) south-west of Leeds city centre. It was built on seven hills: Scatcherd Hill, Dawson Hill, Daisy Hill, Chapel Hill, Hunger Hill, Troy Hill and Banks Hill. In 2011, the town and civil parish had populations of 44,440 and 27,738 respectively.
The town is split between the Morley North and Morley South wards (containing the town centre) of Leeds City Council, both making up the western half of the Morley and Outwood parliamentary constituency.
Contents
History
Morley is first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Morelege, Morelei and Moreleia. Morley means "open ground by a moor", from Old English mōr "moor, clearing, pasture" + lẽah "open ground, clearing". It also gave its name to Morelei Wapentac, a wapentake which probably met at Tingley.
The town was later famous for its textile industry, notably the cloth, shoddy, which was worn by both sides in the American Civil War.
Geography
Bradford | Armley | Churwell, Leeds city centre | ||
Drighlington | Rothwell | |||
Morley | ||||
Batley | Dewsbury | Wakefield |
Present
Morley Town Hall is sometimes used for music recordings. Television programmes, Heartbeat and Emmerdale have used its disused magistrates court and a cobblestoned street to one side. It hosts concerts by local schools and performances by the Morley Amateur Operatic Society, whose pantomimes have taken place at the Alexandra Hall for many years.
Orbit nightclub hosted the world's biggest techno, trance and hard house DJs. during the late 1990s, the club became a mecca of Northern rave culture until its sudden closure in 2003.
Morley annually holds one of the largest St George's Day parades in the country and has been named "the most patriotic town in England".
Morley Market has been a feature since the town was formed. Now with more than trading units, the market building has a large trading hall split up into units housing fruiterers, delicatessens, butchers, fishmongers, fashion shops and a café.
Supermarkets in Morley include Morrisons in the town centre and there is also a 24-hour ASDA superstore.
Scatcherd Park in the centre of Morley, by the Morley Leisure Centre, has a large playing field, a skate park, children's park, bowling green and memorial gardens. Events are held on the adjoining field in the summer months.
On 21 February 2010, a statue of Ernie Wise was erected outside Morley Post Office to divided opinion and unveiled by his widow, Doreen. Wise had performed in the old nearby cinema, just around from the Post Office, of which is no longer in use and now derelict.
On 25 June 2012, the Olympic Torch paused at the Morley Academy on its tour of Britain ahead of the London Olympic Games 2012.
Transport
Morley railway station is half a mile (800 m) from the town centre on the Huddersfield Line. There is a service seven days a week to and from Leeds, but on Sundays, the service is less frequent.
Buses go to Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield and other West Yorkshire towns from bus stops near the Town Hall.
The M621 motorway runs to the west of the town and the M62 motorway to the south. Junctions 27 and 28 of the M62 are closest to Morley.
Filmography
Morley is a setting for David Peace's Red Riding Quartet novel and 2009 television series which explore West Yorkshire police corruption during the 1970s, and 1980s. Emmerdale often use Morley for filming court and wedding scenes in the town hall.
Twin towns
- Siegen, Germany, since 1966 continuation of partnership with amalgamated City of Leeds as of 1974
Location grid
Churwell | ||||
Birstall | Middleton | |||
Morley, West Yorkshire | ||||
Tingley |
Sport
Morley R.F.C. was founded in 1878. When the Northern Union clubs broke away from the RFU to form the rugby league, the Morley representatives missed the train to Huddersfield due to being in the pub. The club's heyday was in the 1970s when it won the Yorkshire Cup on five occasions. In April 2005 the club won the Powergen Intermediate Cup at Twickenham.
Morley CC cricket club plays in the Bradford League, Morley Town AFC (currently of Yorkshire FA Premier Division) and Morley Amateur FC are the towns football club and Morley Borough play rugby league.
Morley Leisure Centre is newly built after undergoing a £33 million joint project with Armley Leisure Centre completed 22 June 2010 boasting a main 25-metre swimming pool, 10-metre learner pool, 150-station Bodyline gym, numerous sports halls, a dance studio and a cafe.
Independent Wrestling company Dynamic Pro Wrestling (DPW) is based in Morley and put on shows at Ackroyd Street Working Mens Club and around West Yorkshire until its closure in 2011.
Morley was the home of seven times World Cycling Champion Beryl Burton.
Scatcherd Park Bowling club compete in 9 leagues
Education
There are numerous primary schools in Morley including Morley Newlands Academy, Churwell Primary, Seven Hills Primary School, Morley Victoria Primary School, Asquith Primary, Fountain Primary and St Francis Catholic Primary School. It also has an independent preparatory school; Queenswood School.
Three secondary schools serve pupils from Morley: The Morley Academy (formerly Morley High and Morley Grammar), Bruntcliffe Academy and Woodkirk Academy (formerly Woodkirk High and technically in West Ardsley, but has a large proportion of students from Morley due to its catchment area).
Notable people
Natives of the town refer to themselves as Morleians. Notable Morleians include:
- Brian Bedford, actor, nominated for 7 Tony Awards, Disney's voice of Robin Hood, veteran Shakespearian actor
- H. H. Asquith, British Prime Minister
- Titus Salt, the creator of Saltaire
- Joseph Harrop, mayor
- Alice Cliff Scatcherd, pioneer for women's rights and philanthropist who donated Scatcherd Park to the town. Scatcherd is buried in St Mary in the Wood churchyard, Morley.
- Jack Popplewell, playwright, composer
- Helen Fielding, author of Bridget Jones's Diary
- Ben Kaye, Batley Bulldogs Rugby League Player
- Aaron Murphy, Huddersfield Giants player
- Nick Scruton, professional rugby league player
- Lee Smith, Leeds RLFC player
- Jonathan Howson, professional footballer
- Mark Crook, professional footballer
- Ernie Wise, comedian
- John R. Womersley, mathematician and computer scientist
- Stevie Ward, Leeds Rhinos player
- Beverley Callard, actress
Images for kids
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Morley Town Hall, completed in 1895
See also
In Spanish: Morley (Yorkshire del Oeste) para niños