the heavy woollen district: batley

Batley, the District's second biggest town, has a population of approximately 40,000. It has a great sense of history with its vast mill complexes, many of which have been refurbished recently for light industrial use or for retail outlets.

Batley, derived from the Danish language, means either valley or homestead of bats. It appeared in the Domesday Book at Bateleia.

The history of the town can be traced back to the start of the Industrial Revolution (circa 1813) when Benjamin Law, a local man, decided to mix finely shredded rags with new wool to produce woven cloth known as "shoddy", which had a revolutionary effect on the textile industry. Virtually all the mills in Batley and neighbouring Dewsbury spun these types of cloth, hence the area came to be called the Heavy Woollen District.

Batley is also famous for its Grammar School, founded by the Rev William Lee. One of its former pupils was Sir Titus Salt, the man who founded Salts Mill and the village of Saltaire (now a National Heritage site).

Many of the old mills have gone and given way to modern industrial premises and processes. However, the town's heritage is preserved with many Victorian town centre buildings and shops, a particularly good example is the Town Hall.

Around town

Batley viaduct
looking towards Dewsbury

Batley has an excellent communication network. The town is about 15 minutes drive from junction 27 of the M62 or junction 40 of the M1.

Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield and Manchester are all within easy reach.

Batley railway station lies on the main transpennine line between Dewsbury and Leeds. At peak times, two trains an hour each way serve the town. The viaduct, pictured left, lies to the western side of Batley station.

Local buses, operated by Arriva, provide links with all the major towns and cities in the District.

The Redbrick Mill

There is a friendly local rivalry between the neighbouring towns of Batley and Dewsbury not least from a retail and leisure standpoint.

With its "mill mile" where former textile mills have been converted into shops and retail outlets, Batley is the home to the Redbrick Mill, pictured right, which has been completely renovated and now provides floor space for several well-known shops along with smaller local retailers and a couple of cafes.

Just along the A658 Bradford Road is another retail outlet known as The Village. Again this is the home to numerous well-known retailers and coffee shops.

And just around the corner, Alexandra Mills, is another popular retail outlet.

Batley Library

The main street in Batley is small but has a pleasant mix of local independent shops and national chains. A market is held on Fridays and Saturdays.

Between 1993 and 1998, Batley had an investment of £37.5m. This was provided by the Government under a scheme called "City Challenge" in a bid to regenerate the area.

Today, the environment is much improved but the town still has great potential to improve further in the future.

For sports fans, the main team in the town is the Batley Bulldogs (rugby league) who play their home matches at Mount Pleasant. The club play their league matches in the Co-Op National League One.

Still with sport, Batley was the home to professional snooker player Paul Hunter who died from cancer in 2006.