Knottingley
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| Knottingley | |
  Knottingley shown within West Yorkshire |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan borough | City of Wakefield |
| Metropolitan county | West Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | KNOTTINGLEY |
| Postcode district | WF11 |
| Dialling code | 01977 |
| Police | West Yorkshire |
| Fire | West Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| European Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament | Pontefract and Castleford |
| List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire | |
Knottingley is a town within the metropolitan district of the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the A1 road. It has a population of 17,000.
Until 1699, it was an important inland river port but, in that year, the Aire was made navigable as far as Leeds. Nonetheless, Knottingley remained a centre for boat building into the twentieth century. After 1870, the town also became known for glass manufacturing.
The town is served by Knottingley railway station.
Knottingley is famous as a glass manufacturing town[1], and in 1887 Bagley's Glassworks purchased the rights to the first bottle making machine invented by a Ferrybridge postmaster[2].
Close to Knottingley is the Ferrybridge Power Station which has the largest cooling towers of its kind in Europe. These towers can be seen for miles around. One of the oldest purpose built cinemas in England is still standing in Aire Street, but has now been converted into flats.
The town is one of the few in the entire United Kingdom to still have a working coal mine - Kellingley Colliery.
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[edit] Etymology
Knottingley means "the clearing of Cnotta's people", from the Old English personal name Cnotta meaning "knot", describing a small, round man and -ingas "people of" + leāh "wood, modern lee, not the same meaning as Leah (personal name)". The name was recorded as Cnotinesleahemm in 1128.
During the three Sieges of Pontefract Castle, Oliver Cromwell took residence in the town of Knottingley, believed to be in Wildbore House. Wildbore house was demolished and the land beneath was turned into a quarry for the limestone underneath.
[edit] Education
Knottingley currently has one high school, Knottingley High School and Sports College.
There are a number of primary schools: England Lane Junior and Infant School, Ferrybridge Infant School, Ferrybridge Roundhill Junior School, Knottingley Church of England Junior and Infant School, Knottingley Vale Junior and Infant School, Simpsons Lane Junior and Infant School and Throstle Farm Junior, Infant and Nursery School.
There are sixth-form colleges in nearby Pontefract, Wakefield and Selby.
[edit] Famous people from Knottingley
Famous Knottingley residents (past and present),include:-
- Ben Thompson, Former Marshall of Austin, Texas.
- Terry Cooper, Former Leeds United & England footballer. Currently Southampton's European scout.
- Graham Steadman, Former York Wasps, Featherstone Rovers, Castleford Tigers & Great Britain Rugby League footballer.
- Wayne Godwin, Bradford Bulls Rugby League footballer, and also played for Knottingley Rockware ARLFC.
- Ian Preece, Batley Buldogs Rugby League footballer, who played for Knottingley Rockware ARLFC from the age of 6.
- Andy McNally, former London Broncos, Featherstone Rovers, and Castleford Tigers Rugby League footballer and also played for Knottingley Rockware ARLFC.
- Zeeshan Khan (amateur boxing champion) Brother of Tyersal footballer Hasan Khan
- Mohammad Pandor (professional cricketer)
[edit] Trivia
It is also the last place in the British Empire to have a Bear-baiting arena.
[edit] References
[edit] Location Grid
| North: Sherburn in Elmet | ||
| West: Castleford | Knottingley | East: Goole |
| South: Adwick le Street |
