History of Batley & Dewsbury

Batley was mentioned in the Domesday book when its population was just forty.

The town thrived as the textile industry boomed. The cobbled market square and fine surrounding buildings are classed as "an outstanding conservation area".

In Victorian times, Batley was the centre of the "shoddy trade". The owners of the recycling businesses were known as the "Shoddy Barons" . There was a "Shoddy King" and a "Shoddy Temple", better known as the Zion Methodist Chapel.

The large house that is now the Bagshaw Museum in Batley's Wilton Park was built by a man called George Sheard who described himself as a woollen manufacturer. The Museum is home to a wide variety of different collections and exhibitions. Alongside Bagshaw Museum is the Butterfly House which is a carefully controlled heated environment, filled with many native and tropical butterflies. Nearby is the Batley Observatory which is home to the Batley Astronomical Society.

Batley Grammar School was attended by Sir Titus Salt, an industrialist who founded the model village of Saltaire, and by Joseph Priestley, a friend of Benjamin Franklin, Josiah Wedgwood and Captain James Cook. Batley Library and Art Gallery are located right in the centre of Batley, and housed in one of Batley's most striking buildings . Batley Art Gallery displays art from many different artists from all over the country, including students of the world renowned Batley School of Art and Design and other local artists.

Dewsbury's roots date back to 627 AD when St Paulinus founded a Christian settlement on the banks of the River Calder.

The town developed rapidly during the industrial era being one of the centres for the "shoddy" industry, the recycling of old woollen items by mixing them with new wool and making them into heavy blankets and uniforms.

Many grand Victorian buildings rose out of the prosperity of this era resulting in the now superb backdrop of architecture which surrounds the thriving business and shopping areas of the town.