Library archive session – 18th October 2025

October 28, 2025Bradford Libraries Leave a comment

The History Society recently held the third of its Local Studies Library Archive sessions at the library in Keighley. We’ve been organising these sessions because we know that between our 70+ members, we have some people working on individual projects who use these sessions as a spur to progress them further, and because we know that some members won’t be fully aware what a terrific resource the Local Studies Library is with its comprehensive collection of documents, maps, directories, photographs, plans and so on.

This time a couple of committee members thought it would be helpful to focus on how to research the history of particular properties (most usually the one people now live in). I personally had attended an open-session on this very topic at the library a couple of years ago, so I knew how beneficial it would be, plus I’d moved house in the meantime and had a new property I wanted to find out more about! Properties of interest to other members included a former vicarage, a converted barn, a farmhouse, a manor house, a nursery and numerous other properties dating from the seventeenth to early twentieth centuries.

The session started with Angela and Gina giving a presentation on the various collections and resources available within the library. These included the more obvious (you might think) local maps, and building plans, and expanded to census records and electoral records which would help you discover who was in your property before you. But then they talked about resources like court records from the 17^th century, taxation records and rate books, and a whole host of other avenues to take your research down.

After the presentation, Angela, Gina and Janet were on hand to take our members through the various examples of records they had brought out, and that covered virtually every available surface in the upstairs library. They had also prepared a number of packs for individuals with details for some of the properties people were interested in. This included, for myself, a plan of a property linked with my own, that I am now keen to share with my neighbours who occupy said property.

Over twenty members of the History Society came along to the session (including one member who actually came to donate a plan of her previous home to the library). The morning was extremely well-received by our members. But I’ll let them say that in their own words…

“I found Saturday’s Archive session most helpful and enjoyable. The librarian ladies had gone to great lengths to help us further our study of the property we are researching which I greatly appreciate and wish to thank them again for the print outs of various documents and maps. Without their expertise and great knowledge of our Library’s resources I would have been overwhelmed.” – Eveline Rhodes

“I really enjoyed the session at the Library on Saturday. The preparation and presentation of archive materials was as always extensive. The members of the Team were knowledgeable and informative, offering links to people at various stages of their genealogical journey in addition to those seeking information about houses and buildings of interest, the two of course being closely intertwined. The Team are enthusiastic and readily accessed individual historical materials when requested. Keep up the good work.” – Eileen Whitley

“The Library Ladies, Angela, Gina and Janet, presented an impressively comprehensive array of information sources for us to consider. They had also prepared an individual pack of ‘site-specific’ information plus maps, to identify the age of my particular dwelling. This was immensely helpful and I am grateful for their time and focussed effort.” – Graham Mitchell

“I found the library session very useful and the staff gave a good presentation on what resources were available – and where to find them in the library. A few good tips too on which resource to use and when. I had not realised there were so many useful sources of information other than old OS maps and I can see myself calling in quite often now to try and dig out bits of history relating to a couple of projects I am working on; some listed buildings in Cross Roads and the history behind bridges in the Worth Valley and Keighley.” – Roger Grimes

“The library team are very knowledgeable and organised. Always helpful and will help with ideas on how to move forward. The archives themselves are well kept and organised and on Saturday they pulled together a lot of useful books and documents. Their handout is a very helpful and informative document. The session was really useful and it has inspired me to get back into my research on our house and local hamlet.” – Sally Morgan

“Following an interest in when my barn in Ingrow was built and its history, I attended the recent Property History Research lecture at the Local Studies library. I was amazed and excited by the range and depth of the physical records held in the library. This demonstrates to me how vital the Local Studies library is in curating and preserving the history of our town.” – John Rodger

We are all looking forward to future archive sessions in 2026.

Tim Neal

Keighley & District Local History Society

Honoring Local Heroes: Oakworth’s Remembrance Trail

October 22, 2025Bradford Libraries Leave a comment

The Men of Worth Project have been busy creating a Remembrance Trail in Oakworth and the launch event will be at Oakworth Community Hall on the 30th of October. About 100 A3 boards will be installed by volunteers on lampposts around Oakworth on 28th October 2025 and they will be on display until the end of November.

The boards will be positioned near to the former homes of each man. People who read their brief stories on the boards can visit The Men of Worth Project website and/or use their phones to scan a QR Code on each board to go to the website to read their whole stories. We hope it will give people a sense of where these brave soldiers lived, before going off to war, never to return.

Andy Wade, project director states:

“One hundred A3 boards will be seen on lamp posts around Oakworth from
the end of October until the end of November. People who read their
brief stories on the boards can use their phones to scan the QR Code on
each board to go to the Men of Worth Project website where they can read
their whole stories. We hope it will give people a sense of where these
brave soldiers lived their lives before going off to war, never to return.”

Keighley Mayor, Councilor Chris Herd, responeded:
“Keighley Town Council is proud to support the Oakworth Remembrance
Trail, ensuring the bravery and sacrifice of our local service people
are remembered where they lived. This project, in partnership with Men
of Worth and the Army Cadets, honours their legacy and brings our
community together in respect and remembrance.”

For More information on the Men of Worth Project please see the website Men Of Worth

The Impact of German Butchers in Keighley

September 15, 2025Bradford Libraries Leave a comment

‘Meeting the Meat Demand’ with Karl-Heinz Wüstner.

Over the summer, the History Society was presented with the opportunity for a talk by Karl-Heinz Wüstner on German immigration to West Yorkshire. With all of our regular slots already filled (and the budget pretty much used up), our solution was to book Keighley Local Studies Library for an extra talk on the afternoon of Wednesday 1^st October. The talk, entitled ‘Meeting the Meat Demand’ will start at 2.30pm and will finish around 4.30pm (time for the talk plus discussion at the end). There is a charge of £2 per person (fee applies to members and visitors).

Karl-Heinz Wüstner is a retired high school teacher from Ilshofen, Germany. As a local historian he has studied labour migration and conducted research on trade and craftsmanship in the Hohenlohe region of Germany for many years. He is a committee member of the Historical Society for Württemberg-Franconia and chairman of a local museum that exhibits painted furniture. He writes books and articles, and has given talks at numerous conferences and seminars.

Karl-Heinz Wüstner: “The continuing industrialisation of Yorkshire in the 19^th century created many additional jobs in wool mills and factories. Industrial centres grew rapidly and the large number of newly arrived workers needed to be fed. German immigrants in particular took advantage of these circumstances. As butchers, they not only offered meat, but also produced a variety of tasty sausages, meatloaf, rissoles and many other products that could be eaten either cold or warm after brief heating. With the introduction of takeaways, also offering hot meals, they broke new ground in food supply and thus established new eating habits.

“Quite a number of such pork butchers settled in the up-and-coming town of Keighley. A whole series of butcher’s shops with more than thirty female and young employees dominated the streetscape. Names such as Andrassy, Pfeiffer, Hofmann and Schneider may still be remembered by some today.

“I will try to explain why the butchers and their families left their homeland and how they were able to succeed as immigrants. I will explore the important role they played in the development of the towns and cities, as well as their personal fates.”

Article and Photos by Tim Neal, Keighley & District Local History Society.

HISTORY SOCIETY @ KEIGHLEY LOCAL STUDIES LIBRARY

June 2, 2025Bradford Libraries 1 Comment

The History Society held another of their research sessions at Keighley Local Studies Library on the morning of Saturday 31^st May 2025. Around twenty members attended, with Angela, Gina and Janet from the library staff opening up various photographic archives and maps of the area for people to peruse.

The session started with History Society committee member Tim Neal talking to attendees about 3D or stereoscopic photography. Many of those there could remember the phenomenon of View-Masters that were around from the 1950s to the 1980s. These handheld viewers used to be loaded with a cardboard circular disc holding seven different colour stereoscopic photos. When looking through the viewer these images appeared in 3D. Tim had brought along half-a-dozen View-Master viewers and a selection of geographical and event-based discs covering subjects as varied as Princess Margaret’s wedding in 1960 to a mid-century of Ottawa in Canada. Members were able to peruse these at their leisure.

Mel Whitaker, writing after the event: “Tim’s collection of ‘View Masters’ brought back many happy memories for all of us who had owned one – and really impressed those who had never seen one before!”

People were then introduced to a collection of card-backed slides from the library’s collection. These were stereoscope images of Keighley in the Victorian era. Local historian Eddie Kelly had already studied the cards and had been able to conclude that they must have been produced around 1895, judging by some of the businesses depicted and the development of some of the buildings in some of the pictures. Using either the vintage wooden viewer or modern plastic equivalents, attendees were able to see Victorian Keighley brought back to life in 3D.

Accompanying these stereoscopic images were selections of photographs, organised by area of town, from a variety of the library’s archive collections, showing the town from the 1900s to the 1960s. It was a period that saw enormous changes in the landscape of the town.

Andy Wade, writing after the event: “Had an excellent session in Keighley Library’s Local Studies room looking at stereoscopic photographs and some of the old photo archives and in particular, the chance to talk about what we were looking at, as there were some unique views of Keighley which I’ve never seen before.”

Finally, bringing us right up to date, the staff had set up the library’s virtual reality equipment, enabling members to view 3D recreations of a 1970s living room, and to explore potential habitats fifty years in the future.

Several members also brought their own items to add to collections, and could also explore their own research lines of query with the staff and the amazing resources that the library has to offer. The session was summed up by society member Jean McClennon: “An excellent and interesting session, thanks very much to all involved.”

The History Society will be holding another similar session on Saturday 18^th October, focusing in how to use the library’s resources to research the history of your own home.

Tim Neal
Keighley & District Local History Society
1^st June 2025

International Women’s Day Event

February 28, 2025Bradford Libraries Leave a comment

On Saturday, 8^th March, it’s International Women’s Day and to celebrate it, Keighley Local Studies Library, first floor of Keighley Library, is hosting a day of talks by popular women speakers. All talks are free as part of Keighley Library’s 120 Years’ anniversary celebrations and there is no need to book, so please come along and help us to celebrate women, women’s work and achievements.

At 10am, Diane Park is going to talk about her strong women book shop in Haworth, Wave of Nostalgia, that is as popular as ever and has certainly raised awareness of women writers and artists. Sharon Wright, author, journalist and playwright will speak at 11.30am. Sharon is no stranger to highlighting the lives of women in history who have been neglected and has written about the unique and daring lives of women balloonists and shone a light at last on the life of the mother of the Brontë children, Maria Branwell, with Maria’s very first biography. Sharon will be talking about an increasingly popular genre in book shops and libraries alike, narrative

non-fiction. In the afternoon at 2.15pm, Jude Rhodes, local historian and genealogist, a speaker very much in demand in Yorkshire as well as Keighley Library will address the question – who were the women nurses? As a former practising nurse herself, now nurse tutor, we can look forward to Jude’s professional incite along the way. The day will continue its high note with the multi-talented local historian, actress, author and raconteur, Irene Lofthouse, who will speak about those women in Keighley who few might have heard of in their life time or since but who entered politics, ran businesses and generally helped to put Keighley on the map during a period when hearth and home was regarded as a woman’s only natural sphere outside a few caring professions.

There will be accompanying displays of archive records, a sale of authors’ publications and a display by the Men of Worth about women serving as nurses and as land army personnel. Refreshments will be served mid- morning and mid- afternoon between speakers.