Morley

West Yorkshire

Morley is a town in the Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire.

Morley is around 5 miles south-south-west of Leeds, 6 miles north-west of Wakefield and 8 miles south-east of Bradford.

In the centre of the town, the grand Morley Town Hall, completed in 1895, is an impressive grade I listed building with a domed clock tower and concert hall, which continues to be a popular venue for brass band and other concerts.

A relatively recent addition to Morley's main shopping street, Queen Street, is a statue of Ernie Wise, one half of the popular comedy duo Morecambe and Wise. Born in Bramley in 1925, Ernest Wiseman's career in entertainment began at the age of 12 when he won a talent contest at the Pavilion Theatre in Morley. After a career in song, dance and comedy entertainment spanning more than 60 years he died in 1999.

Morley has a railway station, but this is about a half-mile walk to the northern side of town. The railway passes in a tunnel under the hill on which the town centre stands as it heads towards Batley in the Kirklees metropolitan district.

Town features

Morley has pubs.

Morley has local traders and a supermarket.

Morley has an indoor market.

The town has pharmacies.

The town has Post Offices.

Morley has bank and building society branches.

Morley has a selection of places to eat.

A choice of cafes can be found in Morley.

Takeaway food outlets in the town include fish and chips, chinese, curries, pizzas, burgers.

Morley has a town hall, including a community venue and concert hall.

The town has a library.

The town has a leisure centre with swimming pool.

Morley has schools.

Places of worship: Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, United Reformed, other.

There are public toilets in the town.

Travel

Morley station Station Road

Morley station 1 Eastbound
Cottingley 4 - Leeds 9 ♠
Cottingley 4 - Leeds 9 2 Westbound
Batley 5 - Dewsbury 8 - Ravensthorpe 11 - Mirfield 15 - Deighton 21 - Huddersfield 26 ♠
Batley 5 - Dewsbury 8 - Ravensthorpe 11 - Mirfield 15 - Brighouse 27 - Sowerby Bridge 37 - Mytholmroyd 42 - Hebden Bridge 46 - Todmorden 53 - Walsden 59 - Littleborough 1hr 5min - Smithy Bridge 1hr 8min - Rochdale 1hr 13min - Manchester Victoria 1hr 28min (*1hr 12min) - Wigan NW 2hr 10min (*1hr 48min) .
26 - typical fastest journey times in minutes.
(*) Faster journey available with change of trains at Dewsbury or Huddersfield.
Red - stations in West Yorkshire ticket area.

♠ - no Sunday service. For Brighouse change at Huddersfield (or to Grand Central when available at Mirfield) and add approx +50 minutes to journey time shown. For destinations beyond Brighouse change at Leeds and add approx +50 minutes to journey time shown.

Express trains - Trains other than those listed above pass through platforms at Morley without stopping. Stand clear of the platform edge. These trains may be caught by travelling first to Huddersfield or Dewsbury or Leeds.

Station managed by: NORTHERN. Operator/s: NORTHERN, TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS.

NATIONAL RAIL - Departure and station info

External link to National Rail live departure board for services at this station (opens in new tab).

Bus travel

The town has bus services to neighbouring towns and villages and city centres.

Road travel

Morley can be reached via the A650 A643 B6123 B6126 B6127 .

Places to visit

Middleton Railway

Moor Road, Hunslet, Leeds
The world's oldest working railway is now operated by volunteers who run trains mostly at weekends. The railway was first opened as a horse-drawn colliery railway in 1758 and was the first to successfully use steam locomotives commercially in 1812. The line was not built as a passenger railway, but solely for carrying coal. Passengers can now make the journey between Moor Road station and Park Halt at the edge of the attractive woodland of Middleton Park, where there are displays about the past coal mining in the area. The line has a timetable of diesel and steam operating days and special events and the engine shed is a celebration of the numerous manufacturers, among them Hudson, Hudswell Clarke and Manning Wardle, which once made Leeds the biggest producer of railway locomotives in the country. The railway is about 2 miles south of Leeds city centre close to Junctions 5 & 6 of the M621.

More information at the

Middleton Railway website.

Kirkstall Abbey

Abbey Road, Kirkstall
The ruins of the Cistercian Kirkstall Abbey, dating from 1152, are in public parkland alongside the River Aire at Kirkstall, 3 miles north-west of Leeds city centre.

More information at these

Leeds City Council - Kirkstall Abbey web pages.
Find on map:

Kirkstall Abbey

Oakwell Hall and Country Park

Nutter Lane, Birstall

Oakwell HallOakwell Hall is a splendid grade I listed Elizabethan Manor house in an extensive country park near Birstall and around 4 miles north-north-west of Dewsbury. The house was built in 1583 by John Batt and is furnished as the family home in the late 17th century and is surrounded by gardens reflecting the garden styles of that period. Oakwell Hall was the inspiration of Fieldhead in Charlotte Brontë's novel "Shirley". The hall also has information on the English Civil War battle of Adwalton Moor, the site of which is a walk of about a mile from the hall. The Hall is surrounded by a 110-acre country park which includes woodland, farmland and a reclaimed colliery site. There are trail-marked paths around the park which includes ponds and nature information boards. There is also a visitor centre at the hall, a gift shop, playground and nature trail. There are car parks for both the house and the country park, accessed from Nutter Lane, Birstall. The hall is owned and maintained by Kirklees Council.
Find out more at the

Kirklees Council - Oakwell Hall and Country Park web pages
with further information at the

Friends of Oakwell Hall and Country Park website.
Locate on map:

Oakwell Hall

Emergency services

West Yorkshire Police

West Yorkshire Police website.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service website.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust website.

Local government

Civil parish council

Morley Town Council
Provides some local services in the area.
Link to council website:

Morley Town Council

Metropolitan district council

City of Leeds

The City of Leeds authority covers an area extending several miles beyond the city itself, including areas of agricutural land with widely spaced villages to the north east and several separate small towns including Garforth, Guiseley, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell, Wetherby and Yeadon.

Leeds is just one of a ring five metropolitan councils covering the many cities, towns and villages of the conurbation of West Yorkshire. Around one-third of the West Yorkshire population live in the Leeds metropolitan district, just over ¾ million at the time of the 2011 census.

In the City of Leeds metropolitan district a total of 99 councillors are elected. There are three councillors per ward across 33 wards. Councillors are usually elected for four-year terms, one councillor being elected in each of three years out of four. A Lord Mayor of Leeds is elected from the council each year.

Political composition after May 2023 election:

61 *15654 MBI3 GSI3 SD2
99 members * includes Labour & Co-operative MBI = Morley Borough Independents; GSI = Garforth and Swillington Independents; SD = Social Democratic Party

External link to Leeds City Council website.

See our Yorkshire.guide Gazetteer for more about the

Leeds metropolitan district and places within it.

County strategic authority

West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Covers some combined services of the five metropolitan district councils of West Yorkshire - Bradford, Calderdale, Leeds, Kirklees and Wakefield — which were at one time provided by a West Yorkshire metropolitan county council, with the addition of the non-contiguous unitary authority area of the City of York council as well as the unelected Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership. Since 2021 it has operated with an elected mayor as chairman and decision-maker for some responsibilities. These include transport, housing and planning and finance powers. The responsibilities also include those of Police and Crime Commissioner, a role substantially delegated to an appointee deputy mayor.

Elected mayor: ❚ Tracy Brabin Labour & Cooperative

West Yorkshire Combined Authority website.

Police and Crime Commissioner

The Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire
This role has become one of the many responsibilities of the West Yorkshire elected mayor since May 2021.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority website.

Fire Authority

West Yorkshire Fire Authority
The fire authority is made up of elected members of each of the five metropolitan district councils of West Yorkshire - Bradford, Calderdale, Leeds, Kirklees and Wakefield.

West Yorkshire Fire Authority web pages.

Parliamentary constituency

Leeds South West and Morley
Elected MP: ❚ Mark Sewards Labour

National government region

Yorkshire and the Humber

Ceremonial county

West Yorkshire

Historic

Within the West Riding of Yorkshire

Also in Yorkshire.guide

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