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Broomfields is a historic district on the south eastern edge of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. In the 1840s it was still a mainly rural area with a population of only a few hundred people. By 1880 it was one of the most densely populated districts of Bradford with 1500 houses, a population of about 8,000 and many commercial premises. In 1932 a process of slum clearance and commercial regeneration was started. Today (2014) the district is almost wholly given over to commercial premises and once again has a resident population of only about two hundred people. . . ==Location, origins and early history== Broomfields was never an administrative area but rather a geographical expression. The northernmost part, a small area once referred to as "The Broom Closes", was in the township of Bradford.〔James. History and Topography of Bradford.〕 Most of Broomfields was within the township of Bowling. (From 1882 the ward of East Bowling.) The western boundary followed Wakefield Road. The eastern boundary was marked by Bowling Beck – which also formed part of the boundary of the township of Horton. The southern limit of the area was the small estate of "Broom Hall". To the east of Broomhall the southern boundary was not precisely defined but approximated to he northern limit of "Spring Fields". Despite the difficulties of indeterminate boundaries the area had a certain unity of geography and a shared history of economic development. It is composed of reasonably gentle north and west facing slopes, draining to Bowling Beck. The thin clay soils were unsuitable for arable farming and anciently had formed part of the wastes. By the late 17th century most of the land had been divided into "closes" for pastoral use. Flowering broom flourished on the poor soils and gave its name to the district. From an early date Broomfields provided the people of Bradford with country walks and the opportunity of catching trout in the becks. The water of the Lady Well〔Shepherd,Historic Wells page 9. The map dated 1842 is actually post 1849 – the L&Y Railway was opened 1850. Shepherd quotes J.James's mislocation of the Ladywell as "in the Roughs on the west side of Dudley Hill" This was actually the source of the "Nameless Beck" which also fed Lady Well pool. (See fig 4)〕 was highly regarded for its curative properties and the spring was a place of resort on holidays. From 1774 with the opening of the Bradford Canal this idyllic picture started to change, though very slowly, as the coal and iron deposits were worked on a commercial scale.〔Firth. "Bradford and the Industrial Revolution" Pages 86–89〕 In the last decade of the 18th century Sir Francis Lindley Wood (owner of Bolling Hall and Lord of the manor) sunk coal mines in Broomfields – much of which was part of his extensive estates. He delegated management of the mines to his energetic land agent, Isaac Wright. Isaac Wright only operated the New Heigh pit directly (It provided Sir Francis with a profit of £1200 pa.) and sub let other nines to "pit takers". There is evidence that by about 1800 he had opened a coal staithe in Bridge Street, Bradford, which was supplied from the Broomfield mines.〔Pickles. Bradford Tramways.〕 Broomfield Colliery was at the junction of Hall Lane and Wakefield road close to the ancient "Wheatsheaf" public house. A group of single storey coal miner's houses of this period (see Fig. 14.1) still survive. In 1801 Sir Francis moved from Bolling Hall to another of his houses at Hemsworth. From 1803 most of the mineral rights of Sir Francis's estates were leased or sold piecemeal to the Bowling Iron Works. In 1794 Sir Francis leased 93 acres of ironstone in Hall Lane to them.〔Firth. Bradford in the Industrial Revolution. Page 124. See also Cudworth. Bolton & Bowling. Pages 207–211.〕 In February 1816 he sold all his remaining landholdings and mineral rights in Bowling and Bradford to the iron works. In 1821 the ironworks also bought the lordship of the manor with the manorial lands and mineral rights.〔Firth. "Bradford and the Industial Revolution" Pages 126 to 129〕 Fig. 3 is based on a map of 1831 drawn up for the parliamentary committee tasked with deciding the boundaries of the new parliamentary boroughs proposed by the Reform Bill. The district of Broomfields has been overdrawn. Broomfields was about 970 yards from North to South and a maximum of 860 yards east to west amounting in total to about 130 acres. The map shows that in 1831 the area contained almost no buildings except a thin scattering along its Wakefield Road boundary. To the south east was the Bowling Ironworks with its growing network of mineral tramways. The ironworks had a major influence on the economic history of Broomfields. To the south are shown Bowling Dye Works〔Founded by George Ripley 1808. Relocated to Spring Wood By Edward Ripley 1822. Expanded by Henry Ripley. By 1880 The UK's biggest dye works.〕 and Bolling Hall with its access road "Bolling Hall Lane" running through Broomfields with the only other lane in Broomfields – "Mill Lane" running at right angles to it. The "mill" referred to was not a textile mill but the very ancient water powered manorial "Bowling corn mills". The only steam powered textile mill in Broomfields in 1831 was the "Prospect Mill" in Wakefield Road built in 1819 by the Bowling Iron Works company for letting out on a "room and power" basis. Amongst the first lessees was Mr G.W Addison who in Hall Lane "built for his residence a fine house .... which he surrounded with gardens, green houses etc"〔Cudworth, Bowling. Page 252〕 Mr Addison set (or possibly confirmed – as his house was next to the older but even grander Hall Field) a fashion for building fine houses in Hall Lane. By 1849 Woodsley House, Springfield Lodge, the unnamed house known only as No 223 and the 8 rather grand town houses of Broomfield Terrace had been built. No 237 Hall Lane (Fig 14.2) followed in 1851. The final house in the series, Windrush House, No 2 Hall Lane, was built as late as 1868. It was built for Dr Samuel Lodge on part of the garden of Mr Addison's house – which in 1864 had become the vicarage of St. Luke's church. All these houses, except Springfield Lodge, were in the classical style. Springfield Lodge had gothic elements. Despite the mine-workings Broomfields in 1840 still had a largely rural aspect. To the west Caledonia, Waterloo and Britannia Mills had been built alongside Bowling Beck on the boundary of Broomfields. A few collieries were still in production and in the early 1840s the Bowling Ironworks built a tramway a through Broomfields to transport coal from outlying mines to a new staithe "The Bradford Coal Depot" next to Britannia Mill.〔Derek Pickles "Bowling Tramways.". Tramway and coal depot shown on Fig 4〕 In 1843 Mr G.W Addison built Broomfield's second textile mill "Hall Lane Mills". Prospect Mill was purchased from the Bowling Ironworks by the Cole, Marchant and Morley partnership, who obtained additional land for "Prospect Foundry". Mr Marchant had previously been finance manager at the Bowling Iron Works. Prospect Foundry established a flourishing business in domestic ironware: its black iron kitchen ranges were installed in many Bradford houses of the Victorian period. It also developed an engineering business: its steam engines powered many Bradford mills and could be still found at work during the 1960s. Other foundries and engineering works soon followed. Benjamin Berry and Co set up an engineering company in a part of Prospect Mill.〔Cudworth, Bowling Page 256〕 In 1853 they built Ladywell Foundry in Hall Lane. Berry's were joined by "St Dunstan's Machine Tool Manufactury" and the Mill Lane Foundry. Next to Prospect foundry a large area was occupied by Prospect Sawmills. The timber company had been founded in 1811 as Thorpe and Terry – later Thorpe, Terry and Schofield and from 1874 J.E Schofield. The sawmills continued working into the second half of the 20th century. George Oddy, rope maker, was supplying haulage and winding ropes to the Bowling Iron works in 1789. Messrs. Oddy's rope walks at 235 Hall Lane continued in production into the second half of the 20th century.〔Cudworth, Bowling Page 242〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Broomfields, Bradford」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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