The Ginnel in Westgate was an overcrowded part of Keighley, which was highly unhealthy and the 1930's slum clearance saw its demolition. In and amongst these streets were at least 17 slaughter houses, by 1901 many of these were unfit for the preparation of human food.
The Barracks at Westgate which was originally Damside Mill, which in 1802 was rebuilt by Betty Hudson and then taken over by Jonas Greenwood, William & Lister Ellis in about 1805. Eventually the mill engine was removed, and by approximately 1820 it was converted into cottages which were used by hand combers. The building got its name as is closely resemblance to a soldiers barracks.
Taken from John Stewart Cardwell's a Pictorial History of Keighley.
Westgate area from Lewis Parker
This area has now been demolished due to the 1930s slum clearance though remnants still exists in the form of ruins of walls, steps and cobbled streets much of which is buried in the undergrowth and hidden amongst new buildings. During my searches I have found evidence of what remains today.
Westgate was also home to the smallest house in Keighley which was situated down Damside and had many pubs crammed into the cluttered areas. The most famous site round here was the old packhorse bridge ( better known as Quebec Bridge). It was demolished in the early summer of 1934 and spanned the North Beck for a number of years. It was thought to be a few centuries old although there is no exact record of its age.
The demolition of the corn mill chimney on 20th July 1934 was most famous as over 3000 people watched the eighty-feet high chimney fall.
On West Turkey Street there was the lodging house (originally a Baptist chapel with 68 burials, When it closed the bodies were re-buried at Utley but rumours are that some of the bodies are still there).The Lodging house was closed in May 1962, which forced the 72 residents seek alternative accommodation.
The Pinfold (renamed Westgate) was once a one of the best parts of the town with orchards and friendly neighbours, though this soon changed WHEN IN
1845 there was a disaster in Ireland when there was a potato famine when the crops were all killed by an aireborne fungii "phytophthora infestans" and it was said that if one plant got it, within a day it could infect thousands of plants. Thousands of people died from starvation and many hundreds migrated from their homeland to England settling themselves in small towns like Keighley. Suddenly the town started filling up with Kellys Flynns and Durkins, many of whom settled in The Pinfold (many of these people are ancestors of people still living in this area. More houses were built and the people of Keighley were quite shocked as the once described "pleasure to live in area" started to turn to slums and became "the most dreadful place to live in the whole town". The orchards soon died and were replaced with cluttered small houses.
One of the earliest records of the Pinfold area that I have found is records of Rishworths corn mill which was mentioned in 1721 up to 1820 the mill relied on water power from the North Beck. Another record I found was a drawn picture of the Cornmill Bridge in 1820 which showed the North Beck and some of the surrounding area. The bridge was demolished when the new road was built adjoining High Street and Oakworth Road during the slum clearanc, this involved building a new culvert to cover the Beck through the centre of town. In the years when the Pinfold was at its finest with apple orchards and a friendly atmosphere, local children would steal or `nik` a few apples while out and then go home to their parents with dreadful abdominal pains (the parents then would usually have a vague idea of where they had been, and give them a clip round the ear.
Local Public Houses
The Angel
Once described as one of the best pubs in the area only a few pictures survive, Joseph curry was a local attraction when he clog danced for beer when he was not working in the Masons Arms. Another thing known is that plays were often staged in the upstairs room.
The Brown Cow
Behind this were the back to back cottages which mostly made up Leeds Street (built around 1820). It was originally four back to back cottages which were knocked through to make the pub. The Pub was bought by Taylors Brewery in 1901 and the most popular landlord was Martin Foord
Westgate Today
Today’s Westgate is an overgrown woodland with a public path leading through. The path is still called Westgate and I owned by the council, many people use it as a short cut into town. If you walk off the path and into the woodland area you will soon start to see remains of houses and even cellars. Most of the trees you see are growing up out of the old houses and streets.