Savile Town
Encyclopedia
Savile Town is a small area of Dewsbury
in West Yorkshire
, England. It lies just to the south of the River Calder
and just north of a railway line. It consists of late Victorian housing, which varies between long terraces, semi-detached and detached housing. The mills on the banks of the Calder supplied employment to Savile Town for several decades; these were mostly woollen, but also some cotton. As the mills closed, the area became very run-down. Recent regeneration has seen most of the units now reoccupied; Clinton Cards
, is based in the area.
The area is named after Thomas Savile, who once owned the townships of Dewsbury and Thornhill. He has also given his name to the bridge that leads to the town centre as well as having founded Wakefield Cathedral and Queen Elizabeth Grammar School. There are several roads in Dewsbury
, Ossett
and Wakefield
that have "Savile" in the name. There were also once two collieries named "Savile" - one on Owl Lane at the Dewsbury-Ossett border, and one near Methley
.
Prior to 1910, Savile Town was part of the Thornhill
Urban District. In 1910, the district was abolished, and the area became part of the town of Dewsbury.
Savile Town is perhaps most famous for its role in the British Muslim community. The area is "some 97-100% Muslim", and is home to the Markazi mosque
, which is run by Tablighi Jamaat
. The mosque has caused a mixed reaction. Some claim that the mosque has added to racial segregation in Dewsbury. Its attached school, the Institute of Islamic Education, received low pass rates for several years. It received a 2007 pass rate of 23% since major improvements after a damning Ofsted report.
One of the suicide bombers from the 7/7 attacks is said to have attended the Markazi mosque, but the mosque was subsequently found to have no relation with the attacks. Crime for Savile Town is generally low for an urban area. Rageh Omar's Channel 4 documentary "Immigration: The Inconvenient Truth, Part 2" used eyewitness accounts to suggest that at least in the eyes of residents the area does not feel at all safe, although it was not always clear whether the witnesses were referring to Savile Town or to nearby Ravensthorpe
. There is a Shariah arbitration court in nearby Thornhill Lee's, which deals with family issues.
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England. It lies just to the south of the River Calder
River Calder, West Yorkshire
The River Calder is a river in West Yorkshire, in Northern England.The Calder rises on the green eastern slopes of the Pennines flows through alternating green countryside, former woollen-mill villages, and large and small towns before joining the River Aire near Castleford.The river's valley is...
and just north of a railway line. It consists of late Victorian housing, which varies between long terraces, semi-detached and detached housing. The mills on the banks of the Calder supplied employment to Savile Town for several decades; these were mostly woollen, but also some cotton. As the mills closed, the area became very run-down. Recent regeneration has seen most of the units now reoccupied; Clinton Cards
Clinton Cards
Clinton Cards is a chain of stores in the UK founded in 1968 by Don Lewin. Mostly selling greeting cards, as the name suggests, the chain claims to be "the largest specialist retailer of greetings cards, plush merchandise and related products in the UK with over 700 shops." They used to be...
, is based in the area.
The area is named after Thomas Savile, who once owned the townships of Dewsbury and Thornhill. He has also given his name to the bridge that leads to the town centre as well as having founded Wakefield Cathedral and Queen Elizabeth Grammar School. There are several roads in Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
, Ossett
Ossett
Ossett is a market town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on junction 40 of the M1 motorway, half-way between Dewsbury, to the west, and Wakefield, to the east. In the 2001 census, it was classified as part of the West Yorkshire...
and Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
that have "Savile" in the name. There were also once two collieries named "Savile" - one on Owl Lane at the Dewsbury-Ossett border, and one near Methley
Methley
Methley is a dispersed village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, south east of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is located near Rothwell, Oulton, Woodlesford, Mickletown and Allerton Bywater. It nestles in the triangle formed by Leeds, Castleford and Wakefield, and is between the...
.
Prior to 1910, Savile Town was part of the Thornhill
Thornhill, West Yorkshire
Thornhill, is a village in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Thornhill was absorbed into Dewsbury County Borough in 1910. It is located on a hill on the south side of the River Calder, and has extensive views of Dewsbury, Ossett and Wakefield...
Urban District. In 1910, the district was abolished, and the area became part of the town of Dewsbury.
Savile Town is perhaps most famous for its role in the British Muslim community. The area is "some 97-100% Muslim", and is home to the Markazi mosque
Markazi mosque
The Markazi Masjid , also known as the Dewsbury Markaz or Dar ul Ulum , is a mosque in the Savile Town area of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. Accommodating up to 4,000 worshippers, it is one of the largest mosques in the United Kingdom and among the biggest purpose-built mosques in Europe...
, which is run by Tablighi Jamaat
Tablighi Jamaat
Tablighi Jamaat is a religious movement which was founded in 1926 by Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi in India. The movement primarily aims at Tablighi spiritual reformation by working at the grass roots level, reaching out to Muslims across all social and economic spectra to bring them closer to...
. The mosque has caused a mixed reaction. Some claim that the mosque has added to racial segregation in Dewsbury. Its attached school, the Institute of Islamic Education, received low pass rates for several years. It received a 2007 pass rate of 23% since major improvements after a damning Ofsted report.
One of the suicide bombers from the 7/7 attacks is said to have attended the Markazi mosque, but the mosque was subsequently found to have no relation with the attacks. Crime for Savile Town is generally low for an urban area. Rageh Omar's Channel 4 documentary "Immigration: The Inconvenient Truth, Part 2" used eyewitness accounts to suggest that at least in the eyes of residents the area does not feel at all safe, although it was not always clear whether the witnesses were referring to Savile Town or to nearby Ravensthorpe
Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury
Ravensthorpe is an area of Dewsbury, in West Yorkshire, England. Ravensthorpe is on the western outskirts of Dewsbury and is part of the "Dewsbury West" ward in the district of Kirklees. The area has always been heavily industrial and was once bustling with textile mills. There is now a toxic...
. There is a Shariah arbitration court in nearby Thornhill Lee's, which deals with family issues.