| Country: | England |
| Coordinates: | 53.8116°N -1.6718°W |
| Official Name: | Farsley |
| Static Image Name: | Town street middle, Farsley 1 September 2017.jpg |
| Static Image Width: | 250px |
| Static Image Caption: | Town Street |
| Pushpin Map: | United Kingdom Leeds |
| Population: | 22,594 |
| Population Ref: | (Ward. Calverley and Farsley. 2011 census) |
| Metropolitan Borough: | City of Leeds |
| Metropolitan County: | West Yorkshire |
| Region: | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Constituency Westminster: | Leeds West and Pudsey |
| Post Town: | PUDSEY |
| Postcode Area: | LS |
| Postcode District: | LS28 |
| Dial Code: | 0113 |
Farsley is a village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England, to the west of Leeds city centre, east of Bradford. Farsley is situated between the two cities and near the town of Pudsey. Before April 1974, Farsley was part of the Borough of Pudsey. Before 1934 it was its own urban district council. It had its own council offices opposite the cenotaph, which is now a dental practice. The ward of Calverley and Farsley also includes the estate of Swinnow and some northern parts of Pudsey.[1]
During the industrial revolution, Farsley was a centre for wool processing as there were a number of mills in the area. Sunny Bank Mills, still owned by the Gaunt family, is currently part of a huge multi-million revitalisation project bringing a new appreciation of Farsley's mill heritage.[2] Since 2022 the mills have served as the new filming location for series 8 onwards of The Great British Sewing Bee.[3] [4]
Farsley is just off the main road between Leeds and Bradford and just off the A6110 Leeds outer ring road. New Pudsey railway station is between Farsley and Pudsey providing train services towards Leeds, Bradford, Manchester Victoria and Blackpool.
The name Farsley is first attested in the 1086 Domesday Book as Fersellei and Ferselleia. The second element of the name comes from the Old English word lēah ('open land in a wood'). The etymology of the first element is less certain, but thought either to be Old English fyrs ('gorse') or the putative *fers ('heifer'). Thus the name originally meant either a clearing characterised by gorse bushes or by grazing cattle.[5]
In Farsley there are three primary schools: Farsley Farfield Primary School for 3 to 11-year-old children,[6] Westroyd Primary School and Nursery[7] for 3 to 11 year olds, and Farsley Springbank Primary School[8] for 4 to 11 year old pupils. The local secondary school is Co-op Academy Priesthorpe[9] with about 1,100 pupils.
Farsley is home to the non-League football team Farsley Celtic F.C. who play at The Citadel (formally known as Throstle Nest). They were formed in 2010 to replace Farsley Celtic A.F.C. after they were wound up but are seen as a continuation of the previous club.
Farsley Cricket Club, whose ground is situated in Red Lane, play in the Bradford League Division 1. Raymond Illingworth, former England cricket captain, is their most notable former player.
Farsley has a variety of housing. Around Town Street are some older terrace houses and smaller cottages. To the west of Town Street is a small council estate, consisting mainly of flats, the tallest block being twelve stories high. Towards the outskirts of Farsley there are many large detached houses.
The Friends of Farsley Rehoboth Burial Ground charity was set up to purchase, reclaim and maintain a historic burial ground in Farsley, just off Coal Hill Lane. The group of volunteers won an Aviva Community Fund £1,000 grant[15] and went on to receive registered charity status.[16] The burial ground is situated in proximity to the Springfield Worsted Mill and the Bank Bottom Woollen Mill[17] and had been closed to the public for over 11 years before the charity gained ownership in June 2019.
A 2019 Armistice Day Service in Farsley Rehoboth was broadcast on BBC Look North.[18]
In November 2020 The Friends of Farsley Rehoboth reported they had been awarded a substantial grant of £14,200 from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage Programme.[19]
The site's renovation has been achieved through collaboration with many local organisations including: Farsley Celtic FC, Farsley Parents and Toddlers Group, The Village Wine Bar, students from Co-op Academy Priesthorpe, the Gaunt family, Croft Street Fisheries, Co-op Community Fund, West Yorkshire Police cadets, local Councillor Andrew Carter CBE, Leeds City Council, and volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.