Tingley

Tingley is a settlement in West Yorkshire, England, forming part of the parish of West Ardsley and of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough.

It is situated midway between Leeds, Wakefield and Bradford but is considered part of Morley. It has the WF3 (Wakefield) postcode area while the village telephone numbers are "0113", the Leeds prefix.

Tingley was part of the an Ardlsey Urban district 1894-1937, which also included West Ardsley and East Ardsley and was then part of Morley Municipal borough 1937-1974. The village once formed part of the former Municipal Borough of Morley, and is still classed as part of Morley in the census. However, it is technically separate, and is not governed by Morley Town Council.

Tingley is split into two Leeds City Council wards, one being Morley South and the other Ardsley and Robin Hood, each electing three councillors to Leeds City Council. It is in the Morley and Rothwell parliamentary constituency.

It is perhaps best known for its eponymous roundabout, at the junction of the M62 motorway and the A653 ("Dewsbury Road"). The A650 connects with this roundabout. Until recently a semi-rural location, Tingley has seen much residential development over the last twenty five years, as it is only five miles south of Leeds City Centre. Close by to the east along the A650 is West Ardsley and East Ardsley, and Woodkirk to the south.

The coal and woollen industries which provided much employment until well after World War II have now completely disappeared and Tingley is essentially a dormitory suburb. Whenever anyone from Tingley talks about "going into town", it should always be enquired which town is being referred to. Within a five mile radius of the settlement lies the town centres of Morley, Leeds, Batley, Dewsbury, Ossett and Wakefield.

Tingley is also home to Tingley Athletic JFC (junior football club). The club traditionally play in white and green stripes with black shorts and socks, and have had a number of players go on to play at professional and semi-professional level. David Batty, who played for Leeds United and Newcastle United as well as England, is one of the most famous players to start off at Tingley Athletic. The club are currently having a new home ground built which will consist of a clubhouse, changing rooms and at least two full size high quality pitches.

Close by at the start of the A653 to Leeds is the main transmitter for Radio Aire, and also the studios of Real Radio (Yorkshire). The Leeds branch of the Carcraft chain of used car hypermarkets is also in Tingley, and is part of the Capitol Park development site.

Tingley has several pubs, including the White Bear (which is prominently located next to Tingley roundabout), the New Scarborough (on Dewsbury Road), and The Bull's Head (towards Batley on the A653).

Tingley was intended to be the southern terminus of the main line of the now shelved Leeds Supertram project.

In June 1980, Zigmund Adamski, a coal miner at Lofthouse Colliery approaching retirement, set off from Tingley to go shopping in Wakefield. He was never seen alive again. His body was found on top of a ten-foot high mound of coal near Todmorden. He had died of a heart attack. The police were unable to understand why and how he died, although his death has hallmarks of a UFO incident. [