Bankfoot sits to the east of Wibsey, a ward within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council in West Yorkshire, England. The ward occupies a ridge running from Bradford city centre up towards Queensbury, described as one of the highest villages in England. Bankfoot itself forms part of this elevated corridor alongside the areas of Wibsey village and Odsal.
Population and Ward
The Wibsey ward, which includes Bankfoot, recorded a population of 14,530 in the 2001 UK Census. By the 2011 Census, that figure had grown to 14,671. The ward is represented on Bradford Council by three Labour councillors: Sabiya Khan, Ralph Berry, and Faiz Ilyas.
History of the Area
The broader Wibsey area, of which Bankfoot is part, has deep historical roots. Under the Danelaw it fell within the wapentake of Morley, and after the Norman Conquest it became an independent manor granted to the de Lacy family. The entire area was devastated during the Harrying of the North and took up to fifty years to recover. Ownership eventually passed to the Danby family of Farnley, Leeds, and then to the Rookes family of Royds Hall, near Huddersfield, becoming part of a wider estate that also included North Bierley. Wibsey remained a rural, largely isolated community until it was incorporated into Bradford in 1899, and the medieval strip farming system persisted there well into the 19th century. The Inclosure (Wibsey Slack and Low Moor Commons) Provisional Order Confirmation Act 1881 paved the way for modern development, leading directly to the creation of Wibsey Park, North Bierley Cemetery, and Harold Park. Further housing development followed in the 1920s and 1930s, including the Odsal council estate and the streets around St. Paul’s Avenue.