IT is unclear when people first began to settle on the Lindley Ridge (an area which incorporates Lindley, Birchencliffe and other settlements) but we do know that by the time William the Conqueror's officials visited the area in 1086 there was some kind of settlement.

Lindley is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 (the tax motivated survey commissioned by William the Conqueror) and although it is highly probable that the area suffered a similar fate to many northern towns and villages (many were laid `waste' by Norman soldiers because they were seen as troublesome and rebellious) it seems that the area has been continuously settled since then.

It is likely that the early settlers chose the area because of its lofty position, Birchencliffe being 800 feet above sea level. People at this time preferred to build their homes higher up the slopes where the land was well drained making it suitable for the grazing of cattle whilst at the same time giving them the advantage of seeing potential enemies as they approached.

Life in the area post-Domesday, and indeed for a substantial period thereafter, was centred on agriculture.

Population steadily increased in the area and new buildings were erected.

As well as working in agriculture, some locals were, by medieval times, involved in the manufacture of cloth (something for which the West Riding would later became famous).

Until the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the area would have remained wholly rural and agricultural.

The manufacture of cloth at this time was carried out in cottages (which were usually three or more storeys high with long mullioned windows to allow as much light as possible into the rooms where people were working) and in the numerous scattered farmsteads in the area.

However, the arrival of the Industrial Revolution transformed this way of life forever; what had been insignificant rural hamlets become communities of some substance.

In the nineteenth century the mills came to the area, although it has to be said they arrived somewhat later here than in other villages in the West Riding where mills had been in operation since the latter part of the eighteenth century.

In 1856 the Hall family (one of the main families involved in the textile industry in Lindley) bought land in the area for the purpose of building a mill and in 1864 Wellington Mills, which dominated the landscape for many years, was built.

Wellington Mills was visited by King George V and Queen Mary in 1912. Its other claim to fame was that at one time it was the largest employer in the area – employing 1,400 people – as well as boasting that it was `the largest of its kind in the Huddersfield district'.

It was, however, improvements in transport and communications that would contribute most to the area's population growth and prosperity.

In the early nineteenth century the Manchester turnpike road was constructed and this encouraged people to settle in the area, as well as bringing trade (many passers-by stopping off at the area's numerous inns and public houses – there were apparently eight or nine in Lindley and Birchencliffe alone).

By 1883, transport was provided for locals by way of a steam tram service from Huddersfield Town Centre to Lindley which terminated at the Bay Horse public house for the first three years until the road was widened to allow the service to go as far as the Fleece Inn on Lidget Street (note that both services terminated close to refreshments).

And, of course, today transport links have been further improved by the building of the M62 which is situated just above Lindley and Birchencliffe.

This fairly new improvement perhaps also brings trade to the area and there are certainly still a number of public houses for today's passers-by to choose from.

Lindley Ridge today is described as an area `populated with a heady mix of boutiques, delis, cafes and traditional pubs' and this is indeed an accurate description of the area. However, one can still find plenty of evidence of the past; one of Sir John Betjeman's favourite landmarks, Lindley clock tower, is still standing and still chiming, as is St Stephen's Church, the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and, of course, cricket is still being played at Birchencliffe Cricket Ground.

Perhaps with all these attractions it is no wonder the large black cat, which has since become known as `the Beast of Birchencliffe', was keen to visit the place last year; or maybe the `beast' was just a keen gardener as it was spotted near Armitage's Garden Centre in Birchencliffe.

1745 Lindley Evangelical Church is built.

1822 Birchencliffe is described as being `in the township of Lindley, and parish of Huddersfield; 2 miles from Huddersfield, 6 miles from Halifax'.

1830 St Stephen's Church, Lindley opens, February 11.

1847 Lindley Mechanics' Hall (a place where the working classes could be educated) is founded. This is now Lindley library.

1850 Lindley Brewery is founded by George Netherwood.

1860 Lindley Co-op opens.

1864 Wellington Mills is built.

1872 The chancel is added to St Stephen's Church at a cost of £2,000.

1883 Hourly tram service from Huddersfield Town Centre to Lindley begins June 9 .

1886 The route of the Lindley tram is extended to the Fleece public inn on Lidget Street.

1895 The Grey Horse public house at Birchencliffe is bought by Seth Seniors, Shepley Brewery, for £1,550 on May 21.

c.1900 Lindley Brewery ceases to operate.

1902 Lindley Clock Tower is built. 24th December: the clock is started by James Nield Sykes' youngest daughter, Miss Mary Alice Sykes.

1911 The Lindley tram service is again extended – this time to Birchencliffe.

1912 King George V and Queen Mary visit Wellington Mills.

1937 Field Head, the former home of the Sykes family, is bought by Huddersfield Corporation.

1939 27 May: the No.7 to Elland is the last electric tram to pass through Birchencliffe.

1940 Wellington Mills is hit by a bomb which causes considerable damage to the building.

1970 Lindley Clock Tower's original mechanism is replaced.

1971 The Clock Tower's mechanism is again replaced – this time with a mechanism that chimes, on September 11.

1992 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is burnt down. Work begins almost straight away on rebuilding it.

1999 The doors of Lindley Clock Tower are opened to the public for the first time since 1902 as part of a Heritage Weekend, September 11-12.

2004 First sighting of the `Beast of Birchencliffe' at Birchencliffe Service Station on Halifax Road, September 6.

17 September: The `Beast of Birchencliffe' is spotted again near Armitage's Garden Centre.