Farnley (Otley): what to know before moving day
Farnley Hall is a Grade I listed country house: an early 17th-century house to which John Carr, architect of Harewood House, added a new block in the 1780s. J. M. W. Turner treated it as a second home between 1808 and 1824 as a friend of Walter Ramsden Fawkes, and in the Second World War it was a maternity hospital. Most of the parish's 14 listed buildings belong to the estate: lodges, gate piers, stables, and a model farm called The Square that has since been converted.
All Saints' Church, rebuilt in 1851 in gritstone, is listed, and so is a drinking fountain of 1897 set into a wall by Farnley Lodge for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. The primary school is sometimes used for filming Emmerdale. To the east, Leathley Bridge, a three-arched 18th-century stone bridge, takes the Farnley Park road over the River Washburn.
How the van gets to Farnley (Otley)
Farnley Lane, the B6451, leaves Otley from Bridge Street by Otley Bridge and climbs north-east past the village, turning into Brame Lane as it heads on up the Washburn Valley. Farnley Park, a 40 mph road, turns off towards the hall and Leathley Bridge, and Brogden Hill drops to Cinder Lane and Lindley Bridge. From Bradford the A6038 is the road into Otley.
The drive from Bradford is roughly 30 to 45 minutes. That is an estimate from route data, not a timed run, and traffic changes it.
Services for Farnley (Otley)
Each service below links to its Otley page, which covers how the job works in and around Otley.
Farnley (Otley): questions before you book
Farnley is right next to Otley. Why is it not in Leeds?
When the counties changed in 1974, Otley went into the City of Leeds, but Farnley went into the Borough of Harrogate. Since 2023 it has been run by North Yorkshire Council, so that is the council for bins and council tax.
Nearby areas
Where the local details on this page come from
Checked on 28 September 2026 against:
- Postcode lookup (postcodes.io, ONS data): LS21 2QJ is in Washburn & Birstwith ward, North Yorkshire, parish of Farnley
- Farnley, North Yorkshire (Wikipedia): village and parish near Otley, name from ferns, Farnley Hall by John Carr, Turner, primary school used for filming Emmerdale, Borough of Harrogate 1974 to 2023 then North Yorkshire Council
- Farnley Hall (Wikipedia): early 17th-century house added to in the 1780s by John Carr, who designed Harewood House, Grade I, Turner's second home 1808-1824 with Walter Ramsden Fawkes, maternity hospital in the Second World War
- Listed buildings in Farnley (Wikipedia, from the National Heritage List): 14 buildings, estate lodges, gate piers and stables, The Square model farm, All Saints' Church 1851, drinking fountain 1897 by Farnley Lodge, Leathley Bridge carrying Farnley Park over the Washburn
- Newall with Clifton (Wikipedia): in 1974 Otley went to the City of Leeds while neighbouring parishes went to Harrogate district
- OpenStreetMap: Farnley Lane B6451 from Bridge Street, Brame Lane B6451, Farnley Park (40 mph, way 4469265), Brogden Hill, Cinder Lane, Lindley Bridge, Farnley Hall, All Saints Farnley, River Washburn