Silsden was mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book as "Siglesdene", and as the most important village in Craven. Generally an agricultural area, the Industrial Revolution had a significant impact on West Yorkshire, including Silsden. The town hosted a number of mills none of which now operate in their original form. There is still industry in the town, some in old mill buildings and some in a new industrial estate between the town and the river. The town retains a very small amount of manufacturing. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal became a key element of local infrastructure upon its completion in 1816. Silsden was then connected to both a significant manufacturing city and a major ocean port by canal. Canal boats allowed for cheap transportation of bulk goods, especially coal and wool, to the area. In 1911, there was a riot in Silsden when the police station was attacked. A very unpopular policeman had been too enthusiastic in his duties. Questions were raised in the House of Commons and it was reported in the national press. The policeman was removed from the town and no more trouble occurred. During the 1940s, a hostel was built off Howden Road, to house refugees and prisoners of war from various countries. The area is now a housing estate, and there is a plaque to commemorate the hostel on Ings Way. In 1998, a hoard of 27 gold coins dating back to the 1st century AD were found in the town and subsequently valued at £20,000 by experts appointed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. The Guinness Book of World Records reported that the biggest onion ever, at, was grown in Silsden in 2010 by Vincent Throup. However this has since been beaten. On 6 July 2014, Stage 2 of the 2014 Tour de France from York to Sheffield, passed through the town.
Brunthwaite
The hamlet of Brunthwaite lies about half a mile east of the centre of Silsden, near Brunthwaite Beck and at the foot of Rombalds Moor. Land here formed a small manor from Saxon times, and the first known written mention of the name occurs in the 14th century. The oldest buildings in the present settlement are from an 18th-century farming community. The hamlet was designated as a conservation area in 1977, which was reassessed by Bradford Council in 2005.
Silsden has been administered by the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council since 1974. It also has its own town council. Silsden has eight public houses: the Robin Hood, the Counting House, the Red Lion, the Duck Pond, the Post Office, the Butchers Arms, the Punch Bowl, and the King's Arms. There are two members' clubs: Sunnybank Social Club and Twisters Social Club. Whilst Silsden does not have its own railway station, the Steeton and Silsden railway station is south in the village of Steeton. The station provides a link for commuters to the cities of Leeds and Bradford. Lying between Keighley and Ilkley, Silsden is served by buses to both these towns. Silsden's public transport benefits from Silsden being part of West Yorkshire rather than North Yorkshire, the border of which runs along one end of the town.
On 27 April 1995, a one-off anthologysupernatural drama titled Chiller aired, in which episode 6, titled "number 6", featured Silsden. It was featured for almost the entire one-hour episode, using locations across the town. Bonapartes Restaurant, on Kirkgate, was the subject of the first-ever episode of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares in 2004. After the show aired, Bonapartes’ owner Sue Ray threatened to take legal action against Ramsay, Channel 4 and the programme makers, Optomen, after claiming that the show put her £400,000 in debt. Christine Hall, producer of Kitchen Nightmares, refused to accept the blame, stating Ray only had herself to blame. The programme revisited the restaurant in the second series, but Ray would only talk to Ramsay off-camera. In June 2006, Ramsay won a High Court case against the London Evening Standard, which had alleged, after reports from Ray, that scenes and the general condition of Bonapartes had been faked. Ramsay was awarded £75,000 plus costs. Ramsay said at the time: "I won't let people write anything they want to about me. We have never done anything in a cynical, fake way." In July 2007, the butchers, barbers and shoe shop located on Bradley Road were used in an episode of ITV's The Royal.
