Knottingley is a town within the city district of the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire. It has a population of 13, 503, increasing to 13,710 for the City of Wakefield ward at the 2011 Census. It was initially an Anglo-Saxon settlement, though the ancient monument of Ferrybridge Henge suggests it had notable indigenous habitation long before then. Knottingley means "the clearing of Cnotta's people", from the English personal name Cnotta meaning "knot", During the three Sieges of Pontefract Castle, Oliver Cromwell took residence in the town of Knottingley, believed to be in Wildbore House. Knottingley is a town whose history is connected to river travel and industry. It has managed to hold on to certain aspects of that industrial history as succeeding enterprises today, supplying employment for a number of its population of some 17,000. Glass manufacturing continues to be necessary. The town was among the few in the UK to have a working coal mine, Kellingley Colliery. The crossing over the Aire at Ferrybridge was of value for many centuries. A bridge was developed there in 1198, and another to replace it two centuries later. Situated on the Great North Road connecting London with York and Edinburgh beyond that, the town emerged as an essential staging area for the coach traffic on that route. Near Knottingley is the Ferrybridge Power Station, which has the largest cooling towers of their kind in Europe. 3 of these towers collapsed in high winds in 1965. These towers can be seen for miles around. One of the earliest purpose-built cinemas in England, found in Aire Street, has actually been converted into flats. Knottingley is a central point for horse racing fans, with tracks at Pontefract, York, Wetherby and Doncaster all nearby. For all of your home renovations, be sure to find reliable contractors in Knottinhgley to make certain of quality.