Knottingley is a town within the metropolitan borough 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 originally an Anglo-Saxon settlement, though the ancient monument of Ferrybridge Henge indicates it had significant indigenous habitation long before then. Knottingley means "the clearing of Cnotta's people", from the English personal name Cnotta meaning "knot", Through the three Sieges of Pontefract Castle, Oliver Cromwell took residence in the town of Knottingley, supposed to be in Wildbore House. Knottingley is a town whose history is tied to river travel and industry. It has actually worked to preserve particular features of that industrial history as flourishing enterprises today, supplying jobs for a number of its population of some 17,000. Glass production continues to be very important. 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 benefit for numerous centuries. A bridge was constructed there in 1198, and another to replace it 2 centuries later. Placed on the Great North Road linking London with York and Edinburgh beyond that, the town came to be an important staging place for the coach traffic on that route. Near to 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, located in Aire Street, has been converted into flats. Knottingley is a central point for horse racing fans, with tracks at Pontefract, York, Wetherby and Doncaster all close by. For all of your home renovations, make certain to find reputable experts in Knottinhgley to make certain of quality.