in medieval times, shipley consisted of the settlement around the crossroads, and the unenclosed fields at shipley fields and the hirst which were collectively farmed. beyond these lay the low moor, which ran from the crowghyll to the former saltaire roundabout (now a junction on the bradford to keighley road), in the approximate area of modern day wycliffe, and the wasteland of high moor (from saltaire roundabout, through moorhead, as far as new brighton and noon nick). these areas were steep, rocky land, unsuitable for farming. by 1600 at the latest, the open fields had been enclosed and given way to individual farms. the town was bounded to the north by the river aire, to the east by bradford beck, with cottingley and heaton lying beyond its western and southern boundaries.