| Bilton | |
|---|---|
 St John the Evangelist Church | |
  Bilton Location within North Yorkshire | |
| Population | 5,409 (2011 census. Ward) [1] |
| OS grid reference | SE305572 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HARROGATE |
| Postcode district | HG1 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
Bilton is a suburb of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, situated to the north-east of the town centre.
Bilton was first recorded (as Billeton) in the Domesday Book in 1086. The name is of Old English origin and means "farmstead of a man named Billa". [2]
Bilton was historically in the parish of Knaresborough in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It formed a township with Harrogate, [3] and in 1866 the township of Bilton with Harrogate became a civil parish. [4] When Harrogate became a municipal borough in 1894, Bilton remained outside the borough and became a separate civil parish on 31 December. In 1896, Starbeck was separated from Bilton to form a new civil parish. On 1 April 1938 the civil parish was abolished, and most of Bilton was added to Harrogate, part also went to Knaresborough. [5] In 1931 the parish had a population of 447. [6] From 1974 to 2023 it was in Harrogate district.
In 1848 the Leeds and Thirsk Railway was opened through Bilton, although no station was built there. The line crossed the River Nidd on the northern boundary of Bilton by a stone viaduct. In 1908 the Harrogate Gasworks Railway was constructed from the main line to carry coal to the gasworks next to the Little Wonder roundabout. The line was closed in 1956, and with the tracks having been removed the only remains of the line are some walls and the tunnels that carried the trains. [7] A small museum was opened in the neighbouring New Park School, where the line used to come out above ground. Between 2007 and 2008 the school created a garden, known as "The Secret Railway Garden", to commemorate the line. [8] [9]
The area of Bilton west of the railway line was developed in the 19th and 20th centuries. The parish church, St John's Church, Bilton, designed by Gilbert Scott, was built between 1851 and 1857. It is now a Grade II* listed building. [10]
The area east of the railway has remained rural, with scattered houses now known as Old Bilton. The main railway line through Bilton was closed in 1969. [11] In 2013 it was reopened as a cycle way and bridleway known as the Nidderdale Greenway. [12]
Bilton Hall is a large former country house lying to the east of Old Bilton on a hill facing Knaresborough. Built on the site of a hunting lodge constructed on the orders of John O'Gaunt in 1380. [13] William Slingsby, who discovered the first spa well in Harrogate, once resided at the Hall. Bilton Hall became the seat of the Stockdale family from 1631, with three members of that family serving as Members of Parliament for Knaresborough. It later passed into institutional use and is now a care home. [14]
Prior to the gala ending in the late 2010s, on the first May Bank Holiday each year the Bilton Gala took place. [15] The first Gala was held in 1977 and the event, which is attended by local families, raises money for groups and organisations within the local community.[ citation needed ]
Bilton has three churches, four primary schools and its own library. There are a number of shops, including five convenience stores. The Library closed but has now re-opened on the site of Woodfield Primary School (School now closed, as of December 2022; but the library remains open). Bilton has its own online community page, called the Bilton Community Group on Facebook. Started in lockdown to bring a larger ‘sense of community to the area’.
There are two public houses: the Gardeners Arms, in Old Bilton, and the Knox. The Skipton (formerly the Dragon) on Skipton Road closed in February 2014 and re-opened as a Co-Op Convenience Store [16] There is a working men's club on Skipton Road. The Red Cat Cottage (formerly Red Cat Inn), a Grade II listed building is located in the area. It is situated close to the Nidd Gorge conservation area.[ citation needed ]
Roads out of Bilton lead to Skipton Road, the major artery across North Harrogate, resulting in very heavy congestion at peak times, and heavy traffic throughout the day.[ citation needed ]
The number 2 bus route runs between Bilton and Harrogate bus station. Previously split into two routes for the Woodfield side and the Knox Side, the routes were merged in early 2023 much to the residents dismay.[ citation needed ]
A railway station is proposed on the Harrogate Line at Bilton. [17]
Harrogate is a spa town in the district and county of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters and RHS Harlow Carr gardens. 13 miles (21 km) away from the town centre is the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Nidderdale AONB.
Knaresborough is a market and spa town and civil parish on the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England. It is three miles east of Harrogate and was in the Borough of Harrogate until April 2023.
The Harrogate line is a passenger rail line through parts of North Yorkshire and the West Yorkshire area of northern England connecting Leeds to York by way of Harrogate and Knaresborough. Service on the line is operated by Northern, with a few additional workings by London North Eastern Railway starting and terminating at Harrogate. West Yorkshire Metro's bus and rail MetroCard ticket is available for journeys between Leeds and Harrogate.
Harrogate and Knaresborough is a parliamentary constituency in North Yorkshire which has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Tom Gordon, an MP from the Liberal Democrats. The constituency was formed in the 1997 boundary changes, before which it was named Harrogate.
Nidderdale, historically also known as Netherdale, is one of the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is the upper valley of the River Nidd, which flows east from its source, then south underground for 2 miles (3 km) and then south-east along the dale, forming several reservoirs including the Gouthwaite Reservoir, before turning east and eventually joining the River Ouse.
Starbeck is a railway station on the Harrogate Line, which runs between Leeds and York via Harrogate. The station, situated 18+1⁄4 miles (29 km) west of York, serves the village of Starbeck, in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Spofforth is a village in the civil parish of Spofforth with Stockeld in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England, about 3 miles (4.8 km) north west of Wetherby and 5 miles (8 km) south of Harrogate on the River Crimple, a tributary of the River Nidd.
Killinghall is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. The civil parish population taken at the 2011 census was 4,132.
Starbeck is a village and suburb of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. The population of Starbeck Ward taken at the 2011 census was 6,226. It has many facilities, including Starbeck railway station, which serves the Harrogate Line.
Milby is a hamlet and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated to the immediate north of Boroughbridge.
Moor Monkton is a village and civil parish in the former Harrogate District of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Nidd and 7 miles (11 km) north-west from York city centre.
Nidd is a small village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the village taken at the 2011 census was 168. It is situated 3 miles north of Harrogate, 1.2 miles (2 km) east of Ripley on the B6165 Pateley Bridge to Knaresborough road and near the River Nidd. The village used to have a railway station on the Leeds to Northallerton Railway, but this was closed down on 18 June 1962.
Nidd Gorge makes up a section of the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England, in which the river enters a deep ravine with sheer tree-covered valley sides. The river as a whole flows from its source near Great Whernside in Nidderdale, to its confluence with the River Ouse near Nun Monkton. Nidd Gorge makes up approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) of the entire length of the river, and stretches from the now defunct Nidd viaduct at Bilton in Harrogate to Grimbald Bridge, just south of Knaresborough.
Burnt Yates is a village in the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England.
The Nidderdale Greenway is a 4-mile (6.4 km) path that runs between Harrogate and Ripley in North Yorkshire, England. It uses a former railway line that ran between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge as its course. The route connects to other cycle paths including the Way of the Roses.
Knaresborough Viaduct is a viaduct in the North Yorkshire town of Knaresborough, England. The viaduct carries the Harrogate line over the River Nidd in the town. The viaduct was supposed to have opened in 1848, but the first construction collapsed into the river very near to completion, which necessitated a new viaduct and delayed the opening of the line through Knaresborough by three years.
Oak Beck is a watercourse that flows eastwards across the northern part of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. The beck flows through a broad V-shaped valley, before emptying into the River Nidd at Bilton, just upstream from the Nidd Gorge Viaduct. Water from Oak Beck has been used as a water supply for Harrogate and also for industrial purposes further downstream.
Harrogate Gasworks Railway was an industrial railway in the town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. It was built to the gauge of 2 ft and ran between Bilton Junction on the North Eastern Railway, to the Harrogate Gas Company's (HGC) works at New Park, north of the town centre. It opened in 1908 to carry coal to the works for gasification, and outbound byproduct liquids. It closed to traffic in 1956. The railway was noted for its tight gauge restrictions in the tunnel at New Park. Two of its steam locomotives have survived into preservation, and are still in use on heritage railways.
Media related to Bilton, Harrogate at Wikimedia Commons
