Ferrybridge

Ferrybridge
Ferrybridge
	View of Ferrybridge before the; demolition of the cooling towers
	Ferrybridge Location within West Yorkshire
Population	1,491 (2001)
OS grid reference	SE475245
Metropolitan borough	City of Wakefield ;
Metropolitan county	West Yorkshire ;
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber ;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	KNOTTINGLEY
Postcode district	WF11
Dialling code	01977
Police	West Yorkshire
Fire	West Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford ;
	List of places UK England Yorkshire 53°42′50″N1°16′52″W / 53.714°N 1.281°W

Last updated December 16, 2023

Ferrybridge is a village in West Yorkshire, England.^[1]^[2] Ferrybridge lies at a historically important crossing of the River Aire which borders the North Yorkshire village of Brotherton. It is linked to other communities by the A1, which follows the route of the Great North Road. The village falls within the Knottingley ward of Wakefield City Council.

Geography and geology

Geologically, Ferrybridge and Knottingley are located on rich soil, over a bed of Magnesian Limestone.

The area is close to junctions of the M62 and A1(M) motorways; as well as junctions on the rail network, including northward to York, south to Pontefract (and Rotherham), west to both Wakefield and Leeds, east to Goole and south-east to the East Coast Main Line; the River Aire meets the Aire and Calder navigation close to the east of the town.

The area is famous for the Ferrybridge power stations and the M62 services which offers a Burger King, an M&S Simply Food, a Cotton Traders, a WH Smiths, a Greggs, and a Travelodge.

The Ferrybridge power stations to the north dominated the skyline around the village prior to their demolition.

The village

The village has two public houses; "The Golden Lion" which sits by Ferrybridge lock and is steeped in colourful history during its time as a coaching Inn and "The Magnet Inn".

The village has two primary schools, one of which is in the top 250 schools in the country: The Vale Academy was described as "outstanding" in a 2013 Ofsted report. The other is Willow Green Academy, previously known as Roundhill Junior School and Ferrybridge Infant School.

History

An archaeological feature at Ferrybridge is Ferrybridge Henge, a prehistoric ceremonial monument dating back to the Neolithic period, constructed during the period 4,500-1,500 BC, additionally a 2,400-year-old chariot burial has been discovered in the area.

The history of Ferrybridge - and its neighbour, Knottingley - dates back to the establishment of Anglo-Saxon settlements along this stretch of the river. The respective histories of the two settlements of Ferrybridge and Knottingley are closely linked, bringing glassmaking, shipbuilding, brewing and potteries to the area.

Ferrybridge stands where the Great North Road crosses the River Aire. Ferry Bridge is a Grade I listed building, and was designed by John Carr of York in 1797 and built by Bernard Hartley of Pontefract in 1804.^[4] Until 1810, a toll was payable to cross the bridge.

In March 1461, on the eve of the battle of nearby Towton, an engagement between the Lancastrians and Yorkists ended in a Lancastrian victory, and Lord Fitzwalter, the Yorkist leader was killed. This is known as the Battle of Ferrybridge.

Up to the end of the 17th century, Knottingley was an important inland port in the West Riding as the River Aire was not navigable beyond it. The construction of the Aire and Calder Navigation Canal (by a 1699 Act of Parliament; this was the first navigation scheme passed by Act of Parliament) diminished Knottingley's importance as a port by allowing barges on the river to navigate further upstream to Leeds.

Parliament authorized a new canal in 1820. Cutting through the centre of Knottingley, the new Aire and Calder Navigation Canal was opened in 1826 and connected the new port of Goole with the River Aire at Ferrybridge. The lock at Ferrybridge opened at 10 a.m. on 20 July 1826.

By the end of the Industrial Revolution, Ferrybridge had become a centre for glass production. The Ferrybridge railway station opened in 1882 on the Swinton and Knottingley Joint Railway (1879) and closed in 1965.

In the 20th century, three power stations were built, all on the same site - the first in the 1920s, the second in the 1950s, and the third, Ferrybridge 'C' Power Station, in the 1960s; three of the latter's cooling towers collapsed during construction in high winds in 1965. A fourth natural gas power station was expected to be built but because of soaring gas prices this did not go ahead. (see Ferrybridge power stations).

Related Research Articles

Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield district, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins the River Aire and the Aire and Calder Navigation. It is located north east of Wakefield, north of Pontefract and south east of Leeds. Castleford is the largest town in the Wakefield district after Wakefield itself.

The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, 92 miles (148 km) in length. Part of the river below Leeds is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation.

The Aire and Calder Navigation is the canalised section of the Rivers Aire and Calder in West Yorkshire, England. The first improvements to the rivers above Knottingley were completed in 1704 when the Aire was made navigable to Leeds and the Calder to Wakefield, by the construction of 16 locks. Lock sizes were increased several times, as was the depth of water, to enable larger boats to use the system. The Aire below Haddlesey was bypassed by the opening of the Selby Canal in 1778. A canal from Knottingley to the new docks and new town at Goole provided a much shorter route to the River Ouse from 1826. The New Junction Canal was constructed in 1905, to link the system to the River Don Navigation, by then part of the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation.

Airedale is a valley, or dale, in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. It is named after the River Aire, which flows through it. The upper valley, from Malham Cove to Airton, is known as Malhamdale, named after the village of Malham. At Airton the valley widens and becomes Airedale proper. The river flows past Skipton on to Keighley, Bingley, Shipley, and Leeds.

Knottingley is a town in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the old A1 road before it was bypassed as the A1(M). Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it has a population of 13,503, increasing to 13,710 for the City of Wakefield ward at the 2011 Census. It makes up the majority of the Knottingley ward represented on Wakefield Council.

$<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pontefract line</span> Leeds-Goole railway$

The Pontefract line is one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. The service is operated by Northern, and links Wakefield and Leeds with Goole via Pontefract. The Metro timetable for the line also includes services operated as the Dearne Valley line between York and Sheffield via Pontefract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Junction Canal</span>

The New Junction Canal is a canal in South Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation (S&SYN), although it was jointly funded by the Aire and Calder Navigation, and was opened in 1905. It links the River Don Navigation and the Stainforth and Keadby Canal with the Aire and Calder Navigation. It is completely straight, and was the last canal built in England for commercial purposes.

Knottingley railway station serves the town of Knottingley in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the Pontefract Line, operated by Northern, and is 16 miles (26 km) south east of Leeds railway station.

Whitley is a village in North Yorkshire, England, close to the Aire and Calder Navigation and the M62 motorway. The population of the village at the 2001 census was recorded as being 574, which had risen to 1,021 by the time of the 2011 census. In 2015, North Yorkshire County Council estimated the population to have risen again to 1,110. It was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. From 1974 to April 2023 it was in the Selby District of North Yorkshire.

Beal is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Aire, 3.5 miles (6 km) north-east of Knottingley, 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Selby, and 21 miles (34 km) south of York. The parish includes the village of Kellingley, and borders the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire. At the 2001 census it had a population of 720, increasing to 738 at the 2011 census.

Brotherton is a village and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England. The village is on a border with the City of Wakefield and West Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodlesford</span> Village in West Yorkshire, England

Woodlesford is a suburban village in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, 6 miles (10 km) south-east of Leeds city centre. Formerly part of the Rothwell Urban District, it is now within the Rothwell ward of Leeds City Council. The village sits on the banks of the Aire and Calder Navigation and river system.

The Selby Canal is a 6-mile (9.7 km) canal with 2 locks which bypasses the lower reaches of the River Aire in Yorkshire, England, from the village of West Haddlesey to the town of Selby where it joins the River Ouse. It opened in 1778, and provided the main outlet for the Aire and Calder Navigation until 1826, when it was bypassed by a new cut from Ferrybridge to Goole. Selby steadily declined after that, although traffic to York still used the canal.

Tom Pudding was the name given to the tub boats on the Aire and Calder Navigation, introduced in 1863 and used until 1985, which were a very efficient means of transferring and transporting coal from the open cast collieries of the South Yorkshire Coalfield near Stanley Ferry to the Port of Goole, competing with rail. The name derives from their resemblance to a string of black puddings or perhaps Yorkshire puddings and the first name of the original constructor.

Stanley Ferry Aqueduct was built between 1836 and 1839 to take the Aire and Calder Navigation over the River Calder in West Yorkshire, England. It is one of the earliest through arch bridges in the world and is considered to be the longest span aqueduct executed in cast iron.

Ferry Fryston is a suburb of the town of Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield. The appropriate ward is called Airedale and Ferry Fryston.

William Hamond Bartholomew was an engineer in West Yorkshire, England who was responsible for the expansion of the Aire and Calder Navigation in the 19th century and invented a number of improvements in coal-handling which led to the expansion of Goole as one of the largest exporters of coal in the country.

Wakefield Europort is a rail-connected warehousing and industrial estate located to the northeast of Wakefield at junction 31 of the M62 motorway in West Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1996 in anticipation of increased international railfreight due to the construction of the Channel Tunnel. As of 2012 the site employs over 3,000 persons, and has motorway, high capacity rail, and waterway (canal) transport access.

The Hull and Doncaster Branch is a secondary main railway line in England, connecting Kingston upon Hull to South Yorkshire and beyond via a branch from the Selby Line near Gilberdyke to a connection to the Doncaster–Barnetby line at a junction near Thorne 8 miles north-east of Doncaster.

Ferry Bridge is a historic bridge, connecting Ferrybridge in West Yorkshire with Brotherton in North Yorkshire, in England.

References

↑ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 105 York & Selby (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2014. ISBN 9780319229453.
↑ "Ordnance Survey: 1:50,000 Scale Gazetteer" (csv (download)). Ordnance Survey. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
↑ Mills, A.D. (2011) [first published 1991]. A Dictionary of British Place Names (First edition revised 2011 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 187. ISBN 9780199609086.
↑ "Ferry Bridge A Grade I Listed Building in Brotherton, North Yorkshire". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 22 April 2023.

External links

Media related to Ferrybridge at Wikimedia Commons

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[OS105-1] Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 105 York & Selby (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2014. ISBN 9780319229453.

[OSGaz50-2] "Ordnance Survey: 1:50,000 Scale Gazetteer" (csv (download)). Ordnance Survey. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.

[Placename-3] Mills, A.D. (2011) [first published 1991]. A Dictionary of British Place Names (First edition revised 2011 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 187. ISBN 9780199609086.

[4] "Ferry Bridge A Grade I Listed Building in Brotherton, North Yorkshire". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 22 April 2023.

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