Hellifield

Hellifield
Hellifield
Village and parish
	Hellifield Location within North Yorkshire
Population	1,426 (2011 census)
OS grid reference	SD855565
Civil parish	Hellifield;
Unitary authority	North Yorkshire ;
Ceremonial county	North Yorkshire ;
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber ;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SKIPTON
Postcode district	BD23
Dialling code	01729
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	Skipton and Ripon ;
	List of places UK England Yorkshire 54°00′16″N2°13′17″W / 54.0045°N 2.2215°W

Last updated December 20, 2024

Hellifield is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England (grid reference SD855565 ). Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the village was once an important railway junction on the Settle-Carlisle Railway between the Midland Railway and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, but Hellifield railway station is now a shadow of its former glory. It is situated on the A65, between Skipton and Settle. Hellifield had a population of 1,060 residents at the 2001 census, increasing to 1,426 at the 2011 census.^[1]

History

In the Domesday Book of 1086, Hellifield is mentioned as Helgeflet; meaning 'Holy Marsh or Stream', translated from Anglo-Saxon,^[2] the village also could have been dedicated to the Anglo-Saxon Goddess 'Hel'. There is also the possibility that the name derives from the Norse 'The Farm of Helgi'. The village name changed over the years; in the 12th century, Hellifield was referred to as "Nether Hellifield" and in the 17th and 18th centuries the village was named "Hellifield Pele" and slightly later "Hellifield Cochins". The modern spelling of Hellifield appears in the mid-19th century, on maps and drawings.

In medieval times it seems that the area between Hellifield and Long Preston was hunted by wolves, so men were employed to guide travellers between the two settlements. Livestock suffered until the extinction in Britain of the grey wolf.^[3]

Hellifield was historically a township in the ancient parish of Long Preston in the West Riding of Yorkshire.^[4] It became a separate civil parish in 1866.^[5]

In the mid-19th century, the village was nothing more than a hamlet. The local workforce mainly concentrated within agriculture and associated trades.

Cotton weaving did take place in the village and several weaving sheds were constructed in the area.

During the 19th century, the railway revolution reached the village, which dramatically changed the growth and population changes of the small hamlet. The original railway station was located on Haw Lane, but in 1880 a new station replaced the old one.^[6] This coincided with the opening of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company's new line from Blackburn to Hellifield. This line and the Midland Railway's Settle to Carlisle Railway (opened 1876), turned Hellifield into a major passenger and freight interchange. Consequently, many houses and streets were built in the early 20th century to house a large railway population.

The Methodist Church in Haw Grove was opened in 1893. Part of the church, known as the Wesley Centre, now serves as a community centre.^[7]

Regular passenger services to Blackburn were cut in 1962, and the Motive Power Depot closed in 1963.^[8] New houses were constructed on top of previous railway land and the auction mart.^[9]

Hellifield was transferred to the new county of North Yorkshire in 1974. In 2014 the small former civil parishes of Nappa and Swinden were added to the parish.^[10]

Governance

Hellifield is a major part of the electoral ward called Hellifield and Long Preston. Its population at the 2011 census was 2,168.^[11] From 1974 to 2023 it was in the Craven local government district, and is now in North Yorkshire unitary authority area.

Hellifield today

The Hellifield Flashes (Yorkshire dialect for a pond in a field) are part of the village life and history. There are three flashes.^[12] The largest is Hellifield Flash or Gallaber Lake, the second Dunbars and the smallest is known as either Little Dunbars or Dunbars 2. The Flashes provide habitat for wildfowl and migratory birds. This important area provides a sanctuary for 12 species on the RSPB "red list'. Where once wolves roamed, now a wildlife habitat reigns. However, the land is under threat from development and villagers desperate to preserve their countryside are fighting hard to prevent any further development. The birdlife is monitored regularly by the RSPB and features high on the 'must visit' list of ornithologists.

Hellifield nestles on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and is surrounded by rolling hills, dry stone walls and agricultural land.

A proposal to build a 4-mile (6.5 km) bypass for the A65 around Hellifield and Long Preston has been in discussion since the end of the Second World War.^[13] The project was the subject of an inquiry in 1992 – 1993 and an archaeological survey.^[14] A decision to de-trunk the route in 2006 means that if the bypass were to go ahead, it would have to be funded by the county council.^[13]

Related Research Articles

Craven was a non-metropolitan district in the west of North Yorkshire, centred on the market town of Skipton. The name Craven is much older than the modern district and encompassed a larger area. This history is also reflected in the way the term is still commonly used, such as by the Church of England.

Settle is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town had a population of 2,421 in the 2001 census, increasing to 2,564 at the 2011 census.

Malham is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Before 20th century boundary changes, the village was part of the Settle Rural District, in the historic West Riding of Yorkshire. In the Domesday Book, the name is given as Malgun, meaning "settlement by the gravelly places". In 2001 the parish had a population of approximately 150. Malham parish increased in size geographically and so at the 2011 Census had a population of 238.

Horton in Ribblesdale is a small village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated in Ribblesdale on the Settle–Carlisle Railway to the west of Pen-y-ghent.

Hawes is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, at the head of Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, and historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The River Ure north of the town is a tourist attraction in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

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Austwick is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, about 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Settle. The village is on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gargrave</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Gargrave is a large village and civil parish in the former Craven District of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the A65, 4 miles (6 km) north-west of Skipton. The village is situated on the very edge of the Yorkshire Dales; the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal pass through it. It had a population of 1,764 at the 2001 census, reducing slightly to 1,755 in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appersett</span> Hamlet in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, England

Appersett is a hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England one mile (1.6 km) west of Hawes. It lies on the A684 road and an unclassified road runs alongside Widdale Beck to connect with the B6255 road between Hawes and Ingleton.

Chapel-le-Dale is a hamlet in the civil parish of Ingleton, North Yorkshire, England. It is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in a valley of the same name, and was previously in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Ribblesdale is one of the Yorkshire Dales in England. It is the dale or upper valley of the River Ribble in North Yorkshire. Towns and villages in Ribblesdale include Selside, Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Stainforth, Langcliffe, Giggleswick, Settle, Long Preston and Hellifield. Below Hellifield the valley of the river is generally known as the Ribble Valley.

Long Preston is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England, in the Yorkshire Dales. It lies along the A65 road, and is 12 miles (19 km) from Skipton and 4 miles (6 km) from Settle. The population of Long Preston in 2001 was 680, increasing to 742 at the 2011 Census.

Otterburn is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is at OS Grid Reference SD8857, near Airton, Calton and the A65. The village is 9 miles (14 km) north west of Skipton and 1.9 miles (3 km) east of Hellifield.

Garsdale is a dale or valley in the south east of Cumbria, England, historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is now within the Westmorland and Furness local government district, and in the Yorkshire Dales National Park for planning purposes. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 202, decreasing at the 2011 census to 191.

Gisburn is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley borough of Lancashire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Clitheroe and 11 miles (18 km) west of Skipton. The civil parish had a population of 506, recorded in the 2001 census, increasing to 521 at the 2011 Census.

Newsholme is a small village and civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England, but lies within the historic West Riding of Yorkshire. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 50, however the United Kingdom Census 2011 grouped the parish with Horton and Paythorne, giving a total of 253. Today it lies near the boundary with North Yorkshire on the A682, 4 miles (6 km) north of Barnoldswick and 12 miles (19 km) west of Skipton.

Coniston Cold is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the Staincliffe Wapentake of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the village lies 7 miles (11 km) north-west of Skipton along the A65.

Bell Busk is a hamlet situated in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. The hamlet is located at the southern end of Malhamdale where the nascent River Aire meets Otterburn Beck. The village is 7 miles (11 km) north west of Skipton and used to have a railway station on the line linking Skipton and Hellifield.

Crummackdale,, is a small valley north of the village of Austwick in the Craven District of North Yorkshire, England. The Valley is drained by Austwick Beck, which flows into the River Wenning, which in turn heads westwards to empty into the Irish Sea. Crummackdale is a narrow south west facing dale, at the south west corner of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

References

1 2 UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Hellifield Parish (1170216759)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 27 March 2018.
↑ Speight, Harry (1892). The Craven and North West Yorkshire Highlands. London: Elliott Stock. p. 360. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
↑ "Hellifield". Yorkshire Dales. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
↑ Genuki. Parish of Long Preston
↑ Vision of Britain website
↑ "Hellifield station in the Yorkshire Dales gets a makeover". Network Rail. 2 July 2013. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
↑ Settle Methodist Circuit, Welcome to Hellifield Chapel and Wesley Centre, accessed 28 September 2019
↑ "It's full steam ahead as the glory days of railways are remembered". Craven Herald. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
↑ "Hellifield Draft Parish Profile". Craven District Council. 2012. p. 6. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
↑ "The Craven District Council (Reorganisation of Community Governance) Order 2011". Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
↑ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Hellifield and Long Preston 2011 Census Ward (1237325049)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 27 March 2018.
↑ "Rare sightings at Hellifield Flash". Dalesman. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
1 2 Mason, Viv (17 November 2006). "End of the road for A65 bypass". Craven Herald. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
↑ Fraser, R; Speed, G (1992). "A65 Hellifield and Long Preston Bypass. Archaeological Evaluation". Northern Archaeological Associates Unpublished Report Series. 92 (3): 1–26. doi:10.5284/1010880.

External links

Hellifield Homepage
Hellifield Community Primary School Website
Craven District Website Archived 27 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine

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[2011_census-1] 1 2 UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Hellifield Parish (1170216759)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 27 March 2018.

[2] Speight, Harry (1892). The Craven and North West Yorkshire Highlands. London: Elliott Stock. p. 360. Retrieved 28 February 2016.

[3] "Hellifield". Yorkshire Dales. Retrieved 28 February 2016.

[4] Genuki. Parish of Long Preston

[5] Vision of Britain website

[6] "Hellifield station in the Yorkshire Dales gets a makeover". Network Rail. 2 July 2013. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.

[7] Settle Methodist Circuit, Welcome to Hellifield Chapel and Wesley Centre, accessed 28 September 2019

[8] "It's full steam ahead as the glory days of railways are remembered". Craven Herald. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2016.

[9] "Hellifield Draft Parish Profile". Craven District Council. 2012. p. 6. Retrieved 28 February 2016.

[10] "The Craven District Council (Reorganisation of Community Governance) Order 2011". Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.

[11] UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Hellifield and Long Preston 2011 Census Ward (1237325049)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 27 March 2018.

[12] "Rare sightings at Hellifield Flash". Dalesman. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2016.

[:0-13] 1 2 Mason, Viv (17 November 2006). "End of the road for A65 bypass". Craven Herald. Retrieved 28 February 2016.

[14] Fraser, R; Speed, G (1992). "A65 Hellifield and Long Preston Bypass. Archaeological Evaluation". Northern Archaeological Associates Unpublished Report Series. 92 (3): 1–26. doi:10.5284/1010880.

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