Lofthouse | |
---|---|
Christ Church, Lofthouse | |
Location within West Yorkshire | |
OS grid reference | SE332257 |
Metropolitan borough | |
Metropolitan county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | WAKEFIELD |
Postcode district | WF3 |
Dialling code | 01924 |
Police | West Yorkshire |
Fire | West Yorkshire |
Ambulance | Yorkshire |
Lofthouse is a village between the cities of Wakefield and Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. [1] The village falls within the Ardsley and Robin Hood ward of the City of Leeds Council. It is in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough but with a Wakefield postal address (WF3). It is mentioned as Locthuse, also as Loftose in the 1086 Domesday Book. [2]
Lofthouse has good road connections to its nearby boroughs as well as to the rest of Northern England. It can be found on the main A61 Leeds-Wakefield road and off junction 29 of the M62 and junction 42 of the M1, known locally as the Lofthouse interchange. Lofthouse Gate and Outwood are neighbouring villages on the A61 towards Wakefield and are in the Wakefield Metropolitan Area. Towards Leeds there is the village of Robin Hood.
There are two churches, Christ Church (Church of England) and Lofthouse Methodist Church, [3] a doctor's surgery [4] and the Rodillian Academy. Lofthouse Children's Centre [5] is located in the Rodillian Academy grounds. [6] The old co-operative building, just off the main A61 on Co-operative Street, is now occupied by Chill Beauty. [7]
Lofthouse is often erroneously believed to be the scene of the Lofthouse Colliery disaster, which took place in 1973. The disaster actually took place beneath a field near the village of Kirkhamgate, where a new coalface was being worked.
Lofthouse was formerly a township and chapelry in the parish of Rothwell. [8] On 1 April 1937 Lofthouse became a civil parish, being formed from Lofthouse with Carlton and Thorpe, [9] on 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished. [10] In 1951 the parish had a population of 7115. [11]
Rothwell is a town in the south-east of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated between Leeds and Wakefield.
Ledsham is a village and civil parish 4 miles (6 km) north of Castleford and 11 miles (18 km) east of Leeds in the county of West Yorkshire, England. The village is in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough and near to the A1(M) motorway. It had a population of 162 at the 2001 Census, increasing to 181 at the 2011 Census.
Morley is a market town and a civil parish within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. Morley is the largest town in the borough after Leeds itself. Morley forms part of the Heavy Woollen District.
Oulton is a village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England, between Leeds and Wakefield. It is at the junction of the A639 and A642 roads. Though now adjoining the village of Woodlesford, it was once quite separate.
Tingley is a suburban village in the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, Northern England, forming part of the parish of West Ardsley. Tingley forms part of the Heavy Woollen District. It is situated between the cities of Leeds and Wakefield.
East Ardsley is a village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. East Ardsley forms part of the Heavy Woollen District and sits within the Rhubarb Triangle.
Birstall is a market and mill town in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Birstall and Birkenshaw ward, which had a population of 16,298 at the 2011 census. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and part of the Heavy Woollen District, Birstall is approximately 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Leeds and situated close to the M62 motorway. The town is situated between Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield and Wakefield.
Stanley is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north-east of Wakefield city centre. Stanley was an Urban District in the West Riding of Yorkshire before 1974, being made up the four electoral wards of Lake Lock, Outwood, Stanley and Wrenthorpe. The Lofthouse / Stanley area of West Yorkshire has a combined population of 22,947. The ward remaining at the 2011 Census was called Stanley and Outwood East. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 15,314.
Carlton is a village in the south of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, about 6 miles (13 km) from Leeds city centre.
Morley and Outwood was a constituency in West Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.
Drighlington is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan district, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the village lies 5 miles (9 km) south-west of Leeds and 4 miles (6 km) south-east of Bradford. The name of the village is often shortened to Drig. The population of the civil parish as of the 2011 census was 5,528.
West Ardsley is a settlement on the south-west edge of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it roughly approximates to an amalgamation of Tingley, Woodkirk, Hill Top, Upper Green, Common Side, Beggarington Hill and a number of other hamlets. The parish church is situated at Woodkirk and Methodist church on Haigh Moor Road. Being in the middle of several towns, West Ardsley has become a dormitory settlement.
Outwood is a district to the north of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. The district is centred on the A61 Leeds Road south of Lofthouse. It grew up as a pit village and was only a small settlement until the 1970s, when construction of new houses caused it to grow and merge with neighbouring settlements such as Wrenthorpe and Stanley. In 2001, it had a population of 7,623.
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.
Thorpe on the Hill is a small village in West Yorkshire, England. The village falls within the Ardsley and Robin Hood ward of the Leeds Metropolitan Council. It was mentioned as "Torp" in the Domesday Book together with neighbouring Carlton, Lofthouse, Middleton, and Rothwell as part of the Morley Hundred in the West Riding.
Robin Hood is a village in the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is close to the City of Wakefield boundary and is situated between Leeds and Wakefield as well as being close to Rothwell and Lofthouse.
The Lofthouse Colliery disaster was a mining accident in Lofthouse, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, on Wednesday 21 March 1973, in which seven mine workers died when workings flooded.
The Leeds Country Way (LCW) is a circular long-distance footpath of 62 miles (99 km) around Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is never more than 7 miles (11 km) from the city centre of Leeds, but is mainly rural with extensive views in the outlying areas of the Leeds metropolitan district. It follows public Rights of Way including footpaths, bridleways and minor lanes, with a few short sections along roads.
The Rodillian Academy is a mixed secondary School and sixth form with academy status located in Lofthouse, West Yorkshire, England. The school has 1,556 pupils aged between 11 and 18. The school also has Specialist Arts College status. The name 'Rodillian' is derived from the name that was given to former pupils of the Rothwell Grammar School.
The East and West Yorkshire Union Railway was promoted in 1883 to connect the Hull and Barnsley Railway at Drax with Leeds. The company was unable to raise the money it needed to build the line, and it substantially reduced its scope to connecting collieries around Rothwell with the existing main line network nearby. This was successful, with trains running from 1890, but the company decided it would find a way to connect to Leeds and operate a much truncated passenger service, from Rothwell. It sponsored the South Leeds Junction Railway to make a connection from Rothwell to the Midland Railway at Stourton; the SLJR was soon re-absorbed by the E&WYUR. The passenger service started on 4 January 1904 but it was a disastrous failure, and it was soon withdrawn from 1 October 1904.