Yarm is known for its high street, voted Britain's best in a 2007 BBC Breakfast poll, and the Yarm Viaduct which spans across the town. It is also known locally for its annual funfair.
History
The name Yarm is thought to be derived from the Old Englishgearum, dative plural of gear, 'pool for catching fish' (source of the modern dialect word yair with the same meaning), hence 'at the place of the fish pools'.[2] Yarm was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, and was originally a chapelry in the Kirklevington parish in the North Riding of Yorkshire; it later became a parish in its own right.[3]
Dominican Friars settled in Yarm about 1286, and maintained a friary and a hospital in the town, until 1583. Their memory is preserved in the names of Friarage and Spital Bank.[5] The Friarage was built on top of the cellars of a Dominican friary in 1770, for the Meynell family.[6] It is now at the centre of Yarm School.
Bishop Skirlaw of Durham built a stone bridge, which still stands, across the Tees in 1400. An iron replacement was built in 1805, but it fell down in 1806. For many years, Yarm was at the tidal limit and head of navigation on the River Tees.[7]
On 1 February 1643, during the First English Civil War, a small Roundhead force attempted to halt the progress of a large waggon-train of arms, landed at Tynemouth and destined to bolster the Royalist war effort in Yorkshire and beyond. Heavily outnumbered and outflanked by Royalist ford crossings, the Parliamentarians were quickly routed and the Royalists gained the bridge, crossing into Yorkshire.[8]
On 12 February 1821, at the George & Dragon Inn, the meeting was held that pressed for the third and successful attempt for a Bill to give permission to build the Stockton & Darlington Railway, the world's first public railway.[9]
In 1890, Bulmer & Co listed twelve inns in Yarm: Black Bull, Cross Keys, Crown Inn, Fleece, George and Dragon, Green Tree, Ketton Ox, Lord Nelson, Red Lion, Three Tuns, Tom Brown, and Union. Also listed was Cross Keys beside the Leven Bridge.[10]
In January 2025, the Town Hall clock-winder, 76-year-old Graham Tebbs, retired after 32 years of manual clock-winding. The clock mechanism was now wound electrically.[12]
Geography
A map of Yarm showing main roads and estates
Yarm is bordered by two rivers, the River Tees to the north, and the River Leven to the east. The Leven is a tributary of the Tees.[13] Yarm was once the highest port on the Tees.[14]
Two road bridges cross the river, Yarm Bridge crossing from the High Street to Eaglescliffe, which is Grade II* listed,[15] and Leven Bridge crossing the Leven between Yarm and Low Leven, which is Grade II listed.[16] On 26 February 2010, Leven Bridge was closed after cracks appeared in it.[17] Repairs took less time than expected, and the bridge re-opened on 18 June 2010.[18]
The A67, which runs through High Street was previously classified as the A19 until a dual carriageway was built in the 1970s, about three miles (five kilometres) south of the town near the village of Crathorne.[20] When the A19 ran through High Street, it was heavily congested. The road was used by heavy goods traffic as a shortcut to Teesside International Airport.[21] The classification of the road as an 'A'-road meant that it was difficult to place a ban on heavy goods vehicles; however the town council made efforts to come up with voluntary agreements with many haulage firms[21] until 2012, when all HGV traffic was banned from the route through Yarm and Eaglescliffe.[22]
The Rookery
The Rookery is a public area by the River Tees situated at the bottom of Goose Pasture. The ash, sycamore and lime woodland is about 200 years old and owned by Yarm Town Council.[23] In 2002, a walkway was constructed around the wood to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Within the woodland, close to the river, BMX riders have created numerous dirt ramps which are regularly used during summer months.
Areas of Yarm include the housing estates Levendale in the southeast and Leven Park in the south.
Yarm has a town council which is responsible for certain aspects of the town's administration, including allotments and the cemetery. It meets once a month at the town hall.[25]
The council has eleven seats with a chairman who, for ceremonial purposes, is 'Mayor'. The Standing Orders of the Council restrict the chairman's period of office to two years in any four-year period. The 2015 chairman was Cllr Jason Hadlow.[26] Elections for the council are held every four years.
Yarm railway station in neighbouring Kirklevington
The 2,280-foot-long (690m) railway viaduct, spanning across the town, was built between 1849 and 1851 for the Leeds Northern Railway Company. Designed by Thomas Grainger and John Bourne, it comprises seven million bricks and 43 arches, with the two that span the River Tees being skewed stone.[27][28]
The Viaduct for rail (higher) and Yarm road-and-foot bridge (lower), both crossing over the Tees
The high street of Yarm is currently numbered as the A67 (formerly A19). North of Yarm High Street leads to a fork just outside the high street with the A135 Yarm Road heading north-east, to Stockton-on-Tees, and A67/Durham Road going north-west, the A67 goes to the airport and Darlington. Durham Road goes to the A19, this name separation is through a roundabout in Eaglescliffe.
The south of the high street links to the current A19. It also forks west as B1265 Green Lane leading to the A167 and Northallerton. The roundabout A1044 Low Lane and heads east to the Blue Bell roundabout in Middlesbrough and west towards Richmond.
Religion
The parish churchYarm Methodist Church
Yarm Parish Church is the Anglican parish church, dedicated to St Mary Magdalene. It is situated on West Street, where there has been a church on the site since at least the 9th century. It was last rebuilt from the remains of the second, Norman, church in 1730. It is a Grade II* listed building.[29] The Roman Catholic (RC) church of Ss Mary and Romuald, built in 1860, is at the south end of High Street. It is a Grade II listed building.[30]Yarm Methodist Church, an octagonal church built in 1763, is on Chapel Yard, on the east side of the town by the river, and is the oldest octagonal church in current use in Methodism.[31] It is a Grade II listed building.[32]
Yarm Rugby Club is based at Wass Way, Eaglescliffe. The club has grown significantly since forming in February 1998. They run teams and training sessions for most ages from youth to seniors. Currently playing in Durham/Northumberland 3. Yarm Wolves is a team of the North East Rugby League.
Yarm Cricket Club is situated on Leven Road, and has been in existence since 1814. It runs three senior teams in the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League, and four junior sides – under 11s, under 13s, under 15s and under 17s – who all play competitive cricket throughout the season. In recent years,[when?] Yarm's third team, who play on a Sunday, have been the most successful team in the club, winning the NYSD Sunday Division 1 on several occasions, along with the League and Cup double in 2008.[citation needed]
Yarm and Eaglescliffe FC play in the Northern Football League, it was established in 2017. Other sports facilities within Yarm include 4G football pitch, located at Conyers' School. This facility is operated by the Go-Sport group and has been the home ground for local adult and youth football clubs, including Yarm FC and Yarm Town Juniors. In 2016, the Go-Sport group hosted an FA-accredited 11-a-side Midweek Football League, contested by various local clubs, including TIBS F.C. from Thornaby and Ingleby Barwick. The winners of this inaugural trophy were L&H F.C., who had a 3–1 victory in the final.[36]
Community and culture
A charter to hold a weekly market was granted by King John in 1207. It is held on the second Sunday of each month.[37] The market charter gave Yarm its historic status as a town.
Funfair
Yarm Fair, 2017
A funfair is held in High Street in the third week in October. The funfair tradition evolved from a historic cheese and livestock trading fair.[38]
Venues
The Princess Alexandra Auditorium is a 750-seat venue opened in 2012 as a part of Yarm School’s redevelopment. A smaller Friarage Theatre is also on the site, with a 140-seat capacity.[39][40]
Secondary education is provided at Conyers' School, and the town is home to the independent Yarm School.
Twinned towns
Yarm is twinned with the towns of Vernouillet, France and Schwalbach am Taunus, Germany.[43][44] On 2 July 2005, two trees were planted to the north of the town hall to mark the 20th anniversary of the twinning between Yarm and the two towns.[citation needed]
Notable people
Tom Brown, hero of the Battle of Dettingen and the last man to be knighted on the battlefield. His house survives on the High Street and dates from around 1480, the oldest standing dwelling in the former County of Cleveland[45]
North Yorkshire is a ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber and North East regions of England. It borders County Durham to the north, the North Sea to the east, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the south-east, South Yorkshire to the south, West Yorkshire to the south-west, and Cumbria and Lancashire to the west.
The River Tees, in England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for 85 miles (137 km) to reach the North Sea in the North East of England. The modern-day history of the river has been tied with the industries on Teesside in its lower reaches, where it has provided the means of import and export of goods to and from the North East England. The need for water further downstream also meant that reservoirs were built in the extreme upper reaches, such as Cow Green.
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Valley, on the northern bank of the River Tees.
Teesside is a built-up area around the River Tees in North East England straddling the border between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The area contains the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Billingham, Redcar, Thornaby-on-Tees, and Ingleby Barwick. Teesside's economy was once dominated by heavy manufacturing until deindustrialisation in the latter half of the 20th century. Chemical production continues to contribute significantly to Teesside's economy.
Thornaby-on-Tees, commonly referred to as Thornaby, is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire and falls under Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, England. The parish had a population of 24,741 at the 2011 census, in the Teesside built-up area. It is located on the south bank of the River Tees.
The A19 is a major road in England running approximately parallel to and east of the A1 road. Although the two roads meet at the northern end of the A19, the two roads originally met at the southern end of the A19 in Doncaster, but the old route of the A1 was changed to the A638. From Sunderland northwards, the route was formerly the A108. In the past the route was known as the East of Snaith-York-Thirsk-Stockton-on-Tees-Sunderland Trunk Road. Most traffic joins the A19, heading for Teesside, from the A168 at Dishforth Interchange.
The Borough of Stockton-on-Tees is a unitary authority area in England with borough status in County Durham and North Yorkshire. In 2021, it had a population of 196,600. Its main settlement and namesake of the borough is Stockton-on-Tees, which lies on the north bank of the River Tees, along with the towns of Billingham and Norton-on-Tees, in County Durham. It also includes the towns of Ingleby Barwick, Thornaby-on-Tees and Yarm, all south of the Tees, in North Yorkshire. The borough locally governed by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. The borough forms part of the Tees Valley together with four other nearby boroughs.
Eaglescliffe is a village in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England. It is in the civil parish of Egglescliffe.
Ingleby Barwick is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, England. It is south of the River Tees and north-east of the River Leven.
Tees Valley is a combined authority area in North East England, around the lower River Tees. The area is not a geographical valley; the local term for the valley is Teesdale. The combined authority covers five council areas: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees: this includes areas in both County Durham and North Yorkshire counties.
Aislaby is a small village and civil parish on the north bank of the River Tees within the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is located to the west of Eaglescliffe and Yarm.
Egglescliffe is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. Administratively it is located in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees.
The River Leven in North Yorkshire, England is a tributary of the River Tees. It rises on Warren Moor, part of Kildale Moor, in the North York Moors and flows to the north of the moors to join the River Tees at Yarm.
Kirklevington is a village in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, England. At the 2011 census, the village had a population of 809.
The A135 is a road in England, running from Stockton-on-Tees through Eaglescliffe to Yarm on the A67, on the boundary with the River Tees. It is also known as Yarm Road, and was the A19 before the dual carriageway was built. In the 19th century, a stagecoach raced along Yarm Road against Locomotion Number One which ran alongside on the Stockton to Darlington railway line. There is no record as to which won the race.
The A67 is a road in England that links Bowes in County Durham with Crathorne in North Yorkshire. The road from Middlesbrough to Darlington was previously the A66 road, the road also starts and ends on the A66.
Yarm School is a co-educational private day school in Yarm, North Yorkshire in the North East of England. The school accepts pupils aged 3–18 years old and has a Nursery Pre-Prep, Preparatory School, Senior School and Sixth Form. The school was founded in 1978 and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
Yarm Viaduct is a railway viaduct carrying the railways above the town of Yarm in North Yorkshire, England. It crosses the River Tees which forms the boundary between North Yorkshire and County Durham. The railway runs between Northallerton and Eaglescliffe, and was opened in 1852 as part of the extension of the Leeds Northern Railway to Stockton-on-Tees. The line and viaduct are currently owned and maintained by Network Rail and carries passenger traffic for TransPennine Express and Grand Central train operating companies. It also sees a variety of freight traffic.
Yarm Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Yarm, North Yorkshire, England. The structure, which is the meeting place of Yarm Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.
↑ Chrystal, Paul (2017). The Place Names of Yorkshire; Cities, Towns, Villages, Rivers and Dales, some Pubs too, in Praise of Yorkshire Ales (1ed.). Catrine: Stenlake. p.129. ISBN9781840337532.
↑ OPSI – The Cleveland (Further Provision) Order 1995
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