Featherstone

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This article is about the Yorkshire town. For other references, see Featherstone (disambiguation).

Featherstone is a village by the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies south west of Pontefract and has a population of 16,375^[1] and is represented by Labour MP Jon Trickett in the House of Commons. At local elections, the Labour Party has been shunned ever since the town's swimming pool was closed and local independent candidates are now elected.

Like many towns in the area, it grew around coal mining, and was the site of a miners' strike in 1893.^[2] During the strike the town came to national attention when soldiers fired on striking miners killing two. A distinctive sculpture marking the centenary of the 'Featherstone Massacre' stands in the shopping precinct and a large mural depicting the town's heritage can be seen at the town's main crossroads. "Ackton Hall" colliery was the first pit to close following the end of the miners' strike and this could not be contested as geological difficulties had made it impossible for the pit to continue production.

Despite most population growth taking place around the Industrial Revolution, Featherstone traces its history back much further than this. It is thought that a local public house, the Travellers Rest, can trace its origins to the 17th Century whilst the Jubilee Hotel is a listed building which once provided a resting place for wealthy Victorians and their horses.

Featherstone is undergoing continual change and as part of this a new, state of the art £2.5 million community centre has been built in Station Lane. The "Pit Houses", the houses constituting a council estate which formerly belonged to the Coal Board, have been demolished to make room for further developments.

However some parts of Featherstone retain original charm. Opened in the 1950's, Purston Park takes up a large area of space and offers a lake and a children's play area. There was also previously a bowling green, until being changed to a rose garden in 2004. It has been made out of the grounds of what was originally a private residence and a country estate, with the stately home formerly acting as the Town Hall. This building has now been sold to developers for conversion to luxury appartments.

1 Sport
2 Religion
3 Education
4 Notes
5 See Also
6 External links

[edit] Sport

The town is home to a rugby league club, Featherstone Rovers, who on May 7, 1983 won the Challenge Cup. They are currently struggling in semi-professional rugby league after being relegated last season. Originally made up of local miners, the club was formed in the Railway Hotel in 1902.^[3] The Featherstone Rovers stadium was re-named as the Chris Moyles Stadium, after the Leeds-based radio DJ, in January 2007.

[edit] Religion

Featherstone contains no fewer than five churches; St Thomas' CofE Church, All Saints CofE church, the Methodist Church, the Catholic Church and the South Featherstone Gospel Hall. There is also a chapel which has since been turned into an antiques salesroom and the North Featherstone Gospel Hall that has been converted into a private dwelling.

[edit] Education

The town has two secondary schools; Featherstone Technology College and St Wilfrid's Catholic High School and Language College. Featherstone Technology College is unfortunately going through a rough period at this moment, finishing at the bottom of the Wakefield league tables.