Thornhill, West Yorkshire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Thornhill | |
|
  |
|
| Population | 6,875 (2005) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Kirklees |
| Shire county | West Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DEWSBURY |
| Postcode district | WF12 |
| Dial code | 01924 |
| Police | West Yorkshire |
| Fire | West Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| UK Parliament | Dewsbury |
| European Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire | |
Thornhill is a former village, now suburb of Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, England. Its village status was abolished in 1910[1], yet it remains a distinctive identity due to its dramatic landscape, history of close links with mining and its overwhelming White population. It is located on a hill on the south side of the River Calder, and has extensive views of Dewsbury, Ossett and Wakefield. It is known for its collection of Anglo-Saxon crosses. The area was also covered by the Survey of English Dialects due to the belief that it was a hodbed of Yorkshire dialect[2]. A 2005 study compared the 1964 Thornhill recording with a recording from nearby Ossett in 1999[3].
Contents |
[edit] History
Thornhill is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, but the Anglo-Saxon crosses and other remains indicate that there was a settlement here by the ninth century. In the reign of Henry III Thornhill was the seat of the Thornhill family, who intermarried with the De Fixbys and Babthorpes in the reigns of Edward I and Edward II. In the reign of Edward III, Elizabeth Thornhill, the only child of Simon Thornhill, married Sir Henry Saville. This extinguished the family line of Thornhills of Thornhill which now passed down the Saville line. Thornhill now became the seat of the emerging and powerful Savile family. [4]
The Savilles remained here until the English Civil War when the house was besieged, (having been previously fortified by Sir William Saville, the third baronet of the family), taken, and demolished by the forces of Parliament. Some ruins of the house and the moat still remain at Thornhill Rectory Park.[5]This large house had a secret underground passage, that lead to Thornhill Parish Church. [6] just a few hundred yards away from the park. The passage remained until the early 1990s when it was filled in due to safety reasons. Monuments to members of both the Thornhill and Saville families are on view in Thornhill Parish Church. [7]
One thing that sets Thornhill apart from the rest of Dewsbury is its closer ties to coal-mining. In 1893 the Combs Pit Mining Disaster killed 139 local coal miners. Thornhill colliery resulted from the mergining of Inghams and Combs colliery in 1948. It closed in 1971. The nearest pit from then on was Caphouse Colliery, just to the south, which closed after the miners strike of 1985.
[edit] Schools
The Thornhill area has two junior schools: Overthorpe Junior and Infants and Thornhill Junior and Infants School. The Community Science College @ Thornhill[8] (formerly Thornhill High School) is the area's secondary school, with a GCSE pass rate of 40% in 2006, an increase of 10% from 2005. Recently the high school has undergone various modifications, and is now a Science College. The science block has been fully refurbished and the humanities block was demolished and a new one built. Construction of a new sports hall is underway as of September 2006.
[edit] Entertainment
Thornhill has several public houses. The Black Horse is a small public house in the south of Thornhill. The Scarborough Pub is a medium sized traditional public house on the edge of Frank Lane and is quite popular with residents of all ages. The Flatt Top is a small public house on the corner of Albion Road, serving traditionally brewed local ales. The Alma is also situated at the north of Thornhill. There are also several sports clubs and working men's clubs.
[edit] Sports
Thornhill is home to the Thornhill Trojans, a rugby league team who are currently in the National Conference League Premier Division.[9] The area also boasts a football team and several rugby league youth teams. The Thornhill rugby club, located in Overthorpe Park, houses the changing rooms for the local rugby and football teams.
Community facilities open to the public include a football pitch, rugby pitch and basketball court. There is also a mini rugby pitch frequently used by the rugby club itself for the under tens junior team.
[edit] Amenities
There are a number of local shops and off-licences in Thornhill and numerous takeaways ranging from traditional English to Italian cuisine. The nearest large supermarkets are in Dewsbury, which is the main town in regards to Thornhill and is generally quite well connected by public transport. The area is also served by two post offices with limited services. The Overthorpe post office has recently undergone building work and is now part of the Londis franchise. There are also many other amenities offered in Thornhill, such as a florist, beauty salon, a computer repair shop and several fish and chip shops; one of which doubles as a Chinese takeaway.
