Cawood
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Cawood (Other names: Carwood) is a large village in North Yorkshire, England that is notable as the finding-place of the Cawood sword.
In his King's England series, Arthur Mee refers to Cawood as "the Windsor of the North". It used to be the residence of the Archbishops of York. The name is believed to come from the characteristic noise made by crows in the nearby woods. Cawood is south of the point where the River Wharfe flows in to the River Ouse which subsequently forms the northern border of the village. Cawood Bridge is the only bridge from the village which spans the river. The bridge was opened in 1872: before then the only means of crossing was by use of a ferry. The river Ouse used to flood the village regularly in winter, but since the floods of January 1982, whose height is marked on the bridgekeepers' cottage, river defences have been raised so that the fields on the northern side (Kelfield Ings) and the former Ferry Boat Inn, also on the Kelfield side, are now the only areas flooded, even with the exceptionally high levels of November 2000.
The houses and shops are located around the remains of Cawood Castle which lies at its centre. This was the residence of the Archbishops of York who were forced to leave when the English Civil War began. Dick Turpin is said to have forded the river when he escaped to York, which lies ten miles north of Cawood. It is possible to stay in the Castle gatehouse, which is a Landmark Trust property. This stands next to Castle Garth, a scheduled ancient monument, under which are the remains of the Castle. It is currently owned by the village, but closely looked after by English Heritage and the local Garth group as a "green space" in the centre of the village.
The village used to house a host of public houses, of which three remain open:
- The Jolly Sailor is situated on Market Place in the village centre, and is a Thwaites owned pub.
- The Ferry Inn is located just by the swing bridge over the River Ouse with a large beer garden fronting the river. This is a Free House, serving a variety of real ales and lagers. In it can be found a fine display of a monumental medieval feast held at the Castle.
- The Castle Inn can be found on Wistowgate, heading towards Selby.
In the 19th century there was a weekly market on Wednesdays, and a wide range of shops. During the 20th. century, these gradually closed as village commercial life became dominated by the nearby market towns of Selby, Leeds and York. Today there is just a post office, a plant nursery and All Saints' Church.
There is an annual craft festival over August Bank Holiday weekend, in aid of the work of All Saints', where villagers and local craft workers display their products at various venues throughout the village.
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