| Sherburn-in-Elmet | |
All Saints Church |
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Sherburn-in-Elmet
Sherburn-in-Elmet shown within North Yorkshire |
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| Population | 6,221 (2001) |
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| OS grid reference | SE506337 |
| District | Selby |
| Shire county | North Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LEEDS |
| Postcode district | LS25 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire | |
Sherburn-in-Elmet is a town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England, situated close to Selby. It is one of only three places in the area to be explicitly associated with the ancient Celtic kingdom of Elmet via featuring the kingdom's title in its name, the others being Barwick-in-Elmet and Scholes-in-Elmet. According to the 2001 census, Sherburn has a population of 6,221.
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The village is of ancient establishment, possibly with Roman origins and was part of the wapentake of Barkston Ash in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The field adjoining All Saints' Church is the site of the palace of kings of Elmet, which was given (with the manor of Cawood) by Athelstan to the Archbishops of York on his conversion to Christianity in or around the 10th century.
The church itself is unusually large for a village parish church and dates from around 1120, with Norman pillars and a later-built large tower housing a ring of eight bells. It was built on the site of an earlier Saxon church. The Battle of Towton was fought nearby in 1461 and local legend tells that King Edward IV used the church tower as a point for surveying the battle lines. This is indeed a legend as due to the topography of the land and the weather conditions on the day of the battle, it is not possible to see the battle ground from the tower. The church is now home to the church cat, Jess, who moved in during early 2006 and has become a favourite with the congregation. Selby Times article.
During the English Civil War, the village was garrisoned by the Royalists; close to their stronghold at Selby and the northern capital of York. In 1645, the Parliamentarians attacked Sherburn, defeating the garrison, before eventually defeating the whole of the Royalist forces for the King in the North.
Sherburn-in-Elmet is often referred to locally as simply 'Sherburn'. It is notable as a regular meeting place for motorcycle riders, most abundantly on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. The roads leading into Sherburn-in-Elmet are known nationally for the varied and pleasurable rides they offer when atop a motorcycle. Meets take place at 'Squires Milk Bar', which recently moved to a bigger site in the nearby village of Newthorpe.
The town is now home to a major industrial site attracting large businesses such as Eddie Stobart Ltd as well as the large Gascoigne Wood mine, which was part of the Selby coalfield project.
Home to Sherburn-in-Elmet Airfield which is currently the base for the Sherburn Aero Club, Sherburn's links with the air industry go back to World War II when the Blackburn Aircraft Company built the Fairey Swordfish in the town. Production ended in 1945, and by then 1,699 such aircraft had been built in Sherburn. The airfield also saw the first flight of L.E. Baynes's famous prototype glider, the Baynes Bat.
The town is served by Sherburn-in-Elmet railway station with services to York, Hull and Sheffield with a second station (South Milford railway station) in nearby South Milford providing services to Leeds and Hull, while there are regular bus services to Leeds, Selby, Pontefract and Tadcaster.
Sherburn has two primary schools (Hungate and Athelstan) and Sherburn High School which has recently gained the status of a specialist science school. Sherburn High School has a fund raising committee called Friends of Sherburn High (FOSH).
It has three supermarkets: Spar, Tesco Express and Co-op. Sherburn also has several independently owned shops as well a market in the centre of the town on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Sherburn has Leeds as its post town and an LS25 postcode, but is in North Yorkshire.
After being disbanded for some years, Sherburn White Rose was reformed in 1960 and have played in the West Yorkshire League for more than half a century. The club benefited from a substantial grant from the football foundation in 2003 and used the funds to build a brand new club-house, encompassing a new bar, function room, kitchen and four modern changing rooms. In 2006 Sherburn White Rose regained their status in the Premier Division of the West Yorkshire League and in 2007 the club fielded three separate senior teams for the first time in the club's history. Sherburn White Rose FC was one of the first clubs in Yorkshire to be recognised as an F.A Charter Standard Club and signed up for the F.A Respect campaign in 2008. In 2009 the club successfully won both Barkston Ash District F.A senior competitions - the first time both cups have been won by SWRFC in the same season.
The Bacon Factory Pond is a local recreational fishery located on the eastern side of the town. With a total of 40 pegs the fishery is controlled by the Wheatsheaf Angling Club. The pond is well stocked with perch, carp, roach, bream, tench, eels and pike. Fishing is from dawn until dusk only.[1]
