| Yarm | |
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Yarm
Yarm shown within North Yorkshire |
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| Population | 8,679 (2001 census)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | NZ416124 |
| Parish | Yarm |
| Unitary authority | Stockton-on-Tees |
| Ceremonial county | North Yorkshire |
| Region | North East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | YARM |
| Postcode district | TS15 |
| Dialling code | 01642 |
| Police | Cleveland |
| Fire | Cleveland |
| Ambulance | North East |
| EU Parliament | North East England |
| UK Parliament | Stockton South |
| List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire | |
Yarm is a small town and civil parish in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in North East England. It is on the south bank of the River Tees and for ceremonial purposes is in North Yorkshire. The bridge at Yarm marked the farthest upstream crossing point of tidal section of the River Tees until the Tees Barrage, which was opened in 1995 in Stockton, made that section no longer tidal. As the lowest down stream bridge Yarm bridge was superseded by the five stone arch toll bridge opened in Stockton on Tees in 1771 and the Middlesbrough Transporter bridge opened in 1911. The oldest part of the town around High Street is situated in a loop of the river and the newer parts of the town extend to the point where the River Leven meets the River Tees.
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The name of the town is thought to be derived from the Old Norse word yarum meaning an enclosure to catch fish or from the Old English gearum with the same meaning[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]
The Domninican Friars, often called Black Friars or Friars Preachers, settled in Yarm about 1286 and maintained a presence there, a Friarage & a Hospital, until 1583. Their memory is preserved in the names Friarage and Spital Bank. See http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=36293
Bishop Skirlaw of Durham built a stone bridge across the Tees in 1400 which still stands. An iron replacement was built in 1805, but it fell down in 1806. For many years Yarm was the head of the tide and of navigation on the Tees.
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.
In 1890 Bulmer & Co listed 12 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 Cross Keys beside the Leven Bridge.
At one point Yarm was a classed as a borough; this status did not persist. It formed part of the Stokesley Rural District under the Local Government Act 1894 and remained so until 1 April 1974 when, under the Local Government Act 1972 it became part of the district of Stockton-on-Tees in the new non-metropolitan county of Cleveland. Cleveland was abolished in 1996 under the Banham Review, with Stockton-on-Tees becoming a unitary authority.[4]
Yarm is part of the Stockton South Parliamentary Constituency which is represented in the House of Commons by James Wharton (Conservative), who was elected on 6 May 2010 [5] for Stockton South. From 1997 to 2010 the Constituency was represented by Dari Taylor (Labour).
The Yarm ward of Stockton (which includes Kirklevington) has three local councillors sitting on Stockton Borough Council. From 3 May 2007 until May 2011 they were Conservative councillors Jennie Beaumont, Jackie Earl and Andrew Sherris.
| 2007 Stockton on Tees Local Elections - Yarm Ward | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal Democrat | Philip Addison | 452 | |||
| Yarm Independents Association | John Anderson | 817 | |||
| Conservative | Jennie Beaumont | 1358 | |||
| Conservative | Jackie Earl | 1223 | |||
| Liberal Democrat | Alan Kirby Judge | 493 | |||
| Yarm Independents Association | Christopher Neil | 740 | |||
| Labour | Victoria Eileen Parker | 297 | |||
| Conservative | Andrew Sherris | 1268 | |||
| Yarm Independents Association | Marjorie Simpson | 1005 | |||
| Labour | Simon Rogers Tranter | 301 | |||
| Labour | Eric Turton | 294 | |||
| Liberal Democrat | Mike Wade | 455 | |||
From 5 May 2011 Conservatives Mark Chatburn, Ben Houchen, and Andrew Sherris became the councillors on the Stockton on Tees Borough Council for the Yarm Ward.
| 2011 Stockton on Tees Local Elections - Yarm Ward | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Conservative | Mark Chatburn | 1721 | 15.5% | ||
| Liberal Democrat | Natasha Craggs | 186 | 1.7% | ||
| Conservative | Ben Houchen | 1556 | 14.0% | ||
| Yarm Independent Association | Christopher Neil | 1218 | 11.0% | ||
| Labour | Vicky Parker | 610 | 5.5% | ||
| Conservative | Andrew Sherris | 1829 | 16.5% | ||
| Yarm Independent Association | Marjorie Simpson | 1287 | 11.6% | ||
| Labour | Simon Tranter | 666 | 6.0% | ||
| Labour | Eric Turton | 620 | 6.0% | ||
| Yarm Independent Association | Robert Wegg | 1101 | 9.9% | ||
| Liberal Democrat | Jonathan Wylie | 152 | 1.4% | ||
| Liberal Democrat | Lindsay Wylie | 141 | 1.3% | ||
The town 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 in the town hall.[6]
Yarm Town Council has 11 seats with a Chairman, who for ceremonial purposes, is "Mayor". The post is usually held for 2 years. The current Chairman is Cllr Jason Hadlow. (2011 - 2013). Elections for the Town Council are held every four years.
An election for all 11 seats was held on 5 May 2011. Jason Hadlow is the current Chairman & Michael Hornby the Vice-Chairman. The council is made up of 4 members of Yarm Independents Society and 7 members of the Conservative Party.
A by-election was held for two vacant seats on the council after the resignation of one, and disqualification of another Conservative councillor. The Conservative Party fielded two candidates against two Independent candidates who stood under the banner "Former Councillor". The Labour Party and Liberal Democrats chose not to field any candidates, the former instead backing the Independents. Turn out for the election was low, with the Conservative candidates elected by a small margin.
| December 2008 Yarm Town Council by-election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Independent | Philip Addison | 498 | 24% | n/a | |
| Conservative | Mike Hornby | 538 | 26% | n/a | |
| Independent | Peter Monck | 491 | 24% | n/a | |
| Conservative | Sarah Sherwood | 546 | 26% | n/a | |
After the departure of a Conservative councillor a by-election was held on 15 October 2009 for one place on the town council. Peter Monck, a former town councillor and Liberal Democrat candidate for Stockton South in the 1997 general election stood as an independent candidate against Paul Smith, a Conservative party candidate.
| October 2009 Yarm Town Council by-election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Independent | Peter Monck | 579 | 46% | n/a | |
| Conservative | Paul Smith | 683 | 54% | n/a | |
Yarm is divided into five estates and the peninsular area where the town centre is situated. The estates are Willey Flatts, Layfield Farm, The Kebbell (locally known as Spitalfields), Leven Park and Levendale (occasionally referred to as Ingleby Grange).
Yarm is bordered by two rivers. The River Tees is located to the north and the River Leven to the east. The Leven is a tributary of the Tees. In its past, Yarm was the highest port on the Tees, with merchant vessels travelling up the tidal river to Yarm from the North Sea to unload their cargoes..
Yarm has two road bridges over the river. Yarm Bridge crossing the Tees from the High Street to Eaglescliffe, and Leven Bridge crossing the Leven between Yarm and Low Leven. On 26 February 2010 Leven Bridge was closed after cracks appeared in the bridge. Engineers initially suggested the bridge would remain closed for at least two weeks.[7] Later it was confirmed that the bridge would be closed for up to three months after major damage was found to the Grade II listed structure. Repairs took less time than expected and the bridge re-opened on 18 June 2010.
The small town hall, situated in High Street was built in 1710 by Thomas Belasyse who was Lord of the Manor. In a poll taken for the BBC's Breakfast programme on 19 January 2007 Yarm's High Street was voted the "Best High Street".[8] The many Georgian-style old buildings, with their red pantile roofs, fronting High Street and its cobbled parking areas add to the visual appeal of the town.
The A67, which runs through High Street was previously classified as the A19 until a new dual carriageway was built in the 1970s - this is about three miles to the south of the town near the village of Crathorne. When the A19 ran through High Street, the traffic was heavily congested and very busy. The road is still used by heavy goods traffic travelling both ways as a shortcut to Durham Tees Valley Airport, formerly called Teesside Airport.[9] The classification of the road as an 'A'-road means that it is not possible to place a ban on heavy goods vehicles; however the town council has made efforts to come up with voluntary agreements with many haulage firms.[10]
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. The Catholic church of Ss Mary and Romuald, built in 1860, is at the south end of High Street. Yarm Methodist Church was John Wesley's "favourite chapel". This octagonal church, built in 1763, is to be found on Chapel Yard, on the east side of the town by the river, and is the oldest octagonal church in current use in Methodism.
Yarm has multiple areas of woodland. Most of these woodlands are part of private estates. The Rookery is a public area of woodland next to the River Tees situated at the bottom of Goose Pasture. The ash, sycamore and lime woodland is estimated to be about 200 years in age and is owned by Yarm Town Council.[11] 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.
The imposing 2,280 feet (690 m) long railway viaduct was built between 1849 and 1851 for the Leeds Northern Railway Company. Its designers were Thomas Grainger and John Bourne. It comprises 7 million bricks and has 43 arches, with the two that span the river Tees being skewed and made of stone.[12][13] The original Yarm railway station, now closed, was situated on the Eaglescliffe side of the river at the north end of the viaduct. The current un-manned modern station, opened in 1996, is located on Green Lane near Conyers School, about a mile south of Yarm High Street .
Arriva North East is the main operator serving Yarm and operate the following services:
Service 7:Yarm Willey Flatts-Eaglescliffe-Stockton Service 12AYarm-Hartburn-Stockton-Teesdale-Middlesbrough Service X6Yarm-Ingleby Barwick-Middlesbrough
WP & M Hutchinson operate one route serving Yarm:
Service 82 Yarm-Hutton Rudby-Stokesley
Leven Valley Coaches is the other operator, running the following services:
Service 507: Yarm-Hilton-Maltby-Thornaby-Stockton Service 551: Willey Flatts-Eaglescliffe-Stockton-Billingham-Low Grange Service 577:Yarm Willey Flatts-Eaglescliffe-Stockton
Yarm Cricket Club is situated on Leven Road, and has been in existence since 1814. It currently runs 3 senior teams in the North Yorkshire South Durham League, and 4 Junior Sides; Under 11's, Under 13's, Under 15's and Under 17's, who all play competitive cricket throughout the season. In recent years, Yarm's 3rd 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/Cup double in 2008. The club are currently looking for investment in order to take the club forward, including improvements to facilities and also to increase the playing members of both the senior and junior teams.
Many events are held in the town each year such as a Gala, Fair and a 5 km Fun Run.
After lying dormant for almost 100 years Yarm Gala re-started in 2008. In 2011 it will be held on Sunday 19 June.See http://www.yarmtowncouncil.org.uk/pages/gala.html
A charter to hold a weekly market was granted by King John in 1207. It lapsed but was revived in 2011 as a Farmers' Market. It is held on the second Sunday of each month. http://www.yarmfarmersmarket.co.uk/
A fair is held in High Street in the third week in October. It starts on the Tuesday [14] evening, and is officially opened on the Thursday. It lasts until Saturday night. It was once a commercial fair that traded in cheese and livestock, but is now primarily a funfair. Travellers still attend the fair and ride horses up and down the street on the Saturday. The travellers have to wait outside the town until 6:00 pm on the Tuesday, at which point they are allowed to cross the bridge over the River Tees into the town.
Yarm has an annual fun run. The 5 km run starts at Conyers School and ends on Snaith's Field. It used to end outside Yarm Parish Church, but this changed some time around 1998. The 2008 Fun Run took place on Sunday 20 April, and was won by Daniel James Rice.
Yarm and District Lions Club run a charities fair in High Street every year. This mostly takes a market-like approach.
A ceremony takes place each Advent to light up the town's Christmas tree. Christmas carols are sung to a band and High Street is temporarily closed for the event.
There are three primary schools in the town:
Levendale (Single form entry)http://www.sbcschools.org.uk/levendale/,
Yarm Primary School (Two form entry)http://www.sbcschools.org.uk/yarm/,
and Layfield Primary School (Single form entry). http://web.mac.com/layfieldprimary/Yarm_primary_school_Layfield_Every_child_matters/Yarm_Layfield_Primary_school.html
Conyers School, with about 1,400 pupils, is a mixed comprehensive school It has also a sixth-form. It was founded in 1594 as "the Free Grammar School" by Thomas Conyers. Following the change to comprehensive education it was renamed to reflect its founder. Conyers is a specialist school for maths and computing. http://www.conyers.stockton.sch.uk/
The town is home to the private Yarm School, the senior school being situated at the Friarage and the preparatory school and nursery at the old Yarm Grammar School. The school was founded in 1978, some time after the re-designation of the original grammar school. The school had plans to move within the next decade to a site near to their playing fields on Green Lane, south of the town. However, planning permission was not granted by the local council and Yarm School is no longer planning to move, instead choosing to renovate and improve the current site. http://www.yarmschool.org/
To read the reports of HMI inspections of schools visit the OFSTED site.
On the southern edge of the built up area of Yarm, is HMP Kirklevington Grange, a men's resettlement prison for inmates intending to settle (on release) in the North East of England.
People associated with the town include John Wesley, founder of Methodism and Tom Brown, hero in the Battle of Dettingen.
It is home to professional footballers such as Middlesbrough and Holland international George Boateng and former Valencia and Spain International Gaizka Mendieta. Former England boss Steve McClaren also regularly visits the town,[15] as his family home is situated in the neighbouring village of Aislaby. Iron Maiden guitarist Janick Gers lives here. West End playwright and international screenwriter Graham Farrow also lives in Yarm.
Over the years many famous people have visited Yarm. They include Diana, Princess of Wales and Sir John Major. Diana's son, Prince Harry, also visited the town on Tuesday 7 August 2007, while making a week-long army visit to RAF Leeming. He was spotted drinking with friends in the Black Bull pub and later moving onto The Keys nightclub.[16] Rock band Oasis famously drank in the Black Bull in the mid-1990s.
Yarm is twinned with two other European towns:
There is also an agreement with Olkusz, in Poland.[17]
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. The trees were marked with plaques.
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