Collingham, West Yorkshire
| Collingham | |
 St Oswald's Church |
|
  Collingham |
|
| Population | 2,967 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SE3845 |
| Civil parish | Collingham |
| Metropolitan borough | City of Leeds |
| Metropolitan county | West Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WETHERBY |
| Postcode district | LS22 |
| Dialling code | 01937 |
| Police | West Yorkshire |
| Fire | West Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament | Elmet |
Coordinates: 53°54′15″N 1°24′50″W / 53.904029°N 1.413945°W
Collingham is a village and civil parish 2 miles (3 km) south east of Wetherby in West Yorkshire, England. It is in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough. The clergyman, the Reverend William Mompesson was born there in 1639.[1]
The River Wharfe runs through the village towards Wetherby, as does the main A58 trans-Pennine road. The A659 passes through the village. The River Wharfe is particularly dangerous at Collingham due to undercurrents, which are especially prevalent around the Linton Road Bridge and the former viaduct. Collingham Beck burst its banks in 2007, causing extensive flooding.
The village has one pub the Half Moon Inn , where Oliver Cromwell is said to have spent the night after the Battle of Marston Moor.[2] There is a Post Office, a variety of shops and service businesses, a sports centre and a primary school. The village church is St Oswald.[3]
The village school, Lady Elizabeth Hastings Church of England Primary School,[4] is located off the Harewood Road opposite the cricket pitch. It excels and in 2013 was the top State primary school in West Yorkshire. The Wetherby golf course extends all the way to the river at Collingham.
Location
The village adjoins the neighbouring village of Linton and the neighbouring town of Wetherby. Between the three places, the only break in buildings is the crossing over the River Wharfe. Between Collingham and Leeds, the A58 is mainly built up by the villages of Bardsey and Scarcroft and the village of Bardsey cum Rigton.
Transport
Collingham once had a railway station on the Cross Gates to Wetherby line. The station was named 'Collingham Bridge' to avoid confusion with Collingham railway station in Collingham, Nottinghamshire and was the station before Wetherby railway station. The railway bridge over the River Wharfe, which once ran adjacent to the Linton road bridge (pictured left) was demolished in 1965 when the railway was dismantled. Collingham is now served by the 98, X98 and 99 bus services which run between Leeds City Square and Wetherby Deighton Bar (each running a slightly different route, the 99 terminating instead at Wetherby bus station). These services are run by First West Yorkshire.
Amenities
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The village has one open pub, The Half Moon on Harewood Road. On Main Street there is an Italian restaurant, Picolino. The Squash club also has a licensed bar & Sky Sports. The picture on the left is of The Old Star pub and restaurant, which is now a Tesco Express.
Set within a small modern shopping precinct Elizabeth Court are most of the village shops. There is an off licence, a fish and chip shop, a travel agency, a pharmacy, delicatessen, a clothes shop, a bathroom shop, a dentist, a dry cleaner, a deli as well as other shops. Adjacent is a small parade of shops containing a convenience store and a newsagent and Post Office. In addition there is a GP's surgery providing NHS services and a variety of non-NHS services such as private medical examination reports.
Collingham's amenities are complemented by the wide range of amenities available in Wetherby. Wetherby has a large flagship Morrisons supermarket as well as two Co-ops and a Sainsbury's. There are many High Street retailers (Marks and Spencer, Boots the Chemist, Superdrug, Costa Coffee etc) and a wide variety of pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants. Wetherby is a five minute ride on the bus.
Collingham has an Anglican church and a small Methodist chapel. There are Catholic services in neighbouring Bardsey and Wetherby. In line with many areas in England, attendances at these churches in recent years has fallen, despite a slow growth in population.
Housing and buildings
Much of the centre of Collingham was demolished in the 1960s and 1970s and replaced with modern facilities. However the Elizabeth Court Shopping Precinct in Collingham is stone-built and sympathetically styled. As part of this, many small shops and cottages were demolished, changing the character of the village. Some small cottages were purchased by the Half Moon public house, demolished and are now a large car park. The village has two churches. A large Anglican church and a small, unremarkable Methodist chapel. There is a 1960s-built primary school, a 1970s-built indoor squash courts.
There is an eclectic mix of Georgian, Victorian and 20th century housing. Collingham has some Council Housing, mainly on Brookside and Garth End. Housing around Harewood Road is generally large, detached late 20th century housing. Housing around Leeds Road is mainly ex-council housing (although not actually on Leeds Road itself), while housing on Wetherby Road is generally the oldest in Collingham. There has been no housing development on a notable scale in Collingham, since Bryant Homes built housing along Linton Road.
Sport
Collingham is home to Collingham and Linton Cricket Club which plays in the Airedale-Wharfedale Senior Cricket League.[5] This is located at the Collingham and Linton Sports Association (CALSA), which boasts three indoor squash courts, a football pitch and a cricket pitch. CALSA also has affiliated tennis and hockey sections.
Flooding
Collingham has had persistent problems with mild flooding and was affected by the 2007 UK Floods. The River Wharfe usually keeps within its banks during heavy rain, however the Collingham Beck has a tendency to swell very quickly. During the 2007 UK Floods it flooded Millbeck Green and much of the A58 Leeds Road as well as reaching the boundaries of the Half Moon and Old Star public houses. As of May 2008, a few residents were still unable to return to their homes. One house was looted during the floods.
Governance
Collingham falls into the Elmet and Rothwell constituency, which is currently held by Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative). Collingham falls under the 'Parish Council of Collingham and Linton', which is under the governance of Leeds City Council. The nearest council offices are in Wetherby. Collingham was until 1974 in the Wetherby Rural District, it is now in the Harewood Ward of the City of Leeds.
Discussion over boundary changes are currently taking place (start of 2012) with Boston Spa Parish Council (to align with the new A1) and East Keswick Parish Council.
Collingham with Linton Parish Council are creating two Neighbourhood Plans - one for Collingham and one for nearby Linton.
People
Collingham was also home to Percy Shaw, a professional boxer between 1932 and 1935. He had 11 professional contests during this time [6][7] and had a son called Philip Shaw.
Nearby settlements
Location grid
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Wetherby | | ||
| Harewood |  |
Boston Spa | ||
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| Bardsey |
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Collingham, West Yorkshire. |
- "The Ancient Parish of Collingham". GENUKI. Retrieved 2007-10-29.