Crofton, West Yorkshire

Crofton
Crofton
Crofton shown within West Yorkshire
Population 5,781 (2011)
OS grid reference SE374182
Civil parish
  • Crofton
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town WAKEFIELD
Postcode district WF4
Dialling code 01924
Police West Yorkshire
Fire West Yorkshire
Ambulance Yorkshire
EU Parliament Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament

Crofton is a village near Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, about 4 miles (6 km) south-east of the city, some 6 miles (10 km) to the west of the town of Pontefract, and 4 miles (6 km) from the town of Featherstone. The population of the civil parish at the time of the 2011 census was 5,781.[1]

History

Crofton is listed in the Domesday Book as Scroftune.

The village has one church: the cruciform All Saints' Church, which is Anglican. It dates from the 15th century.[2] It shares an incumbent with the Church of St Peter the Apostle at Kirkthorpe.[3] A Roman Catholic church built in the 1920s closed in 2008.[4] Crofton New Hall was built in the 1750s for the Wilsons, who lived in the village until 1935, when the Colonel sold the manor house and the estate and moved away from the village. During the Second World War, the hall was used by the army, later the Coal Board, then became Brown's Tutorial School, closed in 1980 to be demolished. Shortly afterwards, a new housing estate built there. Some of the Wilson family are buried in a large mausoleum in the cemetery.[5]

Richmal Mangnall, author of an innovative schoolbook, was educated at Mrs Wilson's School at Crofton Hall. She stayed there as a teacher, then took it over in 1808 and ran it until her death on 1 May 1820.[6] The eldest two Brontë sisters (Maria and Elizabeth) briefly attended.[7] The earliest free school in the village opened in 1877 as Crofton Board School.[8]

Crofton was predominantly a farming community, but the mining of coal became important in the 19th century and continued until the 1980s.[4] There were three coal mines within a two-mile radius of the village, these mines being Nostell, Walton and Sharlston. By the early 1900s, Lord St Oswald had built houses at New Crofton, known locally as both Cribbens and Scribbens Lump, for the workers of Nostell Mine. This area was populated until the 1980s when it was demolished along with the mines.[9] "The Lump" also had a mission hall, a local shop and a fish-and-chip shop, locally as "The Leaning Chippy" due to the subsidence from the local mines at Nostell. In the 1970s, there were two shops near the Lump: "Alf's", which was a corner shop located where the Slipper public house is today and the other shop, also the local car garage, "Mrs Moody's".[4] There is also a disused well from which villagers used to get their water many years ago: the well is still there but has since been filled in due to it being a hazard for local children.

The houses from the Lump were demolished due to severe subsidence from Nostell mine. It was cheaper to demolish the houses and rebuild than to repair the damage the subsidence had caused. Once demolished, the area remained a wasteland for many years, but the old cobbled streets and other roads were still visible. Eventually the land was sold and a new housing estate was built on it. Most of the old subsidence would have stopped by now. with many of the old mines collapsed and filled in years ago, but some remain and will affect the surrounding areas for years to come.[4]

When the miners at Nostell pit were clearing new coal seams, they came across what was described as an underground church, which the monks from Nostell Priory had built years before. This church was complete with tunnels, which the monks used to use for transporting coal to the monastery. The church had wooden doors and seating inside, exactly why they built it there underground may never be known. The entrance and tunnel was eventually sealed.[4] Local miner and Nostell safety officer Leslie Simpson Sr and a fellow miner carved their names into the wood of the church door just before the tunnel was sealed. One theory is that the monks built the underground church to pray and worship in private, the monastery which was built on Nostell Priory was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1540 and this could possibly explain the existence of the underground church.[4]

Crofton Castle

Crofton Castle was built on Towers Lane in 1853 by John Blackburn in the style of a gothic manor house, complete with a parapet. The house acted as a prisoner of war camp during the Second World War housing captured Italian soldiers. The house then passed was then bought by the Abbott family who allowed the house to fall into disrepair. Rumours of hauntings and paranormal activity surfaced regarding the mansion. In 2004 the house suffered a horrific blaze, which led to the mansion being demolished.

Many schoolchildren and also adults have reported seeing a white figure standing at the back window, locally known as the Grey Lady. Over the years, there were rumours of suicides and hangings in and around the castle, but most were unsubstantiated or greatly exaggerated. Since the castle was demolished, a new housing estate has been built on its site, but the developers were mindful of the stories behind the castle and so planned the new housing estate that no houses would occupy exactly the same position the castle had, which is nowadays covered by a road. Even so, events from the legend of the Grey Lady and other strange phenomena are still reported from the new housing estate.

Location grid


Adjacent places of Crofton, West Yorkshire
 Wakefield
Crigglestone Pontefract
   Crofton, West Yorkshire  
Hemsworth, Barnsley

Crofton today

Today, Crofton is seen as a commuting village, with many of the inhabitants leaving to nearby cities such as Leeds and Wakefield to work. The village has two post offices, one in New Crofton and one in the High Street, two fish and chip shops – one in New Crofton – mini-markets and a carpet store. The village also boasts several pubs: the Crofton Arms and the Cock and Crown, both on the A638 road, the Royal Oak and The Goose & Cowslip as well as a working men's club and the Crofton Community Centre, formerly known as the Nostell Miners' Welfare. The Crofton Arms is now an Indian restaurant. Other pubs: Weavers Green has been demolished to make way for new houses; The Slipper has been converted into flats. The Goose and Cowslip was formerly known as the "Lord of the Manor" although residents still call it The Manor.

Crofton made national newspaper headlines when the famous motel in the village The Redbeck, had stayed open for 21 years without ever closing, working its way through renovations, leaks and power cuts. The Redbeck is a diner, hotel and popular long-haul truck stop on the outskirts of Crofton, located on the A638.

Crofton has had a makeover in the last few years. Mainly the old Nostell pit and surrounding area have been transformed into a nature park with a small pond and walking areas which many locals use. The walk comprises around 3–4 miles of ash path from start to finish, with some being concreted (remnants of the old opencast mining area). The path can be followed on foot or by bike, right to the Trans-Pennine Trail and through Walton Forest. Use in some years is marred by surges in the tick population, which particularly affects dog walkers and farm cattle.

In July 2017, the Secretary of State for Transport announced the decision to route the West Midlands to Leeds leg of HS2 through the eastern side of the village. At the same time, it was announced that a large maintenance depot which was proposed for south of the village will be built east of Leeds.

Sport

Crofton is in the centre of what is locally known as Rugby land, with the local team Crofton Cougars contributing to the maintenance of the Rugby tradition. The team was formed in 1996 and plays in the CMS Unison Division 1. They won the CMS Division 2 title in 2006. The home ground of the Cougars is Cougar Park, which is part of the Crofton Community Centre facilities. It provides up to 3000 capacity, both seated and standing.

Crofton cricket team play at The Sidings Playing Fields, as do Crofton Juniors AFC and Crofton Sports FC, which has two teams playing in the Wakefield Saturday League and are based at the Weavers Green pub.

Nostell Miners Welfare F.C. also play at the community centre facilities and are currently in the Northern Counties Premier division.

Notable residents

In birth order:

Schools

Crofton Infants School was opened in 1877 and was then known as Crofton Board School. In 1920, at a dance, Crofton school was the scene of a horrific murder, in which 19-year-old Jane Darwell was murdered in the hall during the dance by her ex-boyfriend Edwin Sowerby in front of several witnesses. Sowerby, who had taken the break-up of their relationship hard, was given the death penalty and was hanged at Armley Prison in Leeds on 31 December 1920. Local legend depicts that the ghost of Jane Darwell still haunts the infants school, and is known as The Blue Lady.. In 1955, Crofton Secondary School opened in Crofton Old Hall. Crofton Slack Lane Junior School and Crofton High School were both constructed in the 1960s. A new Junior and Infant school was opened in Shay Lane in 1972.[8] In the summer of 1995, a fire destroyed most of the High School and a new school opened in 1998. In 2007 Crofton High School achieved record GCSE pass rates, putting it in the top 100 state schools in the country. In August 2011 the school became Crofton Academy.

Transport

Bus

Crofton is located on the A638 road that runs between Wakefield and Doncaster and serves as the village's lifeline. There are several bus routes which run from Crofton:

Train

Up until the 1960s the village was served by the Hare Park & Crofton railway station before it was demolished. The station was located on the Great North Eastern Railway and on the Wakefield Line. The sidings were also used as part of the Dearne Valley Line. A smaller station at Crofton was located next to Doncaster road, on the current Pontefract Line, behind the Crofton Arms Public House. The station was demolished too, in the 1960s, yet the remains of the old station house in its current derelict form can be seen from the A638, or on passing trains from Wakefield Kirkgate railway station towards Pontefract.

Air

Crofton is located 26 miles (42 km) from Leeds Bradford International Airport, and offers services to European and Asian destinations such as Paris, Milan, Rome, Alicante, Tenerife, Larnaca and Islamabad. Crofton is the same distance from Doncaster Airport, at Finningley in Doncaster, which serves a lesser range of European destinations. The nearest international airport offering a full range of international destinations is Manchester Airport, which is 69 miles (111 km) from the village.

References

  1. ↑ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  2. ↑ Croftonline Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  3. ↑ All Saints' Church 24 July 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Crofton Parish Council Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  5. ↑ Croftonline Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  6. ↑ Susan Drain, "Mangnall, Richmal (1769–1820)", Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, UK: OUP, 2004) Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  7. ↑ Journal of the Brontë Society Vol. 29, No. 3, resumé Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  8. 1 2 History of Crofton's schools Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  9. ↑ The Lump in photographs Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Bronte links to Crofton past - blue plaque unveiled". Wakefield Express. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
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