Castleford is one of the five towns within the
metropolitan boroughA metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
of the
City of WakefieldThe City of Wakefield is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. In addition to Wakefield, the district's administrative centre, the city covers a wider area which encompasses other towns. The "Five Towns" commonly grouped...
, in
West YorkshireWest Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is near to
PontefractPontefract is an old, medievil town in West Yorkshire, England, near the A1 , the M62 motorway, and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census. To the north the
River CalderThe River Calder is a river in West Yorkshire, in northern England.The Calder rises on the green eastern slopes of the Pennines flows through alternating green countryside, former woollen-mill villages, and large and small towns before joining the River Aire near Castleford.The river's valley is...
joins the
River AireThe River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England of length . Part of the river is canalised and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation....
and the
Aire and Calder NavigationThe Aire and Calder Navigation is a river and canal system of the River Aire and the River Calder in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England.- History and route :...
canal. To the west and south is the
M62 motorwayThe M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
.
HistoricallyThe historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires. They were used for various functions for several hundred years and continue to form, albeit with considerably...
a part of the
West Riding of YorkshireThe West Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
, Castleford and its surroundings have provided archaeological evidence of
RomanRoman Britain was those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and about 410. The Romans referred to their province as Britannia...
activity. Castleford is known in surrounding areas by the nickname of "Cas' Vegas", or Classy Cas (a slogan once used on car stickers showing support for the local rugby team - The Castleford Tigers). Used alongside that for neighbouring
PontefractPontefract is an old, medievil town in West Yorkshire, England, near the A1 , the M62 motorway, and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
, "Ponte Carlo": a joke on the non-glitzy nightlife of the two towns.
History
Castleford is built upon the site of a
Roman armyThe Roman Army was employed by the Romans, the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire, as part of the Roman military. Its most important infantry constituent for much of its history was the Roman legion, whose soldiers were called legionaries....
settlement that was named
LagentiumLagentium or Legiolum was the Roman name for the strategic fort which was built around the year 74 by the Roman Empire. The English town of Castleford, West Yorkshire, is now built on what was the fort....
or
Legioleum. Funeral
urnAn urn is a vase, ordinarily covered and without handles, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
s dating from the time of the Romans have been found there. The modern name of the town is derived from the fort, Castle (referring to the fort) and Ford (a low crossing point through a river).
Queens Park in Castleford, as viewed from
Google earthGoogle Earth is an information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a company acquired by Google in 2004. It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe...
, shows two circles on the top playing field area, which could be the remnants of round houses used by early Anglo Saxons. Standing over 250 feet above sea level, it is thought that the area which is Queens Park today would have offered a defensive view of the settlement.
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
(1597–1659), had a local encampment in nearby Ferrybridge. It is said locally that his cannon faced towards
Pontefract CastlePontefract Castle is a castle in the town of Pontefract, in West Yorkshire, England. It was the site of the demise of Richard II of England, and later the place of a series of famous sieges during the English Civil War-History:...
from the nearby Redhill Retail Park.
From 1630 until his deprivation during the
InterregnumThe English Interregnum was the period of parliamentary and military rule under the Commonwealth of England after the English Civil War. It began with the regicide of Charles I in January 1649, and ended with the restoration of Charles II in 1660....
, the Rector of Ackworth was the Reverend
Thomas BradleyThomas Bradley was a 17th century English divine.Thomas Bradley was born in 1596 or 1597, the son of Henry Bradley of Wokingham and his wife, Barbara daughter of Walter Lane of Reading. His grandfather, however, was a Yorkshireman. Bradley was educated at Exeter College, Oxford and was admitted to...
,
DDDoctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
(Oxon)The University of Oxford , located in the UK city of Oxford, is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back...
, who attended King Charles the Martyr at his execution.
The periphery of the town, the town centre and other places in the town have undergone extensive refurbishment and regeneration over the last five years. Some of the improvements were featured in a recent television series on
Channel 4Channel 4 is a UK public-service television broadcaster which began working on November 2, 1982. Although commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station owned now and operated by the Channel Four Television...
, called
Kevin McCloud And The Big Town Plan.
Castleford grew significantly in the 19th century, with collieries opening in
GlasshoughtonGlasshoughton is an area of Castleford in West Yorkshire, England, that borders on Pontefract. It is home to the Xscape indoor ski slope and leisure centre, the Junction 32 Outlet Shopping Village, a DIY superstore, a hotel, a pub and a number of fast food restaurants, which were built on the site...
, Whitwood and
MethleyMethley is a dispersed village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, south east of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is located near Rothwell, Oulton, Woodlesford, Mickletown and Allerton Bywater. It nestles in the triangle formed by Leeds, Castleford and Wakefield, and is between the...
, all of which closed in the 20th century. The opening of
Ferrybridge power stationFerrybridge Power Station refers to a series of three coal-fired power stations situated on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England. The first station on the site was constructed in the mid-1920s, and was closed as the second, B station was brought into operation in the 1950s. The A station has...
and
Kellingley CollieryKellingley Colliery is one of the newest of the few deep coal mines left in Britain today. It is about east of Knottingley in Yorkshire on the A645. Its siting was mainly influenced by the close proximity of road, rail and canal routes.-History:It employs about 800 people...
in neighbouring
KnottingleyKnottingley is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the A1 road. It has a population of 13,503....
have kept employment in the Castleford area, whilst the many warehouses and distribution centres in Glasshoughton continue to provide employment.
Castleford has frequently featured as the fictional town of "Denton" in ITV's
A Touch of FrostA Touch of Frost is a detective television series produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV in the United Kingdom.It stars David Jason as Detective Inspector William Edward Frost, GC, known as Jack to everyone but his late wife . He is experienced and dedicated to his work,as well as being extremely...
, starring
David JasonSir David John White, OBE, known by his stage name David Jason is an English actor. He first found fame on the popular sitcom Open All Hours as Granville, Ronnie Barker's corner shop delivery boy...
, often using local businesses and staff as extras.
Governance
Castleford was established as an
urban districtIn the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council.-England and Wales:In England...
, in administrative county of the
West Riding of YorkshireThe West Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
in 1894 under the
Local Government Act 1894The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...
, with an urban district council. Whitwood and
GlasshoughtonGlasshoughton is an area of Castleford in West Yorkshire, England, that borders on Pontefract. It is home to the Xscape indoor ski slope and leisure centre, the Junction 32 Outlet Shopping Village, a DIY superstore, a hotel, a pub and a number of fast food restaurants, which were built on the site...
were added to the district in the 1930s. The urban district was incorporated as a
municipal boroughMunicipal boroughs were a type of local government which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
in 1955. Following the
Local Government Act 1972The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
, the municipal borough was abolished on April 1, 1974, with its territory becoming an
unparished areaIn England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish. Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparished. In some cases, a largely rural district will have one or two unparished areas in it...
of the
City of WakefieldThe City of Wakefield is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. In addition to Wakefield, the district's administrative centre, the city covers a wider area which encompasses other towns. The "Five Towns" commonly grouped...
, a
metropolitan boroughA metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
in
West YorkshireWest Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
. The town is covered by three wards: Whitwood, Castleford Central and Glasshoughton, and
AiredaleAiredale is a geographic area in Yorkshire, England, corresponding to the river valley of the River Aire . The valley stretches from the river's origin in Malham which is in the Yorkshire Dales, down past Bradford, through Leeds and Wakefield and on to join the Humber.Several things have taken...
and
Ferry FrystonFerry Fryston is a suburb of the town of Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield....
.
The local MP is
Yvette CooperYvette Cooper is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Pontefract and Castleford since 1997 and was promoted to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 5 June 2009.-Early life:...
for
Pontefract and CastlefordPontefract and Castleford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
.
Geography
Economy
The town is home to
BurberryBurberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing and fashion accessories. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. The company has branded stores and franchises around the world, and also sells through concessions in...
, the clothing manufacturer and retailer. The company has two factories in the UK - the one in Castleford makes the firm's signature raincoats, including its Pink Leather Trench Coat, modelled by
Kate MossKatherine "Kate" Ann Moss is an English model. She has appeared on over 300 magazine covers. She is known for her waifish figure, uncommonly short height for a fashion model, and appearances in many advertising campaigns. She is also notorious for her high-profile relationships and party lifestyle...
.
NestléNestlé S.A. is a multinational packaged food company founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, and listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange with a turnover of over 87 billion Swiss francs...
has a factory on Wheldon Road, near the Castleford Tigers' ground, making popular sweets like
Toffee CrispThe Toffee Crisp bar is a well known chocolate snack which is produced by Nestlé in the United Kingdom. It consists of puffed rice embedded in soft toffee and shaped into a cylinder, the whole bar being covered by milk chocolate.- History :...
,
After EightAfter Eight Thin Mints are a confectionery product described as "mint enrobed in dark chocolate" and are intended, as the name suggests, to be used as after-dinner mints. They were created in 1962 by Rowntree & Company Limited...
as well as former favourites like Cabana, Texan, Novo, Montego and Nestlé Crunch bars (not the chocolate ones).
AllinsonAllinson is a brand of bread made by Allied Bakeries, and of flour, being owned by Associated British Foods-History:Dr Thomas Allinson was born in the Hulme district of Manchester in 1858. He trained as a doctor in Edinburgh, graduating in 1879. He founded the first Allinson mill in 1892 in Bethnal...
's Queen's Mill is the world's largest traditional stonegrinding
millA watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping...
, but is now part of the large Allied Mills company.
Some areas of Castleford are poor and run down. In part, this is because of the closure of the town and its surrounding area's
collieriesCoal mining is the extraction or removal of coal from the earth by mining. When coal is used for fuel in power generation it is referred to as steaming or thermal coal. Coal that is used to create coke for steel manufacturing is referred to as coking or metallurgical coal...
in the 1980s and 90s. Official male unemployment rates reached 20% in the mid-1980s. According to the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000, Castleford Ferry Fryston ward falls today within the top 5% of most deprived wards in England. According to the Child Poverty Index, over 45% of 0-16 year olds living in Castleford are living in families claiming means tested benefits.
Despite a decline in industries such as coal mining and textile manufacturing, significant economic and employment growth has occurred in recent years in service sectors, especially in the retail and distribution sectors. This includes the Junction 32 Outlet village (formerly known as Freeport) and
XscapeXscape buildings are large, strikingly designed and unusually shaped buildings. Typically they contain a real snow indoor ski slope, leisure facilities and related shops...
leisure complex, Europe's largest indoor real
snowSnow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by external pressure. Snowflakes...
slope, which has turned the periphery of the town in to one of the most popular destinations for UK snowboarders. Such developments have taken place because of the town's easy motorway accessibility and twenty-minute rail connection to the regional city of
LeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. The historic core at the heart of Leeds in 2001 had an estimated subdivision population of 443,247, whilst the entire city, that includes the urban and suburban areas incorporated into the city in 1974, had an estimated...
. Distribution companies include TK Maxx, HI Group Plc, Tibbett & Britten Ltd and Argos Distributors Ltd.
This is just one of many economic developments in the town, including new retail and residential development, an architect-designed library and art museum and a new bus/rail transport interchange planned to be completed by 2010.
Development is founded upon a strong sense of identity rooted in the town's heritage. For example, Castleford has one of the districts most historic parks - Queens Park on Ferrybridge Road - built to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. A resident Friends of the Park group have managed since 1998 to transform the fortunes of this park.
http://www.queenspark.btik.com
Castleford offers the nearest available shopping for residents of the new
Allerton Bywater Millennium Community, to the north of the town across the River Aire. This is a development of commercial and community space and over 500 homes, some of which have been built using innovative and modern off-site manufacturing techniques. Allerton Bywater is the second development in a Millennium Community programme, which started with
Greenwich Millennium VillageThe Greenwich Millennium Village is an innovative mixed-tenure modern housing estate on an urban village model in Greenwich in south-east London, and part of the Millennium Communities Programme under English Partnerships...
at
Greenwich PeninsulaThe Greenwich Peninsula is a tongue of land bounded on three sides by a loop of the Thames, between the Isle of Dogs and Silvertown. To the south is the rest of Greenwich, to the south-east is Charlton.The peninsula lies within the London Borough of Greenwich...
, London.
Education
The town is also home to Castleford High School Technology And Sport College; a secondary school for children aged 11–16.
Airedale High School is also situated in a suburb of Castleford. Now known as Airedale High School - The Arts College obtaining this status due to the high standards of performing arts. This is a secondary school for young people aged 11–16.
Castleford also has a College, Whitwood College is part of Wakefield College. A new site has been completed for the college in Glasshoughton and is now in use (April 2009).
Sport
Castleford's favourite sport is
rugby leagueRugby league football is a full-contact form of football, played with a prolate spheroid ball by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. Rugby league is one of the two codes of rugby football, the other being rugby union...
. The local team,
Castleford TigersCastleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas' 'Cas Tigers' or 'Classy Cas'...
, were
relegatedIn many sports leagues around the world , promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season in which teams are transferred between divisions...
from the UK's top division,
Super LeagueSuper League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition of Europe. As a result of sponsorship from Engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the Engage Super League...
, after
the 2006 seasonEngage Super League XI was the official name for the year 2006's Super League season in the sport of rugby league in Europe. Bradford Bulls were looking to retain the title they won in Super League X....
, but were promoted back for the 2008 season, after Grand Final victory over the
Widnes VikingsWidnes Vikings RLFC is a professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They play in the Co-Operative Championship, which is the second tier of European Rugby League...
. The Tigers play at
The JungleThe Jungle, formerly known as Wheldon Road, is a stadium in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England that is the home of the Castleford Tigers rugby league team...
.
The
Castleford TigersCastleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas' 'Cas Tigers' or 'Classy Cas'...
rugby league club play in the European
Super LeagueSuper League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition of Europe. As a result of sponsorship from Engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the Engage Super League...
. Castleford Tigers main rivals are
Leeds RhinosLeeds Rhinos, or informally Leeds or The Rhinos, are an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. They are the current European Super League champions. Leeds introduced the Rhinos nickname and logo in 1997...
,
Wakefield Trinity WildcatsWakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
and
Featherstone RoversFeatherstone Rovers are a professional rugby league club, based in Featherstone , West Yorkshire in England. To many people they are known as Fev or "The Colliers", highlighting the close link between the club and the local mining community...
.
From June 1979 to July 1980, Castleford had its own
SpeedwayMotorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway or flat track motorcycle racing , is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit...
racing team, The Kings, based at the Greyhound Stadium in Whitwood. The circuit was very short (just 202 yards) and the team never entered the league – only challenge matches were staged.
Daryl PeachDaryl Peach is a British professional pocket billiards player. Nicknamed "Razzledazzle" and "the Dazzler," he defeated the Philippines' Roberto Gomez in 2007 to become the first British male to win the WPA World Nine-ball Championship ....
, the reigning World Nine-Ball
PoolPool, also known as pocket billiards, is the general term for a family of games played on a pool table, with 6 receptacles called pockets along the rails, in which balls are deposited as the main goal of play...
Champion was born in Castleford and his parents still live in the town.
Glasshoughton Welfare play in the Northern Counties East League, Fryston Colliery Welfare used to be members of this league until they had to leave in 1991 due to ground grading problems. Back in the 1920s, Castleford Town played in the Midland League alongside clubs like Doncaster Rovers, Chesterfield, Scunthorpe United, Halifax Town, Leeds United (for 1919-20 season only), Lincoln City and Mansfield Town. This league also contained the reserve sides of Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley, Nottingham Forest, Grimsby Town and Hull City. In 1920, Castleford reached the 2nd round of the FA Cup, losing 2-3 at Bradford Park Avenue. Castleford played at Wheldon Road, when they shut down, the ground was taken over by the rugby league team.
Notable people
The
sculptorSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard and/or plastic material, sound, and/or text and or light, commonly stone , metal, glass, or wood. Some sculptures are created directly by finding or carving; others are assembled, built together and fired, welded, molded,...
Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
was born in Castleford, the son of a miner; some of his work can be seen at the
Yorkshire Sculpture ParkThe Yorkshire Sculpture Park is an open-air art organisation, showing work by UK and international artists, including notably Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.- Location :The park is located in West Bretton, Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England...
at
West BrettonWest Bretton is a village and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It lies from Wakefield, just off junction 38 of the M1 motorway. It has a population of 546....
.
Sir John Harman, former Chairman of the UK
Environment AgencyThe Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government.-Purpose:...
was born in the town.
In the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
series
Who Do You Think You Are?Who Do You Think You Are? is a British genealogy documentary series that has aired on the BBC since 2004. Made by Wall to Wall, in each episode, a celebrity goes on a journey to trace his or her family tree. Seven series have been broadcast, the most recent of which aired in July and August 2009...
it was revealed that the ancestors of writer and broadcaster
Jeremy ClarksonJeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster and journalist who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
lived in Castleford and ran a factory producing Kilner pottery.
Viz ComicViz is a popular British comic magazine which has been running since 1979.The comic's style parodies the strait-laced British comics of the post-war period, notably The Beano and The Dandy, but with incongruous language, crude toilet humour, black comedy, surreal humour and either sexual or violent...
of
NewcastleNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England...
has two contributors from Castleford - Andy Hepworth and Carl Hollingsworth. One of Viz comics main artists is Pontefract's Simon Thorp.
Novelist
Peter RobinsonDr. Peter Robinson is an English-born, Canadian-based crime writer.-Life and work:Born in Castleford, Yorkshire or Armley, Leeds, in 1950, he studied at the University of Leeds before emigrating to Canada in 1974. He obtained an MA from the University of Windsor and a PhD from York University in...
was born in Castleford
External links