Layerthorpe
Encyclopedia
Layerthorpe is a former village and latterly industrial district to the north-east of the centre of the city of York
, North Yorkshire
, England
. It is just outside the city walls of York
.
suggested in his Eboracum (1736) that the first part of the name referred to a resting-place (or "lair") used by deer
on the edge of the Forest of Galtres
. The second part ("thorpe"
) is a placename suffix used within the Danelaw
for small settlements adjacent to larger ones. The earliest known reference (in a charter of 1184-9) calls the village "Leirthorp".
created a dam
in the River Foss
in 1069 in order to create a moat
around York Castle
, the river flooded in the Layerthorpe area, forming a large lake that would become known as the "King's Pool" (or "King's Fishpool"). The King's Pool became an integral part of the city's defences during the Middle Ages - this explains the absence of defensive wall in the area today - and was well-known for its abundance of fish.
The fourteenth-century Layerthorpe Bridge, a crossing of the Foss, adjacent to the King's Pool, was once attached to a postern
in the city wall, known as Layerthorpe Postern. In 1829, the bridge was rebuilt, and the Postern and a short section of wall were demolished. In 1926, the bridge was widened again, and in the 1990s it was completely rebuilt on a different alignment.
Layerthorpe bridge led to the village of Layerthorpe on the road, now called Layerthorpe, which runs from York to the suburb of Heworth
. There was a medieval church (St. Mary's, Layerthorpe), which was built about fifty yards from the bridge in the fourteenth century or earlier. The church was closed in 1549, and the parish was united with that of St. Cuthbert's, Peasholme Green, in 1586. The church has disappeared, although its foundations were temporarily uncovered in 1920.
Meanwhile, the King's Pool declined, as silt from upriver collected and there was not enough water coming down to move it on. In the eighteenth century, the waters were so low that marshy islands had begun to appear, giving the area the additional name of Foss Islands, and during the summer months the river smelled foul and was mostly dry and stagnant. At the end of the eighteenth century, the Foss was canalised and the Pool disappeared. In 1854, the area was drained and Foss Islands Road (now part of the York Inner Ring Road) was constructed between Layerthorpe Bridge and Walmgate Bar.
In 1824, the York Gas Light Company began production on a site between Layerthorpe and Monkgate. This was expanded in 1885, and a siding from the Foss Islands Branch Line was constructed to serve it. The Branch Line had been opened in 1880 to serve the cattle-market at Walmgate Bar and to provide facilities for freight traffic, including deliveries of coal and, later, sand for bottle-making, on the eastern side of the city.
On Foss Islands Road, just south of Layerthorpe Bridge, York Corporation built a power station and refuse destructor in the 1890s, again with sidings off the Branch Line.
York (Layerthorpe) railway station
, the northern terminus of the Derwent Valley Light Railway
(DVLR) which connected with the Foss Islands Branch, opened in 1913. It was located on Hallfield Road.
. The Branch Line's sidings and the Corporation's premises have been replaced by a variety of industrial and retail units, although the refuse destructor's octagonal chimney (a Grade II listed building, approximately 55 metres high) has been preserved next to Morrisons
supermarket on Foss Islands Road. No trace of the railway station remains, and Hallfield Road, a through-route to the A1079
since 2007, contains much recent housing. New buildings are also beginning to appear on the gasworks
site.
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England
England
England 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, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is just outside the city walls of York
York city walls
The English city of York has, since Roman times, been defended by walls of one form or another. To this day, substantial portions of the walls remain, and York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England...
.
Origin of the name
York historian Francis DrakeFrancis Drake (antiquary)
Francis Drake was an English antiquary and surgeon, best known as the author of an influential history of York, which he entitled Eboracum after the Roman name for the city.- Early life :...
suggested in his Eboracum (1736) that the first part of the name referred to a resting-place (or "lair") used by deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
on the edge of the Forest of Galtres
Forest of Galtres
The royal Forest of Galtres was established by the Norman kings of England in North Yorkshire, to the north of the county town of York, extending right to its very walls.. The main settlement within the royal forest was the market village of Easingwold, but in 1316 the forest comprised 60 villages...
. The second part ("thorpe"
Thorp
Thorp is a Middle English word for a hamlet or small village, from Old English /Old Norse þorp . There are many place names in England with the suffix "-thorp" or "-thorpe". Most are in East Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk but some are in Surrey.Old English þorp is cognate...
) is a placename suffix used within the Danelaw
Danelaw
The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
for small settlements adjacent to larger ones. The earliest known reference (in a charter of 1184-9) calls the village "Leirthorp".
History
After William the ConquerorWilliam I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
created a dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
in the River Foss
River Foss
The River Foss is an improved river in North Yorkshire, England, and a tributary of the River Ouse. It rises in the Foss Crooks woods near Oulston reservoir close to the village of Yearsley and runs south through the Vale of York to the Ouse...
in 1069 in order to create a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
around York Castle
York Castle
York Castle in the city of York, England, is a fortified complex comprising, over the last nine centuries, a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruinous keep of the medieval Norman castle is sometimes referred to as Clifford's...
, the river flooded in the Layerthorpe area, forming a large lake that would become known as the "King's Pool" (or "King's Fishpool"). The King's Pool became an integral part of the city's defences during the Middle Ages - this explains the absence of defensive wall in the area today - and was well-known for its abundance of fish.
The fourteenth-century Layerthorpe Bridge, a crossing of the Foss, adjacent to the King's Pool, was once attached to a postern
Postern
A postern is a secondary door or gate, particularly in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location, allowing the occupants to come and go inconspicuously. In the event of a siege, a postern could act as a sally port, allowing...
in the city wall, known as Layerthorpe Postern. In 1829, the bridge was rebuilt, and the Postern and a short section of wall were demolished. In 1926, the bridge was widened again, and in the 1990s it was completely rebuilt on a different alignment.
Layerthorpe bridge led to the village of Layerthorpe on the road, now called Layerthorpe, which runs from York to the suburb of Heworth
Heworth, York
Heworth is part of the city of York in North Yorkshire, England, about north-east of the centre. It is sometimes referred to as Heworth Village...
. There was a medieval church (St. Mary's, Layerthorpe), which was built about fifty yards from the bridge in the fourteenth century or earlier. The church was closed in 1549, and the parish was united with that of St. Cuthbert's, Peasholme Green, in 1586. The church has disappeared, although its foundations were temporarily uncovered in 1920.
Meanwhile, the King's Pool declined, as silt from upriver collected and there was not enough water coming down to move it on. In the eighteenth century, the waters were so low that marshy islands had begun to appear, giving the area the additional name of Foss Islands, and during the summer months the river smelled foul and was mostly dry and stagnant. At the end of the eighteenth century, the Foss was canalised and the Pool disappeared. In 1854, the area was drained and Foss Islands Road (now part of the York Inner Ring Road) was constructed between Layerthorpe Bridge and Walmgate Bar.
In 1824, the York Gas Light Company began production on a site between Layerthorpe and Monkgate. This was expanded in 1885, and a siding from the Foss Islands Branch Line was constructed to serve it. The Branch Line had been opened in 1880 to serve the cattle-market at Walmgate Bar and to provide facilities for freight traffic, including deliveries of coal and, later, sand for bottle-making, on the eastern side of the city.
On Foss Islands Road, just south of Layerthorpe Bridge, York Corporation built a power station and refuse destructor in the 1890s, again with sidings off the Branch Line.
York (Layerthorpe) railway station
York (Layerthorpe) railway station
York railway station was a railway station in the Layerthorpe area of the city of York, North Yorkshire, England.Opened on 19 July 1913 it served as the northern terminus of the Derwent Valley Light Railway, where the line connected to the existing Foss Islands Branch Line and thence to the North...
, the northern terminus of the Derwent Valley Light Railway
Derwent Valley Light Railway
The Derwent Valley Light Railway was a privately-owned standard-gauge railway running from Layerthorpe on the outskirts of York to Cliffe Common near Selby in North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1913, and closed in sections between 1965 and 1981...
(DVLR) which connected with the Foss Islands Branch, opened in 1913. It was located on Hallfield Road.
Layerthorpe today
All the railway lines in the Layerthorpe area had been closed by 1989, and the route of the DVLR and part of the Branch Line is now a footpath and cycle-pathSegregated cycle facilities
Segregated cycle facilities are marked lanes, tracks, shoulders and paths designated for use by cyclists from which motorised traffic is generally excluded...
. The Branch Line's sidings and the Corporation's premises have been replaced by a variety of industrial and retail units, although the refuse destructor's octagonal chimney (a Grade II listed building, approximately 55 metres high) has been preserved next to Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
supermarket on Foss Islands Road. No trace of the railway station remains, and Hallfield Road, a through-route to the A1079
A1079 road
The A1079 is a major road in northern England. It links the cities of York and Kingston upon Hull, both in Yorkshire.-Route:The road begins in central York, heading east initially as Lawrence Street and then Hull Road. After it meets the A64 at a grade separated roundabout and gains primary status...
since 2007, contains much recent housing. New buildings are also beginning to appear on the gasworks
Gasworks
A gasworks or gas house is a factory for the manufacture of gas. The use of natural gas has made many redundant in the developed world, however they are often still used for storage.- Early gasworks :...
site.