Castleford
Encyclopedia
Castleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough
of the City of Wakefield
, in West Yorkshire
, England
. It is near Pontefract
, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north the River Calder
joins the River Aire
and the Aire and Calder Navigation
canal. To the west and south is the M62 motorway
. The town is home to the rugby league Super League
team Castleford Tigers
.
Historically
a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire
, Castleford and its surroundings have provided archaeological evidence of Roman
activity.
settlement that was named Lagentium
or Legioleum. Funeral urn
s dating from the time of the Romans have been found there. The town's modern name is derived from the fort, Castle (referring to the fort) and Ford (a low crossing point through a river).
Queens Park in Castleford has two circles 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 would have offered a defensive view of the settlement.
Oliver Cromwell
(1597–1659), had an encampment in Ferrybridge
. It is reputed that his cannon faced towards Pontefract Castle
from the Redhill.
From 1630 until his deprivation during the Interregnum
, the Rector of Ackworth was the Reverend Thomas Bradley
, DD
(Oxon)
, who attended King Charles the I of England
at his execution.
The periphery, the town centre and other areas have undergone refurbishment and regeneration over the last five years. Some of the improvements were featured in a television series on Channel 4
, called Kevin McCloud And The Big Town Plan.
Castleford grew significantly in the 19th century, when collieries opened in Glasshoughton
, Whitwood, Methley
and Wheldale (1868–1987) all of which closed in the 20th century. The opening of Ferrybridge power station
and Kellingley Colliery
in Knottingley
have kept employment in the Castleford area, whilst the many warehouses and distribution centres in Glasshoughton are a further source of employment.
Castleford has featured as the fictional town of "Denton" in ITV's A Touch of Frost
, starring David Jason
, using local businesses and staff as extras.
Castleford was established as an urban district
, in administrative county of the West Riding of Yorkshire
in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894
, with an urban district council. Whitwood and Glasshoughton
were added to the district in the 1930s. The urban district was incorporated as a municipal borough
in 1955. Following the Local Government Act 1972
, the municipal borough was abolished on April 1, 1974, with its territory becoming an unparished area
of the City of Wakefield
, a metropolitan borough
in West Yorkshire
. The town is covered by three wards: Whitwood, Castleford Central and Glasshoughton, and Airedale
and Ferry Fryston
.
The local MP is Yvette Cooper
for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford
.
Castleford is considered to be a safe Labour seat.
The town is home to Burberry
, the clothing manufacturer and retailer. The company has two factories in the UK - the one in Castleford makes the firm's signature raincoats. Nestlé
has a factory on Wheldon Road making sweets such as Toffee Crisp
, After Eight
and Cabana, Texan, Novo, Montego and Nestlé Crunch bars (not the chocolate ones). Allinson
's Queen's Mill is the world's largest traditional stonegrinding mill
, since 2003 has been owned by ADM Milling Ltd. Both of these places as of 2011 have closed down and production moved elsewhere. In December 2011 Haribo, the sweet producer, applied for planning permission to build a factory and research laboratory on the site of the Pioneer building at Whitwood
Some areas of Castleford are poor and run down. In part, this is because of the closure of the collieries
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 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 Xscape
leisure complex, Europe's largest indoor real snow
slope, which has turned the periphery of the town in to one of the most popular destinations for UK skiing
and snowboarding
. Such developments have taken place because of the town's motorway accessibility and rail connection to Leeds
. Distribution companies include TK Maxx, HI Group Plc, DHL 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. Note this has been cancelled due to government cutbacks
Development is founded on a strong sense of identity rooted in the town's heritage. Castleford has one of the district's most historic parks - Queens Park on Ferrybridge Road - built to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. A Friends of the Park group has managed it since 1998 and transformed 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 Village
at Greenwich Peninsula
, London.
Castleford offers a range of shopping outlets such as Carlton Lanes Shopping Centre and a small Retail Park. Supermarkets include Morrisons (formerly Netto), Co-Operative and various freezer Shops. Castleford has a 24 hour Asda which is situated close to the Xscape complex in the suburb of Glasshoughton. There is a 24 hour self service petrol station based at Asda.
There are now various restaurants available in Castleford from Chinese Cuisine
& Indian cuisine
to traditional English pub food.
The town centre night life
has decline
d in recent years with the opening of the new Xscape complex.There are still plenty of pubs open in the town centre however. Examples being the Picture House, The Carlton, Glassblower and Mansion nightclub.
Airedale Academy
(previously Airedale High School - The Arts College) is also situated in Airedale, Castleford. This is a secondary school for young people aged 11–16.
Castleford also has a College, Whitwood Centre is part of Wakefield College. A new site has been completed for the college in Glasshoughton and is now in use (April 2009). The old college was demolished in 2009 to make way for new housing.
Castleford is a rugby league
town. The local team, Castleford Tigers
, were relegated
from the UK's top division, Super League
, after the 2006 season
, but were promoted back for the 2008 season, after Grand Final victory over the Widnes Vikings
and are now established in the sports top flight. The Tigers play at The Jungle
which was renamed the Probiz Coliseum in December 2010 due to sponsorship.
The Castleford Tigers
rugby league club play in the European Super League
. Castleford Tigers main rivals are Featherstone Rovers
, Leeds Rhinos
and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
. Castleford Tigers
are set to move to a brand new stadium at Glasshoughton in 2013.
Rugby league in the town was originally represented by Castleford
, who were unrelated to Castleford RUFC who did not participate in The schism in English rugby and still exist, nor were they predecessors of the current Castleford Tigers who were founded in 1926. The original Castleford rugby league club played in the Northern Union (Rugby Football League)
from 1896–97 to 1905–06, and it had one player named J. Cole who won a cap for England
in 1906 against Other Nationalities
.
From June 1979 to July 1980, Castleford had its own Speedway
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 Peach
, the reigning World Nine-Ball Pool
Champion was born in Castleford.
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.
Castleford also has two other lower league rugby league teams, Lock Lane ARLFC and Castleford Panthers (based at Raglan Close).
Henry Moore
was born in Castleford, the son of a miner. He attended [Half-Acres Junior and Infants school] before later attending Castleford High School some of his work can be seen at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park
at West Bretton
.
Sir John Harman, former Chairman of the UK Environment Agency
was born in the town.
In the BBC
series Who Do You Think You Are? it was revealed that the ancestors of writer and broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson
lived in Castleford and ran a factory producing Kilner pottery.
Viz Comic
of Newcastle
has two contributors from Castleford - Andy Hepworth and Carl Hollingsworth. One of Viz comics main artists is Pontefract's Simon Thorp.
Novelist Peter Robinson
was born in Castleford
Writer and creator of Bill & Ben the flower pot men, Hilda Wright, was born and lived in Castleford.
Author Valerie Wood, was born and raised in Castleford until the age of 13.
Pools winner Viv Nicholson
, remembered for her "spend, spend, spend" assertion was born and still lives in the Castleford area. Her life story was published in book form, before being turned into musical
which had a run in London's West End. Nicholson also appeared on the cover of Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
by The Smiths
pop group.
World famous composer, poet and actor Richard Stoker
, is from the Castleford area. Stoker was Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music
, and also for the editor of Composer magazine for 11 years. He has also published several books of poems and short stories, as well as a children's novel.
Metropolitan borough
A 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 Wakefield
City of Wakefield
The City of Wakefield is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. Wakefield is the district's administrative centre. The district includes the "Five Towns" of Normanton, Pontefract, Featherstone, Castleford and Knottingley. Other...
, in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West 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....
, 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 near Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, 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, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north the River Calder
River Calder, West Yorkshire
The 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 Aire
River Aire
The 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 Navigation
Aire and Calder Navigation
The 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. The first improvements to the rivers above Knottingley were completed in 1704 when the Aire was made navigable to Leeds and the Calder to...
canal. To the west and south is the M62 motorway
M62 motorway
The 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...
. The town is home to the rugby league Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
team Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers
Castleford 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', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
.
Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is 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 Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
activity.
History
Castleford is built on the site of a Roman armyRoman army
The Roman army is the generic term for the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the kingdom of Rome , the Roman Republic , the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine empire...
settlement that was named Lagentium
Lagentium
Lagentium or Legiolum was the Roman name for the fort and surrounding civilian settlement 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 urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, 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 town's modern name is derived from the fort, Castle (referring to the fort) and Ford (a low crossing point through a river).
Queens Park in Castleford has two circles 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 would have offered a defensive view of the settlement.
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
(1597–1659), had an encampment in Ferrybridge
Ferrybridge
Ferrybridge is a village in West Yorkshire, England at a historically important crossing of the River Aire. It is linked to other communities by the A1, which follows the route of the Great North Road....
. It is reputed that his cannon faced towards Pontefract Castle
Pontefract Castle
Pontefract Castle is a castle in the town of Pontefract, in the City of Wakefield, 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 Redhill.
From 1630 until his deprivation during the Interregnum
English Interregnum
The English Interregnum was the period of parliamentary and military rule by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the Commonwealth of England after the English Civil War...
, the Rector of Ackworth was the Reverend Thomas Bradley
Thomas Bradley (priest)
Thomas Bradley was born in 1596 or 1597, the son of Henry Bradley of Wokingham in Berkshire and his wife, Barbara daughter of Walter Lane of Reading in the same county. He was educated at Exeter College, Oxford and was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Divinity...
, DD
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor 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)
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, who attended King Charles the I of England
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
at his execution.
The periphery, the town centre and other areas have undergone refurbishment and regeneration over the last five years. Some of the improvements were featured in a television series on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, called Kevin McCloud And The Big Town Plan.
Castleford grew significantly in the 19th century, when collieries opened in Glasshoughton
Glasshoughton
Glasshoughton 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, Methley
Methley
Methley 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...
and Wheldale (1868–1987) all of which closed in the 20th century. The opening of Ferrybridge power station
Ferrybridge power station
The Ferrybridge power stations 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, Ferrybridge A power station, was constructed in the mid-1920s, and was closed as the second station, Ferrybridge B power...
and Kellingley Colliery
Kellingley Colliery
Kellingley Colliery is one of the newest of the few deep coal mines left in Britain today. It is situated at Beal in North Yorkshire, about east of Knottingley in West Yorkshire, on the A645, although the postal address is Knottingley, West Yorkshire, and east of Ferrybridge power station. The...
in Knottingley
Knottingley
Knottingley 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 are a further source of employment.
Castleford has featured as the fictional town of "Denton" in ITV's A Touch of Frost
A Touch of Frost (TV series)
A Touch of Frost is a television detective series produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV from 1992 until 2010, initially based on the Frost novels by R. D. Wingfield....
, starring David Jason
David Jason
Sir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack...
, using local businesses and staff as extras.
Governance
Urban district
In the England, Wales and 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....
, in administrative county of the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is 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 1894
Local Government Act 1894
The 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 Glasshoughton
Glasshoughton
Glasshoughton 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 borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district 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 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The 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 area
Unparished area
In 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. Many towns and some cities in otherwise rural districts are also unparished areas and therefore no longer have a town council or city...
of the City of Wakefield
City of Wakefield
The City of Wakefield is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. Wakefield is the district's administrative centre. The district includes the "Five Towns" of Normanton, Pontefract, Featherstone, Castleford and Knottingley. Other...
, a metropolitan borough
Metropolitan borough
A 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 Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West 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 Airedale
Airedale, Castleford
Airedale is a suburb in the town of Castleford, West Yorkshire, England. It consists mainly of Local Authority Housing. It borders with Ferry Fryston. The river Aire runs in close proximity to Airedale and is thought to get its name from there....
and Ferry Fryston
Ferry Fryston
Ferry 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 Cooper
Yvette Cooper
Yvette Cooper is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford since 2010, having previously been MP for Pontefract and Castleford since 1997. She served in the Cabinet between 2008 and 2010. She is the Shadow Home Secretary...
for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford
Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford (UK Parliament constituency)
Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford is a county 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:...
.
Castleford is considered to be a safe Labour seat.
Geography
Economy
Burberry
Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing, fragrance, and fashion accessories. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. Burberry is most famous for its iconic trench coat, which was invented by founder Thomas Burberry...
, the clothing manufacturer and retailer. The company has two factories in the UK - the one in Castleford makes the firm's signature raincoats. Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
has a factory on Wheldon Road making sweets such as Toffee Crisp
Toffee Crisp
The Toffee Crisp bar is a well known chocolate bar which is produced by Nestlé in the United Kingdom. It consists of puffed rice embedded in soft toffee and shaped into a rectangular cuboid, the whole bar being covered by milk chocolate.- History :...
, After Eight
After Eight
After 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...
and Cabana, Texan, Novo, Montego and Nestlé Crunch bars (not the chocolate ones). Allinson
Allinson
Allinson is a brand of bread and of flour made by Allied Bakeries 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 mill
Watermill
A 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 .- History :...
, since 2003 has been owned by ADM Milling Ltd. Both of these places as of 2011 have closed down and production moved elsewhere. In December 2011 Haribo, the sweet producer, applied for planning permission to build a factory and research laboratory on the site of the Pioneer building at Whitwood
Some areas of Castleford are poor and run down. In part, this is because of the closure of the collieries
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
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 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 Xscape
Xscape (building)
Xscape 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 snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere 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...
slope, which has turned the periphery of the town in to one of the most popular destinations for UK skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
and snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
. Such developments have taken place because of the town's motorway accessibility and rail connection to Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. Distribution companies include TK Maxx, HI Group Plc, DHL and Argos Distributors Ltd.
Development is founded on a strong sense of identity rooted in the town's heritage. Castleford has one of the district's most historic parks - Queens Park on Ferrybridge Road - built to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. A Friends of the Park group has managed it since 1998 and transformed 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 Village
Greenwich Millennium Village
The Greenwich Millennium Village is an innovative mixed-tenure modern housing estate on an urban village model located on the Greenwich Peninsula in Greenwich in south-east London, and part of the Millennium Communities Programme under English Partnerships...
at Greenwich Peninsula
Greenwich Peninsula
Greenwich Peninsula is an area of South London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.The peninsula is 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...
, London.
Castleford offers a range of shopping outlets such as Carlton Lanes Shopping Centre and a small Retail Park. Supermarkets include Morrisons (formerly Netto), Co-Operative and various freezer Shops. Castleford has a 24 hour Asda which is situated close to the Xscape complex in the suburb of Glasshoughton. There is a 24 hour self service petrol station based at Asda.
There are now various restaurants available in Castleford from Chinese Cuisine
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
& Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...
to traditional English pub food.
The town centre night life
Night Life
Night Life was a 1982 erotic graphic adventure game by Kōei, released for the PC-8801 computer.-Summary:It was the first commercial erotic computer game, featuring sexually explicit images, and a precursor to the modern bishōjo game genre. It was released in April 1982. Night Life was marketed as...
has decline
Decline
Decline is a change over time from previously efficient to inefficient organizational functioning, from previously rational to non-rational organizational and individual decision-making, from previously law-abiding to law violating organizational and individual behavior, from previously virtuous to...
d in recent years with the opening of the new Xscape complex.There are still plenty of pubs open in the town centre however. Examples being the Picture House, The Carlton, Glassblower and Mansion nightclub.
Education
The town is also home to Castleford Academy; a secondary school for children aged 11–16.Airedale Academy
Airedale High School
Airedale Academy is a secondary school on Crewe Road in a suburb of Castleford in West Yorkshire, England.-Admissions:It teaches children from 11–16...
(previously Airedale High School - The Arts College) is also situated in Airedale, Castleford. This is a secondary school for young people aged 11–16.
Castleford also has a College, Whitwood Centre is part of Wakefield College. A new site has been completed for the college in Glasshoughton and is now in use (April 2009). The old college was demolished in 2009 to make way for new housing.
Sport
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
town. The local team, Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers
Castleford 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', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
, were relegated
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
from the UK's top division, Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
, after the 2006 season
Super League XI
Engage 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 Vikings
Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
and are now established in the sports top flight. The Tigers play at The Jungle
The Jungle (Wheldon Road)
The Jungle is the former name of Wheldon Road, a stadium in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England. This is the home of the Castleford Tigers rugby league team....
which was renamed the Probiz Coliseum in December 2010 due to sponsorship.
The Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers
Castleford 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', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
rugby league club play in the European Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
. Castleford Tigers main rivals are Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers are a semi-professional rugby league club, based in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England. They currently play in the Championship. The Rovers are one of the last vestiges of "small town teams" that were once common in rugby league during the early twentieth century...
, Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield 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...
. Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers
Castleford 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', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
are set to move to a brand new stadium at Glasshoughton in 2013.
Rugby league in the town was originally represented by Castleford
Castleford RFC (1896)
Castleford RFC was a professional rugby league club.The club was based in Castleford , a large town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England...
, who were unrelated to Castleford RUFC who did not participate in The schism in English rugby and still exist, nor were they predecessors of the current Castleford Tigers who were founded in 1926. The original Castleford rugby league club played in the Northern Union (Rugby Football League)
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
from 1896–97 to 1905–06, and it had one player named J. Cole who won a cap for England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
in 1906 against Other Nationalities
Other Nationalities rugby league team
The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players...
.
From June 1979 to July 1980, Castleford had its own Speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
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 Peach
Daryl Peach
Daryl Peach is an English professional pocket billiards player. Nicknamed "Razzledazzle" and "the Dazzler," he defeated the Philippines' Roberto Gomez in 2007 to become the first English male to win the WPA World Nine-ball Championship...
, the reigning World Nine-Ball Pool
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
Champion was born in Castleford.
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.
Castleford also has two other lower league rugby league teams, Lock Lane ARLFC and Castleford Panthers (based at Raglan Close).
Notable people
The sculptorSculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
Henry Moore
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
was born in Castleford, the son of a miner. He attended [Half-Acres Junior and Infants school] before later attending Castleford High School some of his work can be seen at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
The Yorkshire Sculpture Park in West Bretton, Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England is an open-air gallery showing work by UK and international artists, including Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth...
at West Bretton
West Bretton
West Bretton is a village and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It lies from Wakefield, close to junction 38 of the M1 motorway. It has a population of 546....
.
Sir John Harman, former Chairman of the UK Environment Agency
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
was born in the town.
In the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series Who Do You Think You Are? it was revealed that the ancestors of writer and broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer 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 Comic
Viz (comic)
Viz is a popular British comic magazine which has been running since 1979.The comic's style parodies 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 storylines...
of Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
has two contributors from Castleford - Andy Hepworth and Carl Hollingsworth. One of Viz comics main artists is Pontefract's Simon Thorp.
Novelist Peter Robinson
Peter Robinson (novelist)
Dr. Peter Robinson is an English crime writer, based in Canada. He is best known for his crime novels set in Yorkshire featuring Inspector Alan Banks...
was born in Castleford
Writer and creator of Bill & Ben the flower pot men, Hilda Wright, was born and lived in Castleford.
Author Valerie Wood, was born and raised in Castleford until the age of 13.
Pools winner Viv Nicholson
Viv Nicholson
Vivian Nicholson became publicly known overnight within Great Britain in 1961 when she received £152,319 in a football-pools win and announced to the press that she was going to "spend, spend, spend"...
, remembered for her "spend, spend, spend" assertion was born and still lives in the Castleford area. Her life story was published in book form, before being turned into musical
Spend Spend Spend
Spend Spend Spend is a musical with a book and lyrics by Steve Brown and Justin Greene and music by Brown.In 1961, Yorkshire housewife Viv Nicholson won £152,319 in the football pools. When a reporter asked her what she planned to do with her new fortune, she replied, "I'm going to spend, spend,...
which had a run in London's West End. Nicholson also appeared on the cover of Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" is a single by The Smiths that reached #10 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1984 before its inclusion on the compilation album, Hatful of Hollow...
by The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
pop group.
World famous composer, poet and actor Richard Stoker
Richard Stoker
Richard Stoker is a British composer and writer.He started playing the piano at six; at seven he was composing. After initial encouragement from Arthur Benjamin and Benjamin Britten, he studied under Lennox Berkeley at the Royal Academy of Music. After winning the Mendelssohn Scholarship in 1962,...
, is from the Castleford area. Stoker was Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, and also for the editor of Composer magazine for 11 years. He has also published several books of poems and short stories, as well as a children's novel.
External links
- Kevin McCloud And The Big Town Plan
- Castleford Squadron Air Training Corps (2388 Sqn) Air Cadets
- Castleford web pages — news, tour the town, famous people, etc.
- Castleford — My Home Town
- The Castleford Network — a free social network
- Defunct Speedway Tracks – Castleford
- - Castleford Tigers website
- - Xscape website
- Unity Productions
- - Wakefield MDC, Wheldale pit