Croft-on-Tees
Encyclopedia
Croft-on-Tees is a village and civil parish
in the Richmondshire
district of North Yorkshire
, England
. South of Darlington
, it stands on the opposite side of the River Tees
from Hurworth-on-Tees
and is situated on the A167
. The bridge over the Tees between Croft and Hurworth marks the boundary between North Yorkshire and County Durham
. The exact point of transition is the fourth of the seven arches .
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Richmondshire
Richmondshire
Richmondshire is a local government district of North Yorkshire, England. It covers a large northern area of the Yorkshire Dales including Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, Wensleydale and Coverdale, with the prominent Scots' Dyke and Scotch Corner along the centre. Teesdale lies to the north...
district of 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...
. South of Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, it stands on the opposite side of the River Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
from Hurworth-on-Tees
Hurworth-on-Tees
Hurworth-on-Tees is a village in the borough of Darlington, within the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated to the south of Darlington, next to the meeting point of the River Skerne and River Tees.-Amenities:...
and is situated on the A167
A167 road
The A167 is a road in North East England. Most of its route was formerly the A1 as most of it is the original route of the Great North Road until the A1 was re-routed with the opening of the A1 in the 1960s....
. The bridge over the Tees between Croft and Hurworth marks the boundary between North Yorkshire and County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
. The exact point of transition is the fourth of the seven arches .
Amenities
- The name Croft is well known to fans of motorsports for the nearby Croft CircuitCroft CircuitCroft Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near Dalton-on-Tees in North Yorkshire, England. The tarmac circuit is just over long and is based on the lands of an airfield, but has long since moved on from being a basic airfield circuit...
, which is built on the former aerodrome called RAF CroftRAF CroftRAF Croft, known locally as Croft Aerodrome or Neasham, opened in 1941 and served as a Second World War RAF Bomber Command station. In 1943, Croft became a sub-station of RAF Middleton St. George which was allocated to No. 6 Group, Royal Canadian Air Force . After the RCAF left in 1945, Croft saw...
.
- St Peter's Church is an ancient 14th century style building , situated on the banks of the Tees. Lewis CarrollLewis CarrollCharles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's father was Rector of Croft church and Archdeacon of Richmond from 1843-1868 . Historians believe Lewis Carroll's Cheshire CatCheshire CatThe Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll's depiction of it in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Known for his distinctive mischievous grin, the Cheshire Cat has had a notable impact on popular culture.-Origins:...
in the book Alice in Wonderland was inspired by a carving in Croft church.
- Croft is the place were Lewis CarrollLewis CarrollCharles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
(aka Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) wrote some of his books, it is also where his house is. Lewis was born on 27 January 1832.
- Near the Church is Croft Hotel, or "The Croft" as it has been renamed. It is a 20 room hotel with an adjoining 1920s themed restaurant called "Raffles".
- Croft was once served by Croft Spa railway stationCroft Spa railway stationCroft Spa railway station was located on the East Coast Main Line between Northallerton and Darlington in North Yorkshire, England. The station served the settlements of Croft-on-Tees and Hurworth-on-Tees....
on the East Coast Main LineEast Coast Main LineThe East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
. The railway still passes near Croft, but the station has long since closed.
- Croft was once famous for its spaSpa townA spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
, first noticed in 1668, and as early as 1713 the sulphurous spring water had acquired such fame that it was sold in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as a cure for ailments and diseases.
- Croft has a second hotel, Clow Beck House privately owned and sited in among local farmland, only 100 yards from the river Tees.