Crofton, West Yorkshire
Encyclopedia
Crofton is a village near Wakefield
in West Yorkshire
, England
. It is located roughly 4 miles (6 km) to the south east of the city and is roughly 6 miles (10 km) to the west of the town of Pontefract
and 4 miles (6 km) from the town of Featherstone
.
as Scroftune. The village has one church: the Anglican church was built around 1430. A Roman Catholic church built in the 1920s closed in 2008. Crofton New Hall was built in the 1750s for the Wilsons who lived in the village until 1935 when the Colonel sold the manor house and the estate and moved away from the village. During World War 2, the hall was used by the army, later the Coal Board, then became Brown's Tutorial School, closed in 1980 to be demolished. Shortly afterwards, a new housing estate built there. Some of the Wilson family are buried in a large mausoleum in the cemetery.
Crofton was predominantly a farming community, but the mining of coal became important in the 19th century and continued until the 1980s. There were three coal mines within a two-mile radius of the village, these mines being Nostell, Walton and Sharlston. By the early 1900s, Lord St Oswald had built houses at New Crofton, known locally as both Cribbens and Scribbens Lump, for the workers of Nostell Mine. This area was populated until the 1980s when they were demolished along with the mines. 'The Lump' also had a mission hall, a local shop and a fish and chip shop, the fish and chip shop in question was known locally as "The Leaning Chippy" due to the subsidence from the local mines at Nostell. In the 1970s, there were twp shops near the lump, "Alf's" which was a corner shop located where the Slipper public house is today and the other shop, also the local car garage "Mrs Moony's". There is also an old, disused well from which villagers used to get their water supplies many years ago: the well is still there but has since been filled in due to it being a hazard for local children.
The houses from 'The Lump' as it was known were demolished due to severe subsidence from the mine at nostell, it was simply cheaper to demolish the houses and rebuild rather than to repair the damage the subsidence had caused. Once it was demolished, the area was a wasteland for many years, but the old cobble streets and roads were still visible and eventually the land was sold and a new housing estate was built on it. Most of the old subsidence would have stopped by now with many of the old mines being collapsed and filled in years ago but some still remain and will affect the surrounding areas for years to come.
When the miners at Nostell pit were clearing new coal seams, one day they came across what was described as an underground church which the monks from Nostell Priory had built years ago, this church was complete with tunnels which the monks used to use for transporting coal to the monastery. The church had wooden doors and seating inside, exactly why they built it there underground and for what reason may never be known. The entrance and tunnel was eventually sealed but the church should still be there today unless it has caved in, Local miner and Nostell safety man Leslie Simpson Snr and a fellow miner carved their names into the wood of the church door just before the tunnel was sealed. One theory is that the monks built the underground church to pray and worship in private, the monastery which was built on Nostell Priory got dissolved by Henry VIII in 1540 and could possibly explain the existence of the underground church.
housing captured Italian soldiers. The house then passed was then bought by the Abbott family who allowed the house to fall into disrepair. Rumours of hauntings and paranormal activity surfaced regarding the mansion. In 2004 the house suffered a horrific blaze, which led to the mansion being demolished.
Many schoolchildren and also adults have reported seeing a white figure stood at the back window and locally known as the "Grey Lady" over the years there were rumours around suicides and hangings surround the castle and the immediate area but most were simply not true or has become blown out of all proportion. Since the castle has been demolished, a new housing estate has been built on its land, but the developers were mindful of the stories behind the castle and as such they planned the new housing estate so no houses stood directly in the same space/area as the castle. If you visit the area today, there is a road now where the castle once stood. This has not stopped the legend of the grey lady and numerous reports of strange phenomenon or events are still reported in the new housing estate today.
and Wakefield
to work. The village has two post offices, one in New Crofton and one on the main high street, 2 fish and chip shops - one in New Crofton, mini supermarkets and a carpet store . The village also boasts 9 pubs: the Crofton Arms & the Cock and Crown both on the A638 road
, the Weavers Green, The Royal Oak, The Lord of the Manor, The Slipper, Ralphie's Bar, The Working Men's Club, and the Crofton Community Centre formerly known as the Nostell Miners Welfare. The Crofton Arms has been closed down for a short period of time.
Crofton made national tabloid headlines when the famous motel in the village 'The Redbeck,' stayed open for 21 years without ever closing, working its way through renovations, leaks and power cuts. The redbeck is a diner and a popular long haul truck stop on the outskirts of Crofton located on the A638.
The main supermarket in Crofton is now the Sainsbury's mini store located on the High Street, and other shops on High Street include Lloyd's Pharmacy, The Post Office, a deli, fish and chip, and carpet shop.
Crofton has had quite a makeover in the last few years, mainly the old Nostell pit and surrounding area has been transformed into a nature park with a small pond and very good walking areas which many locals use. The walk comprises around 3–4 miles of ash path from start to finish with some being concreted (remnants of the old opencast mining area). If you feel adventurous you can follow on the path right to the pennine trail and through Walton forest, this is a very good bike track and is used every day. Local residents need to take care on this path this year, the tick population has exploded and farmers are finding it hard to control the pests on their cattle. Dog walkers are especially vulnerable.
Crofton Cricket team play at The Sidings Playing Fields as well as Crofton Juniors AFC and Crofton Sports FC who have 2 teams playing in the Wakefield Saturday League and are based at the Weavers Green pub.
Nostell Miners Welfare F.C.
also play at the community centre facilities and are currently in the Northern Counties Premier division.
In 1808 Miss Richmal Mangnall
bought Crofton Hall School for Young Ladies, which at least one of the Brontë sisters is thought to have attended.
that runs between Wakefield
and Doncaster
and serves as the village's lifeline. There are several bus routes that run from Crofton:
before it was demolished. The station was located on the Great North Eastern Railway
and on the Wakefield Line
. The sidings were also used as part of the Dearne Valley Line
. There has been much speculation as to whether a new train station should be built on this site, which would serve trains to Leeds
, Wakefield
, Sheffield
and Doncaster
, but the council has stated that a train station cannot be built for fear of it not being used enough, although many citizens of the village would like to see a train station on Hare Park Lane.
A smaller station at Crofton was located next to Doncaster road, on the current Pontefract Line, behind the Crofton Arms Public House. The station was demolished too, in the 1960s, yet the remains of the old station house in its current derelict form can be seen from the A638, or on passing trains from Wakefield Kirkgate railway station
towards Pontefract
.
, and offers services to European and Asian destinations such as Paris
, Milan
, Rome
, Alicante
, Tenerife
, Larnaca
and Islamabad
. Crofton is also the same distance from Doncaster Airport, at Finningley in Doncaster. That airport has destinations to smaller European Destinations. The nearest International Airport with major destinations is Manchester Airport, which is 69 miles from the village. Manchester has flights as far as Dubai
, New York
, Orlando
, Singapore
and Vancouver
to name a few.
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
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 located roughly 4 miles (6 km) to the south east of the city and is roughly 6 miles (10 km) to the west of the town of 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 4 miles (6 km) from the town of Featherstone
Featherstone
Featherstone is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It lies south-west of Pontefract and has a population of 14,175.Featherstone railway station is on the Pontefract Line.-History:...
.
History
Crofton is listed in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Scroftune. The village has one church: the Anglican church was built around 1430. A Roman Catholic church built in the 1920s closed in 2008. Crofton New Hall was built in the 1750s for the Wilsons who lived in the village until 1935 when the Colonel sold the manor house and the estate and moved away from the village. During World War 2, the hall was used by the army, later the Coal Board, then became Brown's Tutorial School, closed in 1980 to be demolished. Shortly afterwards, a new housing estate built there. Some of the Wilson family are buried in a large mausoleum in the cemetery.
Crofton was predominantly a farming community, but the mining of coal became important in the 19th century and continued until the 1980s. There were three coal mines within a two-mile radius of the village, these mines being Nostell, Walton and Sharlston. By the early 1900s, Lord St Oswald had built houses at New Crofton, known locally as both Cribbens and Scribbens Lump, for the workers of Nostell Mine. This area was populated until the 1980s when they were demolished along with the mines. 'The Lump' also had a mission hall, a local shop and a fish and chip shop, the fish and chip shop in question was known locally as "The Leaning Chippy" due to the subsidence from the local mines at Nostell. In the 1970s, there were twp shops near the lump, "Alf's" which was a corner shop located where the Slipper public house is today and the other shop, also the local car garage "Mrs Moony's". There is also an old, disused well from which villagers used to get their water supplies many years ago: the well is still there but has since been filled in due to it being a hazard for local children.
The houses from 'The Lump' as it was known were demolished due to severe subsidence from the mine at nostell, it was simply cheaper to demolish the houses and rebuild rather than to repair the damage the subsidence had caused. Once it was demolished, the area was a wasteland for many years, but the old cobble streets and roads were still visible and eventually the land was sold and a new housing estate was built on it. Most of the old subsidence would have stopped by now with many of the old mines being collapsed and filled in years ago but some still remain and will affect the surrounding areas for years to come.
When the miners at Nostell pit were clearing new coal seams, one day they came across what was described as an underground church which the monks from Nostell Priory had built years ago, this church was complete with tunnels which the monks used to use for transporting coal to the monastery. The church had wooden doors and seating inside, exactly why they built it there underground and for what reason may never be known. The entrance and tunnel was eventually sealed but the church should still be there today unless it has caved in, Local miner and Nostell safety man Leslie Simpson Snr and a fellow miner carved their names into the wood of the church door just before the tunnel was sealed. One theory is that the monks built the underground church to pray and worship in private, the monastery which was built on Nostell Priory got dissolved by Henry VIII in 1540 and could possibly explain the existence of the underground church.
Crofton Castle
Crofton Castle was built on Towers Lane in 1853 by John Blackburn in the style of a gothic manor house, complete with a parapet. The house acted as a prisoner of war camp during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
housing captured Italian soldiers. The house then passed was then bought by the Abbott family who allowed the house to fall into disrepair. Rumours of hauntings and paranormal activity surfaced regarding the mansion. In 2004 the house suffered a horrific blaze, which led to the mansion being demolished.
Many schoolchildren and also adults have reported seeing a white figure stood at the back window and locally known as the "Grey Lady" over the years there were rumours around suicides and hangings surround the castle and the immediate area but most were simply not true or has become blown out of all proportion. Since the castle has been demolished, a new housing estate has been built on its land, but the developers were mindful of the stories behind the castle and as such they planned the new housing estate so no houses stood directly in the same space/area as the castle. If you visit the area today, there is a road now where the castle once stood. This has not stopped the legend of the grey lady and numerous reports of strange phenomenon or events are still reported in the new housing estate today.
Location grid
Crofton today
Today, Crofton is seen as a commuting village, with many of the inhabitants leaving to nearby cities such as LeedsLeeds
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...
and Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
to work. The village has two post offices, one in New Crofton and one on the main high street, 2 fish and chip shops - one in New Crofton, mini supermarkets and a carpet store . The village also boasts 9 pubs: the Crofton Arms & the Cock and Crown both on the A638 road
A638 road
The A638 is a main road in England that runs between the A1 at Markham Moor in Nottinghamshire and Chain Bar Junction 26 of the M62 motorway south of Bradford in West Yorkshire....
, the Weavers Green, The Royal Oak, The Lord of the Manor, The Slipper, Ralphie's Bar, The Working Men's Club, and the Crofton Community Centre formerly known as the Nostell Miners Welfare. The Crofton Arms has been closed down for a short period of time.
Crofton made national tabloid headlines when the famous motel in the village 'The Redbeck,' stayed open for 21 years without ever closing, working its way through renovations, leaks and power cuts. The redbeck is a diner and a popular long haul truck stop on the outskirts of Crofton located on the A638.
A638 road
The A638 is a main road in England that runs between the A1 at Markham Moor in Nottinghamshire and Chain Bar Junction 26 of the M62 motorway south of Bradford in West Yorkshire....
The main supermarket in Crofton is now the Sainsbury's mini store located on the High Street, and other shops on High Street include Lloyd's Pharmacy, The Post Office, a deli, fish and chip, and carpet shop.
Crofton has had quite a makeover in the last few years, mainly the old Nostell pit and surrounding area has been transformed into a nature park with a small pond and very good walking areas which many locals use. The walk comprises around 3–4 miles of ash path from start to finish with some being concreted (remnants of the old opencast mining area). If you feel adventurous you can follow on the path right to the pennine trail and through Walton forest, this is a very good bike track and is used every day. Local residents need to take care on this path this year, the tick population has exploded and farmers are finding it hard to control the pests on their cattle. Dog walkers are especially vulnerable.
Sport
Crofton is in the centre of what is locally known as rugby land, with the local team Crofton Cougars contributing to the maintenance of the rugby tradition. The team was formed in 1996 by Pete Storey and Andy Reid. They play rugby in the CMS Unison Division 1. They won the CMS Division 2 title in 2006. The home ground of the Cougars is Cougar Park which is part of the Community Centre Facilities. It provides up to 3000 capacity, with both seating and standing capacity.Crofton Cricket team play at The Sidings Playing Fields as well as Crofton Juniors AFC and Crofton Sports FC who have 2 teams playing in the Wakefield Saturday League and are based at the Weavers Green pub.
Nostell Miners Welfare F.C.
Nostell Miners Welfare F.C.
Nostell Miners Welfare are an English football club based in Nostell, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire. For the 2011-12 season, they are members of the Northern Counties East Football League Premier Division...
also play at the community centre facilities and are currently in the Northern Counties Premier division.
Notable residents
- Sir Titus SaltTitus SaltSir Titus Salt, 1st Baronet , born in Morley, near Leeds, was a manufacturer, politician and philanthropist in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. His father Daniel Salt was a businessman and was sent Titus to Batley Grammar School...
, who built the mills of SaltaireSaltaireSaltaire is a Victorian model village within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
, lived on the Manor Farm (now the Lord of the Manor Pub) in Crofton - Richmal MangnallRichmal MangnallRichmal Mangnall was an English schoolmistress. She was born, probably, at Manchester.She was a pupil and finally mistress of a school at Crofton Hall in Crofton, West Yorkshire, near Wakefield, Yorkshire, which she conducted most successfully until her death there on 1 May 1820...
, Headmistress of Crofton School for Young Girls and a famous author - John HarrisonJohn HarrisonJohn Harrison was a self-educated English clockmaker. He invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought device in solving the problem of establishing the East-West position or longitude of a ship at sea, thus revolutionising and extending the possibility of safe long distance sea travel in the Age...
- The man who solved the longitudinal problem was born in FoulbyFoulbyFoulby is a village in the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is situated near Nostell, between Crofton and Ackworth Moor Top, on the A638 east-south east of the city of Wakefield.-Persons:...
. Harrison Road in Crofton is named for him. - Richard FlemingRichard FlemingRichard Fleming , Bishop of Lincoln and founder of Lincoln College, Oxford, was born at Crofton in Yorkshire....
- later Bishop of LincolnBishop of LincolnThe Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
, founder of Lincoln College, OxfordLincoln College, OxfordLincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
who also built Crofton Church - Charlotte BrontëCharlotte BrontëCharlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood, whose novels are English literature standards...
- lived at Crofton Hall and educated in the Crofton Hall School under Richmal Mangnall - Emily BrontëEmily BrontëEmily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...
- lived at Crofton Hall and educated in the Crofton Hall School under Richmal Mangnall
Schools
Crofton Infants School was opened in 1877 and was then known as Crofton Board School. In 1920, at a dance, Crofton school was the scene of a horrific murder, in which 19 year old Jane Darwell was murdered in the hall during the dance by her ex-boyfriend Edwin Sowerby in front of several witnesses. Sowerby, who had taken the breakup of their relationship hard, was given the death penalty and was hung at Armley Prison in Leeds on 31 December 1920. Local legend depicts that the ghost of Jane Darwell still haunts the infants school, and is known as The Blue Lady. In 1955, Crofton Secondary School opened in Crofton Old Hall. Crofton Slack Lane Junior School and Crofton High School were both constructed in the 1960s. A new Junior and Infant school was opened in Shay lane in 1972. In the summer of 1995, a fire destroyed most of the High School and a new school opened in 1998 which is still open today. In 2007 Crofton High School achieved record GCSE pass rates, putting it in the top 100 state schools in the country.In 1808 Miss Richmal Mangnall
Richmal Mangnall
Richmal Mangnall was an English schoolmistress. She was born, probably, at Manchester.She was a pupil and finally mistress of a school at Crofton Hall in Crofton, West Yorkshire, near Wakefield, Yorkshire, which she conducted most successfully until her death there on 1 May 1820...
bought Crofton Hall School for Young Ladies, which at least one of the Brontë sisters is thought to have attended.
Bus
Crofton is located on the A638 roadA638 road
The A638 is a main road in England that runs between the A1 at Markham Moor in Nottinghamshire and Chain Bar Junction 26 of the M62 motorway south of Bradford in West Yorkshire....
that runs between Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
and Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
and serves as the village's lifeline. There are several bus routes that run from Crofton:
- The 145/148/149, Arriva YorkshireArriva YorkshireArriva Yorkshire is a division of Arriva which operates bus services around West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and the southern areas of North Yorkshire in England.-History:Arriva Yorkshire was formed as a combination of mergers of previous...
- WakefieldWakefieldWakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
to KnottingleyKnottingleyKnottingley 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....
and PontefractPontefractPontefract 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...
via Crofton and FeatherstoneFeatherstoneFeatherstone is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It lies south-west of Pontefract and has a population of 14,175.Featherstone railway station is on the Pontefract Line.-History:...
. - The 150, Arriva YorkshireArriva YorkshireArriva Yorkshire is a division of Arriva which operates bus services around West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and the southern areas of North Yorkshire in England.-History:Arriva Yorkshire was formed as a combination of mergers of previous...
- WakefieldWakefieldWakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
to KnottingleyKnottingleyKnottingley 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....
and SelbySelbySelby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district.Historically a part of the West Riding...
via Crofton, FeatherstoneFeatherstoneFeatherstone is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It lies south-west of Pontefract and has a population of 14,175.Featherstone railway station is on the Pontefract Line.-History:...
and PontefractPontefractPontefract 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...
. - The 194, Arriva YorkshireArriva YorkshireArriva Yorkshire is a division of Arriva which operates bus services around West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and the southern areas of North Yorkshire in England.-History:Arriva Yorkshire was formed as a combination of mergers of previous...
- WakefieldWakefieldWakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
to BarnsleyBarnsleyBarnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
via Crofton, WaltonWalton, WakefieldWalton is a village and civil parish in the county of West Yorkshire, England, near Wakefield. It has a population of 3,377. It is on the Barnsley Canal and includes Walton Hall, West Yorkshire, the home of Charles Waterton, the man who made Walton Hall into the first nature reserve in the country...
and Royston. - The 195/196, Arriva YorkshireArriva YorkshireArriva Yorkshire is a division of Arriva which operates bus services around West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and the southern areas of North Yorkshire in England.-History:Arriva Yorkshire was formed as a combination of mergers of previous...
- WakefieldWakefieldWakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
to HemsworthHemsworthHemsworth is a small town and civil parish on the edge of West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the City of Wakefield, and has a population of 13,311....
via Crofton and WaltonWalton, WakefieldWalton is a village and civil parish in the county of West Yorkshire, England, near Wakefield. It has a population of 3,377. It is on the Barnsley Canal and includes Walton Hall, West Yorkshire, the home of Charles Waterton, the man who made Walton Hall into the first nature reserve in the country...
. - The 485, Arriva YorkshireArriva YorkshireArriva Yorkshire is a division of Arriva which operates bus services around West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and the southern areas of North Yorkshire in England.-History:Arriva Yorkshire was formed as a combination of mergers of previous...
- WakefieldWakefieldWakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
to South ElmsallSouth ElmsallSouth Elmsall pronounced "south em-sull" is a small town and civil parish to the east of Hemsworth in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is on the B6422 and B6474 ....
via AckworthAckworth, West YorkshireAckworth is a village and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, situated between Pontefract, Barnsley and Doncaster on the small River Went. The village consists of four parts, High Ackworth, Low Ackworth, Ackworth Moortop, and Brackenhill...
Crofton and Agbrigg. - The 496, Arriva YorkshireArriva YorkshireArriva Yorkshire is a division of Arriva which operates bus services around West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and the southern areas of North Yorkshire in England.-History:Arriva Yorkshire was formed as a combination of mergers of previous...
- WakefieldWakefieldWakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
to DoncasterDoncasterDoncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
via Belle Vue (Wakefield)Belle Vue (Wakefield)Belle Vue is a rugby league stadium in Wakefield, England. It is the home stadium of Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. It is located beside the A638 Doncaster Road, approximately one mile south of Wakefield City Centre.- Description :Currently, the East stand has a covered stand with seating, with some...
, Crofton, South ElmsallSouth ElmsallSouth Elmsall pronounced "south em-sull" is a small town and civil parish to the east of Hemsworth in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is on the B6422 and B6474 ....
and Upton. - The 223, B.L TRAVEL - Minsthorpe to WakefieldWakefieldWakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
via HemsworthHemsworthHemsworth is a small town and civil parish on the edge of West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the City of Wakefield, and has a population of 13,311....
, South ElmsallSouth ElmsallSouth Elmsall pronounced "south em-sull" is a small town and civil parish to the east of Hemsworth in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is on the B6422 and B6474 ....
, South Kirkby and Crofton. - The P2/6, Poppletons Coaches - PontefractPontefractPontefract 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...
to WakefieldWakefieldWakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
via NEW College, North Featherstone, Ackton, Sharlston, Crofton and Walton
Train
Up until the 1960s the village was served by the Hare Park & Crofton railway stationHare Park & Crofton railway station
Hare Park & Crofton railway station, sometimes just known as Crofton railway station, was a station located on the West Riding and Grimsby Railway, this section now known as the Wakefield Line. It served the village of Crofton in West Yorkshire, England and is located around to the south of...
before it was demolished. The station was located on the Great North Eastern Railway
Great North Eastern Railway
Great North Eastern Railway was a British train operating company, owned by Sea Containers Ltd. It operated high-speed express train services on the East Coast Main Line from 1996 until 9 December 2007 when the franchise was taken over by National Express East Coast.GNER's primary service routes...
and on the Wakefield Line
Wakefield Line
The Wakefield line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro/South Yorkshire P.T.E. area of northern England. The service connects Leeds and Wakefield with Sheffield and Doncaster. The section of the line between Leeds and Doncaster forms part of the East Coast Main...
. The sidings were also used as part of the Dearne Valley Line
Dearne Valley Line
The Dearne Valley Line is the name given to a railway line in the north of England running from York to Sheffield via Pontefract Baghill and Moorthorpe.-History:...
. There has been much speculation as to whether a new train station should be built on this site, which would serve trains 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...
, Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
and Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, but the council has stated that a train station cannot be built for fear of it not being used enough, although many citizens of the village would like to see a train station on Hare Park Lane.
A smaller station at Crofton was located next to Doncaster road, on the current Pontefract Line, behind the Crofton Arms Public House. The station was demolished too, in the 1960s, yet the remains of the old station house in its current derelict form can be seen from the A638, or on passing trains from Wakefield Kirkgate railway station
Wakefield Kirkgate railway station
Wakefield Kirkgate railway station is a railway station in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. Unlike the nearby Wakefield Westgate railway station, Kirkgate is unstaffed and served mostly by local trains...
towards 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...
.
Air
Crofton is located 26 miles from Leeds Bradford International AirportLeeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
, and offers services to European and Asian destinations such as Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
, Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, Larnaca
Larnaca
Larnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
and Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
. Crofton is also the same distance from Doncaster Airport, at Finningley in Doncaster. That airport has destinations to smaller European Destinations. The nearest International Airport with major destinations is Manchester Airport, which is 69 miles from the village. Manchester has flights as far as Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
to name a few.