Normanton, West Yorkshire
Encyclopedia
Normanton is a town and civil parish within the City of Wakefield
in West Yorkshire
, England. It is northeast of Wakefield
and southwest of Castleford
, and at the time of the 2001 Census
, the population was 19,949.
gives information on 'Norman-tune' as:
Normanton was originally surrounded by a moat
, and in Norman
times was the site of an enclosed settlement (chosen for its strategic view points across the surrounding area), and became known as 'Norman - tune', or 'Norman - ton'.
At the time the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086, the colonization of Yorkshire by the Normans was well underway. Archaeological evidence at today's Normanton points to Haw Hill (or How Hill), an eminence that was probably a Norman defensive strategic mound once reinforced by a wooden palisade. The evidence of a Norman motte-and-bailey fortification at the town, and the name, is likely evidence that Normanton's name derived from the substantial Anglo-Norman
presence in the area. Nearby, after all, were Tickhill
, the fortress of Norman magnate Roger de Busli
, as well as other new Norman power centers. Although the area had once been part of the Scandinavian Danelaw, William the Conqueror's scorched earth northern campaign had left the area ripe for exploitation by his Lords. By all measures, Normanton likely owes its name to these new aggressive warriors.
One of the earliest buildings to survive within the village is Hanson House. This is set back from the church and has a timber frame construction. The building was constructed in the mid 15th century, with a later wing added in the 18th century. A fire has unfortunately damaged the building, which is being restored and modernised.
A grammar school
was founded in Normanton by John Freeston
(now the 'Parish Rooms'..later moved to the site of the, Normanton Junior School on Church lane) in 1592, but the town remained very small until it became the focus of several railway lines in the mid-19th century. Work began in 1837 under the supervision of George Stephenson
on the construction of the North Midland Railway
from Derby
to Leeds
. This was soon followed by an addition to the York and North Midland Railway
from York
and then the Manchester and Leeds Railway
from Manchester
which all extended to Normanton thereby giving the town access to much of the country. The Leeds and Manchester lines crossed a 51 miles (82.1 km) stretch across The Pennines and at the time boasted the world's longest railway station platform at Normanton - a quarter of a mile long. The station was, for the next ten years or so, the most important in England, employing over 700 people who looked after the station's 700,000 passengers a year.
In Victorian times Normanton station was one of the most important stations in northern England
and can boast that Queen Victoria stopped over in The Station Hotel. The town also served as an important part of the transport infrastructure for national and local industries including coal and bricks, although most of this was lost during the 1950s and 1960s with the last remaining operational brickworks eventually closing in the mid-nineties. There were three brickworks in town and were all built within the small area known as Newland, taking advantage of the abundance of clay from the area. A fourth works was founded in the 1890s by a man named Thomas Kirk from Nottingham
who had heard rumours that Normanton was rapidly turning into an important junction on the railways. Both Kirk and his sons used their life savings and formed the Normanton Brick Company at nearby Altofts
which is still in operation today.
The coming of the railways enabled the locally-mined coal
to be sent across the country. Demand soon outstripped supply and many more shafts were sunk to reach the rich coal seams under the town. In 1871 Dom Pedro
, the Emperor of Brazil
visited Normanton with his Empress and gave his name (albeit in a slightly altered form) to the Don Pedro colliery at Hopetown. Today roads in the area of the former colliery retain the name. At their peak the Collieries employed over 10,000 men most of whom wanted to move themselves and their families to Normanton. The town enjoyed a boom period with more mines opening and more shafts being sunk in order to meet the increasing demand for coal until most coal seams in the Normanton area were worked-out by the mid 1970s.
Normanton suffered some decline in the years following the miners' strike. The railway station was in such a state of neglect and disrepair that the decision was made to demolish it completely in 1986 and the section of railway line between Goosehill Junction and Crofton Interchange were lifted the year after. Very little now remains of Normanton's once proud railway and mining heritage with the only telltale signs lying covered in the undergrowth, hidden from view.
, and is now favoured for its relatively cheap housing and excellent transport links. The town is still accessible via Normanton railway station
and is currently served by an unmanned island platform station with regular trains to Leeds
, Castleford
, Wakefield
and Sheffield
Meadowhall
Interchange.
The addition and expansion of the Eurolink Industrial Estate at Junction 31 of the M62
helped reinforce Normanton as an ideal place for many national and multi-national corporations to locate their distribution depots due to its enviable location. Being centrally located within the UK the town is served by three major motorway networks, the M62 linking Manchester to Hull
(west to east), the M1
linking Leeds to London
(North to South), and the North of England via a new link between the M62 and the A1(M) at nearby Ferrybridge
.
Parish Church
of Normanton, West Yorkshire. It is believed to have existed since at least 1256 and is built in the perpendicular style.
as a preceptory of the Knight's Templars, it was later transferred to the similar organisation, "The Knights Hospitallers" in 1256. The property belonging to the Hospitallers was dissolved by King Henry VIII
who bestowed the property upon himself. The earliest known preceptor of the Knights Hospitallers was Simon Paccable in 1313. Newland was once held by the Levett
family, and William Levett, who was lord of the manor, was admitted tenant of the Knights Hospitallers on October 2, 1447.
The estate changed hands of ownership a number of times since King Henry VIII
sold the land in 1544, with final ownership landing on The Warmfield Company Limited in 1926, who ran brickworks until the mid-20th century.
Newland today is kept as a nature reserve, with the crumbling remains of the Estate overgrown with shrubs and plant life. A small fishing area just outside the Newland Estate remains popular with local fishermen.
. Featherstone Rovers
are the local professional club based in nearby Featherstone.
series A Touch Of Frost. The structure was still intact albeit abandoned at the time of filming and was the ideal location favoured by the ITV production team. In the series a body was found by the Police
in one of the factory's old kilns. Within 18 months of filming, the structure had been declared unsafe, and was partially demolished, leaving only the chimney stack standing.
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. It is northeast of 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 southwest of Castleford
Castleford
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...
, and at the time of the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the population was 19,949.
History
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...
gives information on 'Norman-tune' as:
In Normantune there are 10 carucates for geld, which 5 plows can plough. 2 thegns had 2 manors there T.R.E. Now, in the King's hand there are 6 villeins there, and 3 bordars, a priest, and a church, with 3 ploughs, 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) of meadow. Pasturable wood (land) 6 furlongs in length and 1 in breadth. The whole of this land lies in the soc of Wachefelt, except the Church. T.R.E. it was worth 12s: now (it is worth) 10s.
Normanton was originally surrounded by a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
, and in Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
times was the site of an enclosed settlement (chosen for its strategic view points across the surrounding area), and became known as 'Norman - tune', or 'Norman - ton'.
At the time the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086, the colonization of Yorkshire by the Normans was well underway. Archaeological evidence at today's Normanton points to Haw Hill (or How Hill), an eminence that was probably a Norman defensive strategic mound once reinforced by a wooden palisade. The evidence of a Norman motte-and-bailey fortification at the town, and the name, is likely evidence that Normanton's name derived from the substantial Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
presence in the area. Nearby, after all, were Tickhill
Tickhill
Tickhill is a small, wealthy town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England, on the border with Nottinghamshire. It has a population of 5,301.-Geography:...
, the fortress of Norman magnate Roger de Busli
Roger de Busli
Roger de Busli was a Norman baron who accompanied William the Conqueror on his successful conquest of England in 1066....
, as well as other new Norman power centers. Although the area had once been part of the Scandinavian Danelaw, William the Conqueror's scorched earth northern campaign had left the area ripe for exploitation by his Lords. By all measures, Normanton likely owes its name to these new aggressive warriors.
One of the earliest buildings to survive within the village is Hanson House. This is set back from the church and has a timber frame construction. The building was constructed in the mid 15th century, with a later wing added in the 18th century. A fire has unfortunately damaged the building, which is being restored and modernised.
Growth
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
was founded in Normanton by John Freeston
John Freeston
John Freeston is known by the locals of Altofts and Normanton, West Yorkshire. Admitted in 1544 to Gray's Inn in London as a barrister, Freeston is best known for the founding of the Normanton Grammar School, forerunner of the Freeston Business & Enterprise College in 1592...
(now the 'Parish Rooms'..later moved to the site of the, Normanton Junior School on Church lane) in 1592, but the town remained very small until it became the focus of several railway lines in the mid-19th century. Work began in 1837 under the supervision of George Stephenson
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
on the construction of the North Midland Railway
North Midland Railway
The North Midland Railway was a British railway company, which opened its line from Derby to Rotherham and Leeds in 1840.At Derby it connected with the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station...
from Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
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...
. This was soon followed by an addition to the York and North Midland Railway
York and North Midland Railway
The York and North Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839, connecting York, with the Leeds and Selby Railway and in 1840 with the North Midland Railway at Normanton near Leeds.-Origins:...
from York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and then the Manchester and Leeds Railway
Manchester and Leeds Railway
The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839, connecting Manchester with Leeds via the North Midland Railway which it joined at Normanton....
from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
which all extended to Normanton thereby giving the town access to much of the country. The Leeds and Manchester lines crossed a 51 miles (82.1 km) stretch across The Pennines and at the time boasted the world's longest railway station platform at Normanton - a quarter of a mile long. The station was, for the next ten years or so, the most important in England, employing over 700 people who looked after the station's 700,000 passengers a year.
In Victorian times Normanton station was one of the most important stations in northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
and can boast that Queen Victoria stopped over in The Station Hotel. The town also served as an important part of the transport infrastructure for national and local industries including coal and bricks, although most of this was lost during the 1950s and 1960s with the last remaining operational brickworks eventually closing in the mid-nineties. There were three brickworks in town and were all built within the small area known as Newland, taking advantage of the abundance of clay from the area. A fourth works was founded in the 1890s by a man named Thomas Kirk from Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
who had heard rumours that Normanton was rapidly turning into an important junction on the railways. Both Kirk and his sons used their life savings and formed the Normanton Brick Company at nearby Altofts
Altofts
Altofts is a village near Normanton, West Yorkshire, England. The village is usually quiet, having a mixed population of young and old. There are four pubs, two Working Men's Clubs, a handful of small shops, one post office and a few farms. Lower Altofts is the area at the lower end of the village...
which is still in operation today.
The coming of the railways enabled the locally-mined coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
to be sent across the country. Demand soon outstripped supply and many more shafts were sunk to reach the rich coal seams under the town. In 1871 Dom Pedro
Dom Pedro
Dom Pedro is the traditional Portuguese appellation of several kings of Portugal:* Peter I of Portugal* Peter II of Portugal* Peter III of Portugal* Pedro IV of Portugal* Pedro V of Portugal...
, the Emperor of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
visited Normanton with his Empress and gave his name (albeit in a slightly altered form) to the Don Pedro colliery at Hopetown. Today roads in the area of the former colliery retain the name. At their peak the Collieries employed over 10,000 men most of whom wanted to move themselves and their families to Normanton. The town enjoyed a boom period with more mines opening and more shafts being sunk in order to meet the increasing demand for coal until most coal seams in the Normanton area were worked-out by the mid 1970s.
Decline
The disputes surrounding the UK Miners' Strike (1984-1985) meant that many mines across the country were to close although by this stage there were no collieries still in production in Normanton. However, the strike still affected many families in the area, as Normanton colliers still worked in pits in neighbouring towns. The area once occupied by the St Johns or Newland colliery is now part of the controversial Welbeck landfill site which has been the subject of both local and national media attention since its development as a toxic tip. The site attracted so much negative attention that the group Residents Against Toxic Scheme (RATS) was established to halt planning permission for the disposal of toxic chemicals at the site claiming the scheme was an extreme health hazard.Normanton suffered some decline in the years following the miners' strike. The railway station was in such a state of neglect and disrepair that the decision was made to demolish it completely in 1986 and the section of railway line between Goosehill Junction and Crofton Interchange were lifted the year after. Very little now remains of Normanton's once proud railway and mining heritage with the only telltale signs lying covered in the undergrowth, hidden from view.
Modern Normanton
Normanton has become a growing and popular commuter suburb of the Leeds City RegionLeeds City Region
The Leeds City Region is the area whose economic development is supported by the Leeds City Region Partnership, a sub-regional economic development partnership...
, and is now favoured for its relatively cheap housing and excellent transport links. The town is still accessible via Normanton railway station
Normanton railway station
Normanton railway station serves the town of Normanton in West Yorkshire, England. It lies south-east of Leeds railway station on the Hallam Line, which is operated by Northern Rail.-History:...
and is currently served by an unmanned island platform station with regular 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...
, Castleford
Castleford
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...
, 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 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...
Meadowhall
Meadowhall
Meadowhall is an indoor shopping centre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It lies three miles north east of Sheffield city centre and four miles from Rotherham town centre....
Interchange.
The addition and expansion of the Eurolink Industrial Estate at Junction 31 of the M62
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...
helped reinforce Normanton as an ideal place for many national and multi-national corporations to locate their distribution depots due to its enviable location. Being centrally located within the UK the town is served by three major motorway networks, the M62 linking Manchester to Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
(west to east), the M1
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
linking Leeds to London
London
London 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...
(North to South), and the North of England via a new link between the M62 and the A1(M) at nearby 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....
.
Normanton church
All Saints, is the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Parish Church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of Normanton, West Yorkshire. It is believed to have existed since at least 1256 and is built in the perpendicular style.
Newland
The Newland estate was a small township on the outskirts of Normanton and lies on the north bank of the River Calder. Existing since 1213 when it was established by King John of EnglandJohn of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
as a preceptory of the Knight's Templars, it was later transferred to the similar organisation, "The Knights Hospitallers" in 1256. The property belonging to the Hospitallers was dissolved by King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
who bestowed the property upon himself. The earliest known preceptor of the Knights Hospitallers was Simon Paccable in 1313. Newland was once held by the Levett
Levett
Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...
family, and William Levett, who was lord of the manor, was admitted tenant of the Knights Hospitallers on October 2, 1447.
The estate changed hands of ownership a number of times since King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
sold the land in 1544, with final ownership landing on The Warmfield Company Limited in 1926, who ran brickworks until the mid-20th century.
Newland today is kept as a nature reserve, with the crumbling remains of the Estate overgrown with shrubs and plant life. A small fishing area just outside the Newland Estate remains popular with local fishermen.
Sports
The town is home to many teams across all three major sports. There are 2 cricket clubs - South Normanton CC and Normanton St Johns CC. There are 2 soccer clubs - A.S Normanton FC and Normanton Athletic Juniors. Arguably, the biggest sport in the area is Rugby League. The Normanton Knights are the towns main amateur club and play in the National Conference LeagueNational Conference League
The National Conference League is the top league in the pyramid of amateur rugby leagues run by the British Amateur Rugby League Association...
. 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...
are the local professional club based in nearby Featherstone.
Notable people
- Walter HampsonWalter HampsonWalter Hampson was a self-educated railway engine driver, who in his spare time wrote poetry, a published volume about a fictional trip abroad by three Yorkshiremen, edited a local journal devoted to the Yorkshire dialect, and authored a history of his hometown Normanton, West Yorkshire, that...
- dialect author and poet - Michelle Hardwick - Actress
- Venetia Deane - Actress and Singer
- Levett HansonLevett Hanson‘Sir’ Levett Hanson , was an English author.Hanson was born 31 December 1754, at Melton, Yorkshire, was the only son of Robert Hanson of Normanton, Yorkshire, by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Isaack Jackson of Bury St. Edmunds. His father was the son of Benjamin Hanson and Elizabeth,...
- flamboyant author, courtier, expert on medieval knighthood, childhood friend of Horatio Nelson - Francis MalletFrancis MalletFrancis Mallet was an English churchman and academic, and chaplain to Mary Tudor.The son of William Mallet of Normanton, West Yorkshire, Francis Mallet graduated from the University of Cambridge, B.A. in 1522, M.A. and D.D...
(or Mallett), English churchman and academic, and chaplain to Mary TudorMary I of EnglandMary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547... - Reece DinsdaleReece DinsdaleReece Dinsdale is an English actor of stage, screen and television.-Acting career:He trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 1977 until 1980...
- Actor - Jacob Maw - Actor
- Ben CockayneBen CockayneBen Cockayne is an English rugby league player. He plays for Featherstone Rovers in the Championship. He is also an assistant coach at his former amateur club, Normanton Knights.-Career:...
- Rugby League player for Featherstone RoversFeatherstone RoversFeatherstone 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... - Richard CrawshayRichard CrawshayRichard Crawshay was a London iron merchant and then South Wales ironmaster.Richard Crawshay was born in Normanton in the West Riding of Yorkshire...
- London iron merchant and South Wales ironmaster
Filmography
The old Normanton brickyard situated just off of the A655 Wakefield Road was used in the late-1990s as the fictional setting of a murder in the ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
series A Touch Of Frost. The structure was still intact albeit abandoned at the time of filming and was the ideal location favoured by the ITV production team. In the series a body was found by the Police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
in one of the factory's old kilns. Within 18 months of filming, the structure had been declared unsafe, and was partially demolished, leaving only the chimney stack standing.