Wetherby
Encyclopedia
Wetherby is a market town
and civil parish within the metropolitan borough
of the City of Leeds
, in West Yorkshire
, England. It stands on the River Wharfe
, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh. It has a population of 11,155.
Historically
a part of the Wapentake of Skyrack within the West Riding of Yorkshire
, Wetherby is mentioned in the Domesday Book
of 1086 as Wedrebi, thought to derive from wether- or ram-farm or else meaning "settlement on the bend of a river". Local folklore has it that when heavy snow storms hit the county, Wetherby does not get as much because the Weather Goes By.
Wetherby Bridge, which spans the River Wharfe, is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
and a Grade II listed structure.
As a result of its situation on the main road, a large number of coaching inns were established in Wetherby, and many are still used today by travellers.
The Old Great North Road is still in place and "Toll Bar House" is still present today. It underwent refurbishment in the late 90's but the main part of the house is unchanged apart from the two chimney pots being reversed during the refurbishment.
In the 12th and 13th centuries the Knights Templar
and later the Knights Hospitallers were granted land and properties in Yorkshire
. The local Preceptory founded in 1217 was at Ribston Park. In 1240 the Knights Templar were granted by Royal Charter of Henry III
the right to hold a market in Wetherby (known then as Werreby). The Charter stated the market should be held on a Thursday and a yearly fair was permitted lasting three days over the day of St James the Apostle
.
From 1318 to 1319 the North of England suffered many raids from the Scots. After the Battle of Bannockburn
Wetherby was burned and many people taken and killed. According to the blue plaque http://www.elliott99.plus.com/Richard/images/scott%20lane400x400.jpg at the entrance to the lane, Scott Lane could be named after the Scottish raiders in 1318, or perhaps after the 18th century drovers who used Wetherby as a watering place.
Wetherby had a small part to play in the English Civil War
in 1644. Before marching to Tadcaster
and then to Marston Moor, the Parliamentarians spent two days in Wetherby while joining forces with the Scots.
In the heyday of the coaching era, Wetherby had up to forty inns and alehouses. The first recorded mail coach arrived in Wetherby in 1786.
In 1824, William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire
sold the town of Wetherby (except one house) to finance work at Chatsworth
. Wetherby provides the setting for the novel Oldbury (1869) by Annie Keary
.
Wetherby gave its name to Wetherby Place in London and thence to Wetherby School
in London, which used to be located in Wetherby Place.
depot and bus station, and has since been further redeveloped to include shops, offices, and a restaurant in addition to the bus station. The nearby watermill, which was situated by the weir, is now the site of luxury riverside flats.
Many Wetherby men served with either the 5th or 9th West Yorkshire Regiments, who had great losses in Flanders
. A war memorial designed by E. F. Roslyn was dedicated on April 22, 1922.
In 1918, the locals of Wetherby contributed greatly to support the crew of the Racecourse class minesweeper
HMS Wetherby despite hardship and shortages caused by the war.
During World War II, RAF Tockwith was renamed RAF Marston Moor to avoid confusion with RAF Topcliffe
. Part of the airfield is now used as a driver training centre and the old control tower is used as the offices. Parts of the runways can still be seen.
Heart-throb of the American silver screen, Clark Gable
was stationed at Marston Moor, during WW2, as a member of the USAAF ground staff, with the rank of Captain. He was later transferred to RAF Polebrook
in Northamptonshire
, during this time Adolf Hitler
offered a reward to anyone who was able to catch the airman.
Group Captain
Leonard Cheshire
was also stationed at Marston Moor for a short while before leaving to become Commander of the famous 617 Dam Buster squadron.
Wetherby had the only landship north of London, built on Hallfield Lane in 1942 (it later become the local secondary school), named in turn; HMS Cabot, Demetrius, Rodney and Ceres. The base was closed in 1958 and transferred to Chatham
.
Throughout the 1960s the town council deliberated over how best to enlarge the town centre to cope with the needs of a growing population and to provide the town with a purpose built supermarket
. Plans were put forward to enlarge the town over the ings
, or to develop the town centre into a pedestrian precinct. In the end it was decided to build a purpose built shopping precinct, which was built in the 1970s and underwent a significant redevelopment throughout 2003. By 2006 the remaining open parts of the Horsefair Centre were enclosed under a glass canopy roof.
For many years from 1959, the town's bypass started at a roundabout near a Forte Posthouse hotel, which was prone to lengthy queues at busy periods. The roundabout still remains, but the A1 was diverted in July 1988 at a cost of £11.5 m. On December 18, 2004, the northern section of the bypass was substantially diverted to a new section of the A1(M), bypassing Kirk Deighton, after construction work had begun in August 2003. The upgrade of the section between Bramham and Wetherby started in July 2007 and is scheduled to be completed in 2009. The upgrading of the A1 includes a new motorway service station
at the Wetherby North Junction (near Kirk Deighton
). This will include another large hotel, the only one in Wetherby, North of the River Wharfe
. The current upgrading of the A1(M) in Wetherby should be the final development of it, after 50 years of gradual development to the modern motorway it is now becoming. With the diversion of the A1 away from the Selby Fork (which had once housed a large service area), Wetherby are the next services directly on the A1 after Ferrybridge
.
Wetherby Town Council have for some years commissioned blue plaques to mark points of notable history, these have been erected at the site of the former castle, the former watermill, the town hall, the Angel public house, the former cattle market, the Red Lion public house, The Shambles, St James' Church as well as other landmarks. The town has no museum of its own, yet the town's history is well documented in Leeds Central Library.
Wetherby is represented by Conservative Party
MP Alec Shelbrooke
. Wetherby was in the Elmet Constituency, a traditionally marginal seat, taking in towns and areas such as Garforth
, Swarcliffe
, Kippax
, Cross Gates and former mining villages such as Allerton Bywater
and as of 2010 is part of the enlarged Elmet and Rothwell Constituency
According to the 2001 UK Census, the Wetherby ward has a population of 22,000 and the immediate town has a population of 11,155. However since this was taken, the immediate town area has grown considerably. 150 new dwellings were built in one development in Micklethwaite
, then a further 20 were added, flats have also appeared at the former Motorworld, La Locanda Restaurant, Deighton Road car garage, Fields Works and the cattle market.
Expected growth
Since the relocation of the A1(M), to the North of Wetherby, several acres of previously cut off land has become part of the town. A smaller piece of land will also become available to the south of Wetherby. Although there are no plans to develop these as yet, high land values and demand for housing may bring about large scale development in the near future.
Wetherby has a large manufacturing presence, both in the town and on the nearby Thorp Arch Trading Estate
. The majority of residents in Wetherby work in Leeds
, however many work on the Sandbeck industrial estate, major retailers in the town centre or at Thorp Arch. Particularly big employers in Wetherby are the British Library
, Morrisons
, Goldenfry Foods and, Moores Furniture and The Forensic Science Service. Residents travel to work in the nearby areas of York
, Harrogate
, Bradford
or Wakefield
.
Perhaps the most notable company to emerge from Wetherby is Goldenfry
. Goldenfry started life as a Wetherby fish and chip shop, the company now make many products, the most notable being their own brand gravy. Goldenfry manufacture every UK supermarket own brand gravy. Goldenfry is situated on Sandbeck Way.
Inspirepack (formerly Safepack and Mondipack) have a factory on Sandbeck Lane. One of the oldest IT resellers and service providers in the UK, the ICC group, is based at Thorp Arch Estate.
Farnell
(also trading as Premier Farnell or Farnell Instruments) opened their first factory in Wetherby in 1956 (made up of former W.D. huts) on Wetherby's York Road Industrial Estate. The company grew so much that by 1963 they required new premises and moved to a purpose built factory on the town's Sandbeck Industrial Estate. The company specialise in the manufacture and wholesale distribution of Electrical, Electronic
and Measurement, Control and Instrumentation
equipment. In the 1990s the company left the town and now have their main offices in Armley
.
is at the lower end of the Market Place, it was redeveloped in 1995. Since the partial pedestrianisation of the lower end of the Market Place in 2007 the capacity of the bus station has been reduced. The Hallfields Estate, Ainsty Estate and Sandbeck Industrial Estate also have bus services. From Wetherby Bus Station, many services operate, including several National Express
services. First West Yorkshire
run buses to Leeds
, Harrogate & District
, runs to Leeds
via Boston Spa
and Seacroft
and to Harrogate
, a bus operated by Connexionsbuses, runs to Knaresborough
, Arriva buses run to York
and to Wakefield
via Garforth
and Utopia runs to Tadcaster
and Otley
. The daily footfall is estimated at 1634.
were withdrawn on January 6, 1964, involving closure of Wetherby railway station
, amongst others. Currently the closest mainline station to Wetherby is Leeds railway station. Cross Gates railway station
, Garforth railway station
, Harrogate railway station
, Knaresborough railway station
and Cattal railway station
are also nearby.
to Wetherby is Leeds Bradford International Airport
. This is situated in the town of Yeadon
, but there is no direct route from Wetherby.
There are four primary schools situated in Wetherby and one secondary school. There is a further secondary school serving Wetherby situated in Boston Spa
. The local college in Wetherby is Leeds City College
. There are larger colleges in the area such as Thomas Danby College, Leeds College of Technology
, Leeds College of Building
, Wakefield College and Bradford College. Outside of West Yorkshire
there is also York College
and Harrogate College. The nearest Universities are The University of Leeds
and Leeds Metropolitan University
. There are also smaller universities in the area such as The University of York
, York St John University
, The University of Bradford
and The University of Huddersfield
.
The Forensic Science Service
has a laboratory in Wetherby on Sandbeck Way. This is part of the town's large Sandbeck Industrial Estate, also home to Goldenfry Foods, Swift Research Ltd and the town's working men's club
.
Wetherby racecourse is a National Hunt racecourse, situated on the B1224 York Road. Opposite the racecourse is Wetherby Young Offender Institution
. There is also Wealston Prison situated at Thorp Arch
just outside of the town.
Wetherby has a pedestrianised shopping centre The Horsefair Centre, which includes a Morrisons
supermarket, Boots the Chemist, Superdrug
, Clinton Cards
, Specsavers
and many other shops. The centre was built in the 1970s after the council decided in the 1960s to opt for a purpose built shopping precinct as opposed to developing the existing town centre into a pedestrian precinct. It underwent further significant development between 2002 and 2005. Original plans for the redevelopment of the town centre, speculated pedestrianising either the High Street or Market Place, building a relief road, bypassing the High Street and demolishing the Red Lion public house and replacing it with modern offices.
The town's branch of Kwiksave recently closed down and has since reopened as a Sainsbury's. This is now Wetherby's fourth supermarket, competing with a Co-op, a Marks and Spencers and the largest of all, the Morrisons branch, which carries the large modern layout of Morrison's flagship branches. For many years, the Co-op in the Horsefair Centre was the town's main supermarket, other chains looked at moving into the town to compete with the Co-op, Sainsburys looked at building on Micklethwaite Farm, Tesco
looked at building on the Jarvis Hotel
, Safeway
looked at demolishing the lorry park and Hallfields Mansions, diverting Hallfield lane and building a supermarket there, in the end, however Morrisons purchase the Horsefair Centre and went about redeveloping much of the shopping centre as well as the former Co-op supermarket. Sainsburys have now bought the Ramada Hotel site and are planning to build a supermarket at this location.
Since its closure in the 1990s, the town's cattle market has been redeveloped as flats and a Marks and Spencer store. This is an indication of the changing aspect of Wetherby, no longer a rural town but a growing town situated within the Leeds commuter belt.
In August 2008 the MOTO Wetherby service station opened on the B1224, A1(M) intersection, this consists of a BP
filling station
, a WH Smiths, the town's second Costa Coffee
, the town's second Marks and Spencer and a Burger King
.
On 1 October 2008 the new Wetherby healthcare centre Hallfield Lane Wetherby was officially opened by Colin Burgon
Labour Member of Parliament for Elmet
The centre was completed in May 2008 and services have been provided from the building since June 2008. The centre has revamped healthcare in Wetherby bringing a range of services under one roof, these include Podiatry
Physiotherapy and a baby clinic.
Wetherby is the home to the Martin House Hospice
, which provides care and support to families in which there is a child or children with a short life expectancy.
Wetherby Athletic play in the West Yorkshire League. The club was formed in 1949, from Wetherby AFC and Wetherby Rovers FC. The club groundshare with Wetherby Bulldogs RLFC at the newly refurbished ground on the South bank of the Ings
.
Formed in October 2004, the Wetherby Runners Athletic Club are based at Wetherby Sports Association with a membership of over 160. The club has a mix of male and female athletes, spanning a range of abilities and caters for ages from 10 years and upwards. A junior section compete in West Yorks Track & Field & cross country Leagues. They compete throughout the region in Harrogate Road League http://www.harrogate-league.co.uk/, Black Sheep Race Series http://www.blacksheepraceseries.co.uk/, West Yorks Cross Country League as well as taking part in cross country, fell, road races and marathons. http://www.wetherbyrunnersac.co.uk
Wetherby Bulldogs are the town's rugby league
side who play at the Ings with Wetherby Athletic. The Wetherby Bulldogs play in the Pennine League
Division Four (out of a possible eight). The club was formed in 1983, originally playing in the York and District Sunday League. In the 1997/98 season, Wetherby won the league without losing a game, and won the White Rose Cup, playing the final at Featherstone Rovers'
Post Office Road
ground. By 1999 the club had worked their way up to Yorkshire League Division One.
Wetherby Cricket Club play at Grange Park (adjacent to the South Wetherby A1(M)/A661
intersection). They play in the Wetherby League and the Whixley Evening League. They field two senior sides and a full complement of junior sides, from U-9s to U-17s.
Wetherby Bowling Club was established in 1986 and is situated at Grange Park Sports Centre between the cricket club and the rugby union club. It is one of the few clubs that can offer both Crown Green and Flat Green Bowling including a floodlit mini league which allows the Crown Green to be used in the evening until December. The club has six Crown Green teams (playing in the Harrogate and Tadcaster Leagues) as well as three Flat Green teams. They also offer friendly afternoon matches for those who just want a way to relax and keep fit.
The town's rugby union
club also play at Grange Park (adjacent to the South Wetherby A661 road intersection). They ground share here with the town's cricket and bowls clubs. Although the ground is also situated adjacent to the River Wharfe
, unlike the Ings it is not prone to flooding due to its height above the river. The club relocated here after playing temporarily at Kirk Deighton Rangers AFC's Loshpot Lane ground in 1990. Since then they have built a new clubhouse, car parking and floodlit pitches. The club have plans to develop their Grange Park ground in the future. These plans include the extending of the current clubhouse (which has been planned now in some form for over a decade) and a new stand adjacent to the first pitch.
Wetherby Golf Club proudly boasts an 18-hole golf course, constructed in two loops of 9-holes, with stunning views of the River Wharfe as it winds its way from Collingham to Wetherby along the Wetherby Ings where, 100 years ago, steeplechase racing was the major sporting activity. In order to meet the requirements of the modern game the course has been recently extended to almost 6,700 yards with five variable tee positions providing a course to suit all ages and golfing abilities. The clubhouse also boasts a snooker room and 100 seat diners lounge.
metropolitan borough. In recent years the town centre has had problems with antisocial behaviour. To combat this CCTV has been installed, the Horsefair Centre is closed at night and a series of ASBO
s have been issued by Leeds City Council
. Problems with antisocial behaviour have been blamed for driving away shoppers.
The town has slight problems with shop lifting, burglary
, antisocial behaviour, vandalism
and violence in the town centre on a night after closing time. More serious crimes are on the whole rare.
Although crime is low in comparison to that across Leeds, it is higher than the national average. Wetherby has above average statistics for theft of motor vehicles, theft from motor vehicles, burglary and violence against the person.
The town has its own Police Station and is in the North East Leeds, West Yorkshire Police division. The local police force is the West Yorkshire Police
. The town's magistrates court recently closed down.
Wetherby Town Council released the following statement, following the recent 'epidemic' of antisocial behaviour in the town centre.
The antisocial behaviour of the few is once again affecting the pleasure of living, working or just visiting Wetherby. There are reports of a group of 'hoodies' intimidating people down at the River Wharfe. They are targeting every age range with their obscene language, threatening remarks and general conduct. In addition, I think we have all seen the havoc and devastation to the picnic area which may have been the handiwork of the same group.
There are five churches in Wetherby:
The Baptist Church was originally Anglican and was known as Barleyfields Church. Early in 2009 it became part of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. The church originally met in the Barleyfields Centre, but moved to Deighton Gates School in September 2009. There is also All Saints C of E church in Kirk Deighton
which for many in North Wetherby is the closest church.
The Wetherby Secular Forum http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/catchuk2000/WSF&date=2009-10-25+17:03:52 is a Wetherby-based campaign group of Atheists
from the North East Leeds Area.
The regional BBC televised news is Look North
. Topographical features between Emley Moor transmitting station
and the town mean many buildings can only receive Tyne Tees
from the Bilsdale transmitting station. Regional radio stations include Stray FM [Harrogate), Radio Aire (Leeds), The Pulse of West Yorkshire
(Bradford), BBC Radio Leeds
, Minster FM
(York), Viking FM (Kingston Upon Hull).
Wetherby Racecourse
was originally located on the King George V playing fields at the Ings or Scaur Bank on Linton Road. It moved to its current site on the B1224 York Road and is the only racecourse in Yorkshire to stage only jump racing. There has been debate as to whether to introduce a flat course. The course is a left hand oval with easy bends. In 1999 the new millennium stand opened, providing the racecourse with executive facilities, making it possible to compete with York
, Pontefract
, Ripon
and Thirsk
). It has three stands, one constructed in the 1930s with football style terracing, a two-tier seated stand constructed in the 1970s and the new Millennium Stand.
In 1914, 100 dwellings in Wetherby were considered unfit for habitation. This and previous reports under the Housing and Town Planning Act 1909
led to the building of many 'villas'. There are many surviving examples of these, such as Park Villas, York Place, Grosvenor Terrace and Sandringham Terrace. Landlords found these hard to let due to exorbitant rents and many remained empty for years. This also led to the demolition of the town's Bishopgate Area. In 1910 the parish council started a programme to install street lighting in the hope of bettering the standard of living and reducing crime
.
It was not until the post war years the large housing estates appeared throughout Wetherby. From the 1940s until the 1980s, many large estates were built from scratch. Both the local corporation and the private sector built many houses to satisfy the huge demand for homes in Wetherby. Developer Norman Ashton's company Ashtons
were responsible for much of the housing in Wetherby, particularly around the Ainsty Estate, Hall Orchards and Templar Gardens area. Most housing in the town is from these years. There is a wide variety of housing types in Wetherby, including waterside penthouses, council flats and maisonettes, large detached houses, small terraces and probably the most common, the three bedroomed twentieth century semi-detached
home.
In its hey-day Wetherby had seventeen pubs in its town centre. Only twelve now remain. The town's oldest surviving pub 'The Brunswick' closed in 2003 and reopened as Harris' Bar, the Three Legs public house closed in 2007 and became "bar Thr3" (Wetherby's first non smoking pub).
During the Second World War, The Angel public house served German and Italian prisoners of war from the nearby camps. It was the only pub in Wetherby to do so and attracted some controversy in doing so.
Pubs in Wetherby
High Street
North Street
The Market Place
Westgate
Scott Lane
Bank Street
Lost pubs
Private members clubs
Wetherby has several private members clubs. The Wetherby Sports Association is based on Lodge Lane, adjacent to the swimming baths
and the ings
. The facilities there were recently built with National Lottery
funding. This serves both the football and rugby league
teams as well as other members of the association.
There is also a similar club at Grange Park, serving members of the town's rugby union
, cricket
and bowls
clubs as well as members of its committee and association.
The town's main Working Men's Club
, Wetherby and District Social Club is based on the Sandbeck Industrial Estate. This burnt down in a fire in 2002. The fire was initially treated as suspicious by West Yorkshire Police
, however investigations were taken no further. The club was rebuilt in its original location. As was the case in Belle Isle
the rebuilt club was significantly larger than its predecessor and offered its members far superior facilities.
Mock news article
A mock news article was filmed regarding a fictional pub in Wetherby, 'The Kings Head'. It was broadcast on Soccer AM
. The article reported on the Kings Head being converted into a new 'American style sports bar'. 'Wetherby residents' (who were all working class
northern stereotypes) were interviewed in the film. All of them were dismayed by the conversion, and agreed that 'Change was bad'.
. The event has raised nearly two million pounds for charity since starting out in 1984 with only 284 riders. In 2007 1,494 riders raised £119,575.
The Wetherby Festival http://www.wetherbyfestival.co.uk/indexnew.php is held in the town, across various venues, annually. Both Leeds City Council
and Wetherby Town Council sponsor the event. The Wetherby Festival is on every year it is a festival put on to promote the arts in Wetherby by providing a platform for local groups to perform and to bring in other performers and art forms. Total Travel
and Ingmanthorpe
, the new service station uses the latest 'green technologies' in its construction and running, making it the UK's first carbon neutral
service station. The service station includes a 126 bed Days Inn
hotel and is run by Moto
. This is the first major hotel in the North of the town. The service station is in North Yorkshire and so under separate jurisdiction to Wetherby. The services opened in August 2008, with the hotel opening the following summer.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
and civil parish within the 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...
of the City of Leeds
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
, 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 stands on the River Wharfe
River Wharfe
The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. For much of its length it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The name Wharfe is Celtic and means "twisting, winding".The valley of the River Wharfe is known as Wharfedale...
, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh. It has a population of 11,155.
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 Wapentake of Skyrack within 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...
, Wetherby is mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
of 1086 as Wedrebi, thought to derive from wether- or ram-farm or else meaning "settlement on the bend of a river". Local folklore has it that when heavy snow storms hit the county, Wetherby does not get as much because the Weather Goes By.
Wetherby Bridge, which spans the River Wharfe, is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
and a Grade II listed structure.
As a result of its situation on the main road, a large number of coaching inns were established in Wetherby, and many are still used today by travellers.
The Old Great North Road is still in place and "Toll Bar House" is still present today. It underwent refurbishment in the late 90's but the main part of the house is unchanged apart from the two chimney pots being reversed during the refurbishment.
History
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
and later the Knights Hospitallers were granted land and properties in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. The local Preceptory founded in 1217 was at Ribston Park. In 1240 the Knights Templar were granted by Royal Charter of Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
the right to hold a market in Wetherby (known then as Werreby). The Charter stated the market should be held on a Thursday and a yearly fair was permitted lasting three days over the day of St James the Apostle
Saint James the Great
James, son of Zebedee was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle...
.
From 1318 to 1319 the North of England suffered many raids from the Scots. After the Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
Wetherby was burned and many people taken and killed. According to the blue plaque http://www.elliott99.plus.com/Richard/images/scott%20lane400x400.jpg at the entrance to the lane, Scott Lane could be named after the Scottish raiders in 1318, or perhaps after the 18th century drovers who used Wetherby as a watering place.
Wetherby had a small part to play in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
in 1644. Before marching to Tadcaster
Tadcaster
Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. Lying on the Great North Road approximately east of Leeds and west of York. It is the last town on the River Wharfe before it joins the River Ouse about downstream...
and then to Marston Moor, the Parliamentarians spent two days in Wetherby while joining forces with the Scots.
In the heyday of the coaching era, Wetherby had up to forty inns and alehouses. The first recorded mail coach arrived in Wetherby in 1786.
In 1824, William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire
William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire
William George Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire KG, PC , styled Marquess of Hartington until 1811, was a British peer, courtier and Whig politician...
sold the town of Wetherby (except one house) to finance work at Chatsworth
Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House is a stately home in North Derbyshire, England, northeast of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield . It is the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, and has been home to his family, the Cavendish family, since Bess of Hardwick settled at Chatsworth in 1549.Standing on the east bank of the...
. Wetherby provides the setting for the novel Oldbury (1869) by Annie Keary
Annie Keary
Anna Maria Keary was an English novelist, poet and children's writer.-Life:Born at the rectory in Bilston, now called Bilton-in-Ainsty, Yorkshire, Annie was the daughter of a former army chaplain, William Keary, who came from County Galway in Ireland, and his wife, Lucy Plumer, of Bilton Hall....
.
Wetherby gave its name to Wetherby Place in London and thence to Wetherby School
Wetherby School
Wetherby School is an independent school for boys in Notting Hill in London.Wetherby School was founded in 1951 as a pre-preparatory school for boys aged 4–8. In 2004 it opened a preparatory department in a nearby building, allowing boys to stay on until the age of 13...
in London, which used to be located in Wetherby Place.
20th century
For many years the town was home to Wharfedale Brewery which became Oxley's mineral water factory during the inter-war years. The factory was demolished in the 1950s and was redeveloped as the West Yorkshire busWest Yorkshire Road Car Company
The West Yorkshire Road Car Company Ltd was a major bus operator covering North and West Yorkshire. The company was generally referred to as West Yorkshire...
depot and bus station, and has since been further redeveloped to include shops, offices, and a restaurant in addition to the bus station. The nearby watermill, which was situated by the weir, is now the site of luxury riverside flats.
Many Wetherby men served with either the 5th or 9th West Yorkshire Regiments, who had great losses in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. A war memorial designed by E. F. Roslyn was dedicated on April 22, 1922.
In 1918, the locals of Wetherby contributed greatly to support the crew of the Racecourse class minesweeper
Racecourse class minesweeper
The Racecourse class minesweepers were 32 ships delivered to the Royal Navy during the First World War. They were built to two related designs as paddlewheel coastal minesweeping sloops under the Emergency War Programme. The vessels were reasonable sea-boats, but lost speed badly in a seaway when...
HMS Wetherby despite hardship and shortages caused by the war.
During World War II, RAF Tockwith was renamed RAF Marston Moor to avoid confusion with RAF Topcliffe
RAF Topcliffe
RAF Topcliffe is a Royal Air Force station in North Yorkshire. It is a satellite station of RAF Linton-on-Ouse.Topcliffe opened in September 1940 as a bomber station in RAF Bomber Command and was home to 77 and 102 Squadrons flying the Whitley heavy bomber. There was a decoy site at Raskelf...
. Part of the airfield is now used as a driver training centre and the old control tower is used as the offices. Parts of the runways can still be seen.
Heart-throb of the American silver screen, Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
was stationed at Marston Moor, during WW2, as a member of the USAAF ground staff, with the rank of Captain. He was later transferred to RAF Polebrook
RAF Polebrook
RAF Polebrook is a former World War II airfield located 3.5 miles east-south-east of Oundle, at Polebrook, Northamptonshire, UK. The airfield was built on Rothschild estate land starting in August 1940....
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, during this time Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
offered a reward to anyone who was able to catch the airman.
Group Captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
Leonard Cheshire
Leonard Cheshire
Group Captain Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire, VC, OM, DSO and Two Bars, DFC was a highly decorated British RAF pilot during the Second World War....
was also stationed at Marston Moor for a short while before leaving to become Commander of the famous 617 Dam Buster squadron.
Wetherby had the only landship north of London, built on Hallfield Lane in 1942 (it later become the local secondary school), named in turn; HMS Cabot, Demetrius, Rodney and Ceres. The base was closed in 1958 and transferred to Chatham
Chatham, Medway
Chatham is one of the Medway towns located within the Medway unitary authority, in North Kent, in South East England.Although the dockyard has long been closed and is now being redeveloped into a business and residential community as well as a museum featuring the famous submarine, HMS Ocelot,...
.
Throughout the 1960s the town council deliberated over how best to enlarge the town centre to cope with the needs of a growing population and to provide the town with a purpose built supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
. Plans were put forward to enlarge the town over the ings
Ings
Ings is an old Yorkshire word for water meadows & marshes, including those which were part of the Humber flood plain.Ings often teem with large numbers of water birds and other wildlife...
, or to develop the town centre into a pedestrian precinct. In the end it was decided to build a purpose built shopping precinct, which was built in the 1970s and underwent a significant redevelopment throughout 2003. By 2006 the remaining open parts of the Horsefair Centre were enclosed under a glass canopy roof.
For many years from 1959, the town's bypass started at a roundabout near a Forte Posthouse hotel, which was prone to lengthy queues at busy periods. The roundabout still remains, but the A1 was diverted in July 1988 at a cost of £11.5 m. On December 18, 2004, the northern section of the bypass was substantially diverted to a new section of the A1(M), bypassing Kirk Deighton, after construction work had begun in August 2003. The upgrade of the section between Bramham and Wetherby started in July 2007 and is scheduled to be completed in 2009. The upgrading of the A1 includes a new motorway service station
Wetherby services
Wetherby Services is a major service station north of Wetherby on the A1. The service station fully opened in September 2008. The service station lies on the border between North and West Yorkshire in the north of England...
at the Wetherby North Junction (near Kirk Deighton
Kirk Deighton
Kirk Deighton is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated to the immediate north west of Wetherby and near the A1. The village has a population of less than 500 people. Kirk Deighton is set along the county border line between West Yorkshire...
). This will include another large hotel, the only one in Wetherby, North of the River Wharfe
River Wharfe
The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. For much of its length it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The name Wharfe is Celtic and means "twisting, winding".The valley of the River Wharfe is known as Wharfedale...
. The current upgrading of the A1(M) in Wetherby should be the final development of it, after 50 years of gradual development to the modern motorway it is now becoming. With the diversion of the A1 away from the Selby Fork (which had once housed a large service area), Wetherby are the next services directly on the A1 after 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....
.
Wetherby Town Council have for some years commissioned blue plaques to mark points of notable history, these have been erected at the site of the former castle, the former watermill, the town hall, the Angel public house, the former cattle market, the Red Lion public house, The Shambles, St James' Church as well as other landmarks. The town has no museum of its own, yet the town's history is well documented in Leeds Central Library.
Future developments
An A1(M) and town bypassing and access scheme will see Wetherby bypassed in some form for a fourth time in fifty years. A new link road will bypass the town, linking all of the routes in and out of the town with the A1(M). The new road linking the town's Deighton Bar area with the Racecourse via the A1(M) and the new Wetherby to Boston Spa link road are part of this.Governance
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP Alec Shelbrooke
Alec Shelbrooke
Alec Edward Shelbrooke is a British Conservative Party politician, who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Elmet and Rothwell, a new constituency created as a result of changes made by the Boundary Commission for England...
. Wetherby was in the Elmet Constituency, a traditionally marginal seat, taking in towns and areas such as Garforth
Garforth
Garforth is a town within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. The 2001 Census lists 23,892 residents in the Garforth and Swillington ward - 80.57% of which are homeowners, 20% more than the average for Leeds. Garforth itself has 15,394 of those people...
, Swarcliffe
Swarcliffe
Swarcliffe, originally the Swarcliffe Estate, is a district of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is east of Leeds city centre, and within the LS14 Leeds postcode area....
, Kippax
Kippax, West Yorkshire
Kippax is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the east of the city, near to Garforth and Great Preston....
, Cross Gates and former mining villages such as Allerton Bywater
Allerton Bywater
Allerton Bywater is a semi-rural village and civil parish in the south-east of City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. The village itself is north of Castleford and lies in the WF10 Castleford postcode area...
and as of 2010 is part of the enlarged Elmet and Rothwell Constituency
Divisions and suburbs
Wetherby has both residential and industrial districts within the town, although some of them are not officially recognised as settlements, they are commonly referred to by local residents, community groups and businesses that operate in the areas.- MicklethwaiteMicklethwaite, WetherbyMicklethwaite is an area of Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough. Micklethwaite lies on the south banks of the River Wharfe. Micklethwaite was at one point a village in its own rights, however through the growth of Wetherby it is now seen as an...
- Micklethwaite would have once been referred to as a village in its own right, however the identity of the area as a separate place has gradually disappeared, particularly since the former Micklethwaite Farm buildings were demolished in the 2000s and replaced with around 150 dwellings, as part of a development simply known as 'Micklethwaite'. Micklethwaite is situated South of the River WharfeRiver WharfeThe River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. For much of its length it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The name Wharfe is Celtic and means "twisting, winding".The valley of the River Wharfe is known as Wharfedale...
, and contains Wetherby's Police StationPolice StationPolice Station is a American TV series that aired in syndication in 1959. Stories were taken from actual files.- Cast :*Baynes Barron as Sergeant White*Larry Kerr as Detective Chuck Mitchell*Henry Beckman as Detective Stan Abramson...
, magistrates court, Wetherby's largest hotel, the Ramada JarvisRamada JarvisRamada Jarvis was a chain of 42 3 star and 4 star hotels located throughout the mainland of the United Kingdom . The Elcot Park Hotel in Newbury was one of the hotels in this chain, along with multiple others in large locations such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Birmingham, Manchester and...
as well as the town's Leisure Centre and Swimming Baths. Wetherby Athletic and Wetherby Bulldogs RLFC play on the Wetherby ingsIngsIngs is an old Yorkshire word for water meadows & marshes, including those which were part of the Humber flood plain.Ings often teem with large numbers of water birds and other wildlife...
in Micklethwaite, while Wetherby RUFC and Wetherby CC play at Grange Park in the area.
- LintonLinton, West YorkshireLinton is an affluent village south west of Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England and in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough.The village is situated between Wetherby and Sicklinghall, on the River Wharfe. Collingham lies immediately to the south on the other side of the river...
- Although technically a village in its own right, the boundaries of Linton have grown up towards Wetherby, to such a point that the definitive boundary is now difficult to establish, with residents around the marginal areas citing their addresses differently. The area is home to Wetherby Golf Club, The Windmill Inn public housePublic houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
as well as the Woodhall Hotel and Spa. Linton is to the Western side of Wetherby.
- AinstyAinsty, WetherbyAinsty is an area of Wetherby, West Yorkshire. Ainsty is situated to the North of Wetherby and runs as far as the border between North and West Yorkshire, to the north of this is Kirk Deighton.-Location:...
- Ainsty is in the North of Wetherby, off the B1224 Deighton Road. The area's earliest buildings were built around the 1940s. The area is made up of both council housing and private housing. Much of the area was built by developer Norman Ashton in the 1960s. The amenities of the area have declined in recent years, leaving only three shops left on the estate, being a Co-op and post officePost officeA post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and a decorating shop. The area has had in the last twenty years a sports shop, a launderette, a hardware shop, a sandwich shop and a hairdressers on its parades of shops on Ainsty Road and Aire Road. The Co-op has been a NisaNisa-Locations:*Nısa - a village in Azerbaijan*Nisa, Portugal - a municipality in the district of Portalegre*Nisa, Turkmenistan - an ancient city , first capital of the Parthians-Organizations:*The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency in Japan....
, Close Buy, Harves and Greens Grocers and the Happy ShopperHappy ShopperHappy Shopper is a United Kingdom brand of independent convenience products. The brand is owned by cash and carry company Booker Group.The products are sold by Booker to independent convenience stores and off-licences. Products include groceries, frozen foods, carbonated drinks and confectionery....
. The area is separated from neighbouring Deighton Bar by Deighton Gates Primary School.
- HallfieldHallfieldHallfield or Hallfields is an area predominantly of council estates in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. The area is situated east of the town centre...
- Situated in the South East of the town, Hallfield is Wetherby's largest council estate. As well as council houses, the area also has some houses built by the prison service and some sheltered housing. The area is home to Wetherby High SchoolWetherby High SchoolWetherby High School is a secondary school in the Hallfield area of Wetherby, West Yorkshire. It is run by the City of Leeds Local Education Authority. The school is situated on Hallfield Lane, on the Hallfields Estate in Wetherby...
, St James' Primary School, the Wetherby Cemetery, the Church on the Corner, Mason House Community Centre and Mason House Off Licence. A new medical centre has recently been built on the edge of the estate.
- Deighton Bar - Deighton Bar is situated in the North East of Wetherby, bordering Ainsty and Sandbeck as well as the village of Kirk DeightonKirk DeightonKirk Deighton is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated to the immediate north west of Wetherby and near the A1. The village has a population of less than 500 people. Kirk Deighton is set along the county border line between West Yorkshire...
(which actually falls under North Yorkshire, as does one street within Deighton Bar, Autumn Avenue). The oldest houses in the area is the row of terrace houses on Deighton Road, Allenfield Terrace. The area is home to Deighton Gates primary school, which falls in between Ainsty and Deighton Bar. Most housing in Deighton Bar was built in the late 1970s by BarrattsBarrattsBarratts Priceless Ltd incorporates two long established high street brands in Barratts Shoes and Priceless Shoes in 2010. The Barratts shoes brand trades from 100 UK and Éire Stores and is committed to providing affordable fashion footwear...
.
- Barleyfields - Barleyfields is a residential area in central Wetherby made up mostly of council housing, however it does also include private and housing association properties. The area's council housing consists of the York Place flats as well as older council housing around Barleyfields Road, Barleyfields Terrace and Woodhill View. Barleyfields' oldest houses are the large Victorian terraces on Sandringham Terrace and the former quarry workers cottages hidden behind Prospect Villas. The area is broken up by dismantled railways as it is essentially situated in the middle of a large triangular railway junction. The area is home to St Joseph's Primary School, Crossley Street Primary School (between Barleyfields and the town centre) as well as the Barleyfields Community Centre.
- Sandbeck - Sandbeck is home to the Sandbeck Industrial Estate as well as some 1960s Norman Ashton Houses on and around Templar Gardens. There are also some council houses on Law Close. The industrial estate is home to West Yorkshire SteelWest Yorkshire SteelWest Yorkshire Steel is a steel company based in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. Giving advice and supplying raw material steel specifications to users throughout the UK including universities, schools, medical industry B2B, oil and gas industry and a wide variety of other users...
, Goldenfry Foods, The Forensic Science Service, Mondipack, Swift Research, Dunwood Polymer Services as well as Arvilles Textiles. Towards the edge of the industrial estate is Sandbeck Motors, a large VauxhallVauxhall MotorsVauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
dealership. The town's working mens club is also in this area.
- Linton Park View - Linton Park View is an affluent area made entirely of private houses, mostly built in the 1970s. The area is situated between Spofforth Hill and Linton Lane in the North West of Wetherby.
- Spofforth Hill - Generally named after the main road that runs through it, Spofforth Hill is an affluent area of Wetherby situated off the A661. The area contains many large detached houses dating from Victorian times onwards. In the 1980s and 1990s the area was expanded after Shepherd Homes built a housing estate on former agricultural land. The estate was recognisable as the houses were built of a distinctive looking red brick. This area is often referred to as either the Glebe Field Estate, or to residents who have lived in the area long enough to remember its construction, The Shepherd Estate.
Distances of nearby settlements and places of note
The following is a list of significant towns and places and their distance from Wetherby; all are taken from Wetherby Town Hall, the shortest road distance is used.- CollinghamCollingham, West YorkshireCollingham is a village and civil parish south east of Wetherby in West Yorkshire, England. It is in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough. The clergyman, the Reverend William Mompesson was born there in 1639....
- 2.4 miles (3.9 km) - Boston SpaBoston SpaBoston Spa is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, south of Wetherby, on the banks of the River Wharfe...
- 2.4 miles (3.9 km) - HarewoodHarewoodHarewood is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England. The A61 runs through the village, from Leeds city centre in the south to Harrogate in the north...
- 6.2 miles (10 km) - WhinmoorWhinmoorWhinmoor is residential area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The area is 5 miles to the north east of the city centre, adjacent to Swarcliffe and Seacroft in the LS14 Leeds postcode area...
(generally considered the nearest edge of the Leeds Urban Area) - 6.9 miles (11.1 km) - TadcasterTadcasterTadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. Lying on the Great North Road approximately east of Leeds and west of York. It is the last town on the River Wharfe before it joins the River Ouse about downstream...
- 6.9 miles (11.1 km) - KnaresboroughKnaresboroughKnaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...
- 7.6 miles (12.2 km) - HarrogateHarrogateHarrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
- 9.4 miles (15.1 km) - GarforthGarforthGarforth is a town within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. The 2001 Census lists 23,892 residents in the Garforth and Swillington ward - 80.57% of which are homeowners, 20% more than the average for Leeds. Garforth itself has 15,394 of those people...
- 10.8 miles (17.4 km) - Leeds Bradford International AirportLeeds Bradford International AirportLeeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
- 11.8 miles (19 km) - Leeds city centreLeeds City CentreLeeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, England. It is within the Leeds Central parliamentary constituency, represented by Hilary Benn as MP since a by-election in 1999...
- 12.1 miles (19.5 km) - BoroughbridgeBoroughbridgeBoroughbridge is a small town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of York. Until its bypass was built, it was on the main A1 road from London to Edinburgh...
- 13 miles (20.9 km) - YorkYorkYork 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...
- 13.9 miles (22.4 km) - 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....
- 18.2 miles (29.3 km) - BradfordBradfordBradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
23.3 miles (37.5 km)
Demography
Micklethwaite, Wetherby
Micklethwaite is an area of Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough. Micklethwaite lies on the south banks of the River Wharfe. Micklethwaite was at one point a village in its own rights, however through the growth of Wetherby it is now seen as an...
, then a further 20 were added, flats have also appeared at the former Motorworld, La Locanda Restaurant, Deighton Road car garage, Fields Works and the cattle market.
Expected growth
Since the relocation of the A1(M), to the North of Wetherby, several acres of previously cut off land has become part of the town. A smaller piece of land will also become available to the south of Wetherby. Although there are no plans to develop these as yet, high land values and demand for housing may bring about large scale development in the near future.
Economy
Thorp Arch Trading Estate
Thorp Arch Trading Estate occupies major part of a former Royal Ordnance Factory , ROF Thorpe Arch, in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England close to Wetherby. The trading estate is now divided into industrial and retail space. There is still much evidence of its former use around the site...
. The majority of residents in Wetherby work in 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...
, however many work on the Sandbeck industrial estate, major retailers in the town centre or at Thorp Arch. Particularly big employers in Wetherby are the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
, Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
, Goldenfry Foods and, Moores Furniture and The Forensic Science Service. Residents travel to work in the nearby areas of 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...
, Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
or 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....
.
Perhaps the most notable company to emerge from Wetherby is Goldenfry
Goldenfry
Goldenfry Foods is a British food manufacturer based in Wetherby, West Yorkshire. The company manufactures most own brand supermarket gravy products as well as many of their own food products...
. Goldenfry started life as a Wetherby fish and chip shop, the company now make many products, the most notable being their own brand gravy. Goldenfry manufacture every UK supermarket own brand gravy. Goldenfry is situated on Sandbeck Way.
Inspirepack (formerly Safepack and Mondipack) have a factory on Sandbeck Lane. One of the oldest IT resellers and service providers in the UK, the ICC group, is based at Thorp Arch Estate.
Farnell
Farnell (company)
Farnell is a trading name of Premier Farnell, a distributor of electronic components. It was once a significant manufacturer of electronic laboratory and bench equipment, through its subsidiary Farnell Technology but divested itself of manufacturing in 1995...
(also trading as Premier Farnell or Farnell Instruments) opened their first factory in Wetherby in 1956 (made up of former W.D. huts) on Wetherby's York Road Industrial Estate. The company grew so much that by 1963 they required new premises and moved to a purpose built factory on the town's Sandbeck Industrial Estate. The company specialise in the manufacture and wholesale distribution of Electrical, Electronic
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
and Measurement, Control and Instrumentation
Instrumentation
Instrumentation is defined as the art and science of measurement and control of process variables within a production, or manufacturing area....
equipment. In the 1990s the company left the town and now have their main offices in Armley
Armley
Armley is a district in the west of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It starts less than a mile from Leeds city centre. Like much of Leeds, Armley grew in the industrial revolution and had several mills, one of which is now the Armley Mills museum...
.
Road
The bus stationWetherby bus station
Wetherby bus station serves the town of Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. The bus station is situated at Market Place, with the main stand, A, just off the main road and the other stand, B, on street itself...
is at the lower end of the Market Place, it was redeveloped in 1995. Since the partial pedestrianisation of the lower end of the Market Place in 2007 the capacity of the bus station has been reduced. The Hallfields Estate, Ainsty Estate and Sandbeck Industrial Estate also have bus services. From Wetherby Bus Station, many services operate, including several National Express
National Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
services. First West Yorkshire
First West Yorkshire
First West Yorkshire is the trading name of the four First bus companies serving the area of West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
run buses 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...
, Harrogate & District
Harrogate & District
Transdev Harrogate & District is a local bus operator based in Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Blazefield Group which is itself owned by the international transport company Transdev....
, runs 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...
via Boston Spa
Boston Spa
Boston Spa is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, south of Wetherby, on the banks of the River Wharfe...
and Seacroft
Seacroft
Seacroft is an outer-city suburb consisting mainly of council estate housing covering an extensive area of east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is east of Leeds city centre and lies in the LS14 Leeds postcode area....
and to Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
, a bus operated by Connexionsbuses, runs to Knaresborough
Knaresborough
Knaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...
, Arriva buses run to 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 to 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....
via Garforth
Garforth
Garforth is a town within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. The 2001 Census lists 23,892 residents in the Garforth and Swillington ward - 80.57% of which are homeowners, 20% more than the average for Leeds. Garforth itself has 15,394 of those people...
and Utopia runs to Tadcaster
Tadcaster
Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. Lying on the Great North Road approximately east of Leeds and west of York. It is the last town on the River Wharfe before it joins the River Ouse about downstream...
and Otley
Otley
-Transport:The main roads through the town are the A660 to the south east, which connects Otley to Bramhope, Adel and Leeds city centre, and the A65 to the west, which goes to Ilkley and Skipton. The A6038 heads to Guiseley, Shipley and Bradford, connecting with the A65...
. The daily footfall is estimated at 1634.
Rail
Local passenger services between Leeds-Wetherby-Harrogate, and Wetherby and Church FentonChurch Fenton
Church Fenton is a village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. The village is home to many commuters and is served by a railway station; Church Fenton railway station. Neighbouring villages include Cawood and Ulleskelf. It is about from Tadcaster and from...
were withdrawn on January 6, 1964, involving closure of Wetherby railway station
Wetherby railway station
Wetherby railway station can refer to three railway stations in Wetherby, West Yorkshire:*Wetherby railway station - The last operating railway station in the town*Wetherby railway station - The first railway station in the town...
, amongst others. Currently the closest mainline station to Wetherby is Leeds railway station. Cross Gates railway station
Cross Gates railway station
Cross Gates railway station serves Cross Gates, an area in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the York and Selby Lines, operated by Northern Rail east of Leeds railway station...
, Garforth railway station
Garforth railway station
Garforth railway station serves the town of Garforth, near Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the York and Selby Lines and North TransPennine routes. Garforth is east of Leeds....
, Harrogate railway station
Harrogate railway station
Harrogate railway station serves the town centre of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line north of Leeds railway station. Northern Rail operate the station and provide all passenger train services except a daily East Coast service to and from London Kings...
, Knaresborough railway station
Knaresborough railway station
Knaresborough railway station serves the town of Knaresborough in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line west of York and is operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services.-Background:...
and Cattal railway station
Cattal railway station
Cattal railway station serves the village of Cattal in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line west of York and is operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services.-Services:...
are also nearby.
Air
The closest airportAirport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
to Wetherby is Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds 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...
. This is situated in the town of Yeadon
Yeadon, West Yorkshire
Yeadon is a town within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. It is home to Leeds Bradford International Airport.-History:...
, but there is no direct route from Wetherby.
Education
There are four primary schools situated in Wetherby and one secondary school. There is a further secondary school serving Wetherby situated in Boston Spa
Boston Spa
Boston Spa is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, south of Wetherby, on the banks of the River Wharfe...
. The local college in Wetherby is Leeds City College
Leeds City College
Leeds City College is the largest Further education establishment in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, with around 57,000 students, 2,300 staff and an annual turnover of £78 million. It officially opened on 1 April 2009...
. There are larger colleges in the area such as Thomas Danby College, Leeds College of Technology
Leeds College of Technology
Leeds College of Technology was a further education college in Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. With a strong technical bias, the College supported the computing, engineering, social care and transport industries...
, Leeds College of Building
Leeds College of Building
Leeds College of Building in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England is the only college in the UK which specialises in the construction industry. It was established in 1960 and currently has about 5,600 students, 11% of whom are full-time...
, Wakefield College and Bradford College. Outside of 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....
there is also York College
York College
York College could refer to:*York College, City University of New York Jamaica, New York*York College York, Nebraska*York College of Pennsylvania York, Pennsylvania*York College York, UK*University of York UK...
and Harrogate College. The nearest Universities are The University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
and Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
. There are also smaller universities in the area such as The University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
, York St John University
York St John University
York St John University York St John University York St John University (formerly known variously as York St John University College (2004), York St John College (2001), Ripon and York St John: a College of the University of Leeds (c. 1996), University College of Ripon and York St John...
, The University of Bradford
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
and The University of Huddersfield
University of Huddersfield
The University of Huddersfield is a university located in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.- History :The University traces its roots back to a Science and Mechanic Institute founded in 1825...
.
Present day
Forensic Science Service
The Forensic Science Service is a government-owned company in the United Kingdom which provides forensic science services to the police forces and government agencies of England and Wales, as well as other countries.-History:...
has a laboratory in Wetherby on Sandbeck Way. This is part of the town's large Sandbeck Industrial Estate, also home to Goldenfry Foods, Swift Research Ltd and the town's working men's club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
.
Wetherby racecourse is a National Hunt racecourse, situated on the B1224 York Road. Opposite the racecourse is Wetherby Young Offender Institution
Wetherby (HM Prison)
HMP/YOI College of Secure Learning Wetherby is a male juveniles prison, located in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
. There is also Wealston Prison situated at Thorp Arch
Thorp Arch (village)
Thorp Arch is a small village and civil parish near Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. The village comes under the City of Leeds metropolitan borough. The village is set on the River Wharfe, has a primary school and public house. The village is in the LS23 Wetherby postcode area and has a Wetherby...
just outside of the town.
Wetherby has a pedestrianised shopping centre The Horsefair Centre, which includes a Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
supermarket, Boots the Chemist, Superdrug
Superdrug
Superdrug Stores PLC is Britain's second-largest beauty and health retailer behind Boots. Superdrug - part of the AS Watson Group which in turn is part of the Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa - is a UK based company with over 890 stores, which since 2006, includes the Republic of Ireland...
, Clinton Cards
Clinton Cards
Clinton Cards is a chain of stores in the UK founded in 1968 by Don Lewin. Mostly selling greeting cards, as the name suggests, the chain claims to be "the largest specialist retailer of greetings cards, plush merchandise and related products in the UK with over 700 shops." They used to be...
, Specsavers
Specsavers
Specsavers Optical Group Ltd is the biggest optical retailer in the UK and Ireland. It is also the biggest of the four major opticians that control 70% of the British market for spectacles and contact lenses, with Specsavers having a 39% share of the market...
and many other shops. The centre was built in the 1970s after the council decided in the 1960s to opt for a purpose built shopping precinct as opposed to developing the existing town centre into a pedestrian precinct. It underwent further significant development between 2002 and 2005. Original plans for the redevelopment of the town centre, speculated pedestrianising either the High Street or Market Place, building a relief road, bypassing the High Street and demolishing the Red Lion public house and replacing it with modern offices.
The town's branch of Kwiksave recently closed down and has since reopened as a Sainsbury's. This is now Wetherby's fourth supermarket, competing with a Co-op, a Marks and Spencers and the largest of all, the Morrisons branch, which carries the large modern layout of Morrison's flagship branches. For many years, the Co-op in the Horsefair Centre was the town's main supermarket, other chains looked at moving into the town to compete with the Co-op, Sainsburys looked at building on Micklethwaite Farm, Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
looked at building on the Jarvis Hotel
Ramada
Ramada is a hotel chain owned and operated by Wyndham Worldwide.- History :The lodging chain was founded in 1953 by longtime Chicago restaurateur Marion W...
, Safeway
Safeway (UK)
Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
looked at demolishing the lorry park and Hallfields Mansions, diverting Hallfield lane and building a supermarket there, in the end, however Morrisons purchase the Horsefair Centre and went about redeveloping much of the shopping centre as well as the former Co-op supermarket. Sainsburys have now bought the Ramada Hotel site and are planning to build a supermarket at this location.
Since its closure in the 1990s, the town's cattle market has been redeveloped as flats and a Marks and Spencer store. This is an indication of the changing aspect of Wetherby, no longer a rural town but a growing town situated within the Leeds commuter belt.
In August 2008 the MOTO Wetherby service station opened on the B1224, A1(M) intersection, this consists of a BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
filling station
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
, a WH Smiths, the town's second Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse company founded in 1971 by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa, as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. Since 1995 it has been a subsidiary of Whitbread, since when the company has grown to over...
, the town's second Marks and Spencer and a Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
.
Colin Burgon
Colin Burgon is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Elmet from 1997 until he stood down at the 2010 general election.-Early life:...
Labour Member of Parliament for Elmet
Elmet (UK Parliament constituency)
Elmet was a county constituency in West Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
The centre was completed in May 2008 and services have been provided from the building since June 2008. The centre has revamped healthcare in Wetherby bringing a range of services under one roof, these include Podiatry
Podiatry
Podiatry is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and lower leg. The term podiatry came into use first in the early 20th century United States, where it now denotes a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine , a specialist who is qualified by their...
Physiotherapy and a baby clinic.
Wetherby is the home to the Martin House Hospice
Martin House Hospice
Martin House is a children's hospice in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. It provides care and support to families in which there is a child or children with a short life expectancy....
, which provides care and support to families in which there is a child or children with a short life expectancy.
Sport
The town is home to several sporting clubs: Wetherby Athletic AFC, Wetherby Bulldogs RLFC and Wetherby RUFC, all playing at a higher amateur level. Collingham Colts FC and Kirk Deighton Rangers FC also play close to the town.Wetherby Athletic play in the West Yorkshire League. The club was formed in 1949, from Wetherby AFC and Wetherby Rovers FC. The club groundshare with Wetherby Bulldogs RLFC at the newly refurbished ground on the South bank of the Ings
Wetherby Ings
The Wetherby Ings are large ings on the River Wharfe and the largest parkland area in Wetherby, West Yorkshire. As well as being used as parkland the area is used as sports ground for both the towns Football and Rugby League teams.-North Bank:...
.
Formed in October 2004, the Wetherby Runners Athletic Club are based at Wetherby Sports Association with a membership of over 160. The club has a mix of male and female athletes, spanning a range of abilities and caters for ages from 10 years and upwards. A junior section compete in West Yorks Track & Field & cross country Leagues. They compete throughout the region in Harrogate Road League http://www.harrogate-league.co.uk/, Black Sheep Race Series http://www.blacksheepraceseries.co.uk/, West Yorks Cross Country League as well as taking part in cross country, fell, road races and marathons. http://www.wetherbyrunnersac.co.uk
Wetherby Bulldogs are the town's rugby league
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...
side who play at the Ings with Wetherby Athletic. The Wetherby Bulldogs play in the Pennine League
Pennine League
The Pennine Amateur Rugby League, or Pennine League is a rugby league competition for amateur open-age clubs that runs from September to April. The clubs are drawn from West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the east of Lancashire....
Division Four (out of a possible eight). The club was formed in 1983, originally playing in the York and District Sunday League. In the 1997/98 season, Wetherby won the league without losing a game, and won the White Rose Cup, playing the final at 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...
Post Office Road
Post Office Road
Post Office Road, currently styled as the Bigfellas Stadium for sponsorship purposes , is a rugby league ground in Featherstone, near Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England...
ground. By 1999 the club had worked their way up to Yorkshire League Division One.
Wetherby Cricket Club play at Grange Park (adjacent to the South Wetherby A1(M)/A661
A661 road
The A661 is an A road running between Wetherby and Harrogate in West and North Yorkshire, England. The road is approximately in length....
intersection). They play in the Wetherby League and the Whixley Evening League. They field two senior sides and a full complement of junior sides, from U-9s to U-17s.
Wetherby Bowling Club was established in 1986 and is situated at Grange Park Sports Centre between the cricket club and the rugby union club. It is one of the few clubs that can offer both Crown Green and Flat Green Bowling including a floodlit mini league which allows the Crown Green to be used in the evening until December. The club has six Crown Green teams (playing in the Harrogate and Tadcaster Leagues) as well as three Flat Green teams. They also offer friendly afternoon matches for those who just want a way to relax and keep fit.
The town's rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club also play at Grange Park (adjacent to the South Wetherby A661 road intersection). They ground share here with the town's cricket and bowls clubs. Although the ground is also situated adjacent to the River Wharfe
River Wharfe
The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. For much of its length it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The name Wharfe is Celtic and means "twisting, winding".The valley of the River Wharfe is known as Wharfedale...
, unlike the Ings it is not prone to flooding due to its height above the river. The club relocated here after playing temporarily at Kirk Deighton Rangers AFC's Loshpot Lane ground in 1990. Since then they have built a new clubhouse, car parking and floodlit pitches. The club have plans to develop their Grange Park ground in the future. These plans include the extending of the current clubhouse (which has been planned now in some form for over a decade) and a new stand adjacent to the first pitch.
Wetherby Golf Club proudly boasts an 18-hole golf course, constructed in two loops of 9-holes, with stunning views of the River Wharfe as it winds its way from Collingham to Wetherby along the Wetherby Ings where, 100 years ago, steeplechase racing was the major sporting activity. In order to meet the requirements of the modern game the course has been recently extended to almost 6,700 yards with five variable tee positions providing a course to suit all ages and golfing abilities. The clubhouse also boasts a snooker room and 100 seat diners lounge.
Crime
Crime is generally lower in Wetherby than in most areas of the City of LeedsCity of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
metropolitan borough. In recent years the town centre has had problems with antisocial behaviour. To combat this CCTV has been installed, the Horsefair Centre is closed at night and a series of ASBO
Åsbo
Åsbo can refer to:*Åsbo Northern Hundred, a hundred in Scania*Åsbo Southern Hundred, a hundred in Scania...
s have been issued by Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
. Problems with antisocial behaviour have been blamed for driving away shoppers.
The town has slight problems with shop lifting, burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
, antisocial behaviour, vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
and violence in the town centre on a night after closing time. More serious crimes are on the whole rare.
Although crime is low in comparison to that across Leeds, it is higher than the national average. Wetherby has above average statistics for theft of motor vehicles, theft from motor vehicles, burglary and violence against the person.
The town has its own Police Station and is in the North East Leeds, West Yorkshire Police division. The local police force is the West Yorkshire Police
West Yorkshire Police
West Yorkshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing West Yorkshire in England. It is the fourth largest force in England and Wales by number of officers, with 5671 officers....
. The town's magistrates court recently closed down.
Wetherby Town Council released the following statement, following the recent 'epidemic' of antisocial behaviour in the town centre.
The antisocial behaviour of the few is once again affecting the pleasure of living, working or just visiting Wetherby. There are reports of a group of 'hoodies' intimidating people down at the River Wharfe. They are targeting every age range with their obscene language, threatening remarks and general conduct. In addition, I think we have all seen the havoc and devastation to the picnic area which may have been the handiwork of the same group.
Religion
- Bank Street Methodist Church http://www.wetherbymethodist.org.uk./
- Wetherby Baptist Church http://www.wetherbybaptist.org.uk/
- St James Parish ChurchSt James' Parish Church, WetherbySt James' Parish Church is an Anglican church in Wetherby, West Yorkshire. The church is also sometimes referred to as The Parish Church of Wetherby.-History:The first stones were laid for the oldest parts of the church on 1 April 1839 by local man Mr...
http://www.st-james-wetherby.org.uk/- The Church on the Corner is a part of St. James Church which meets in the old Cemetery Chapel on Hallfield Lane. The church is situated in two small chapels, which are mostly used as chapels of rest.
- St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church – The present church building was opened in 1986 and won the Leeds award for Architecture in 1987 Two smaller Catholic churches in BardseyBardsey, West YorkshireBardsey, West Yorkshire, England is a small village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, north east of Leeds city centre. The village is in the LS17 Leeds postcode district. It is part of the civil parish of Bardsey cum Rigton...
and SicklinghallSicklinghallSicklinghall is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England that is situated between the town of Wetherby and the village of Kirkby Overblow.In 2007 the population was recorded as 300.The main amenities in the village are St Peter's Church,...
operate as satellite churches to the Wetherby one and do not have their own ministers. - Wetherby Community Church of the Salvation Army http://www1.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/www_uki.nsf/vw-search/995369EB453383C580256FE1003A94F3?opendocument
The Baptist Church was originally Anglican and was known as Barleyfields Church. Early in 2009 it became part of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. The church originally met in the Barleyfields Centre, but moved to Deighton Gates School in September 2009. There is also All Saints C of E church in Kirk Deighton
Kirk Deighton
Kirk Deighton is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated to the immediate north west of Wetherby and near the A1. The village has a population of less than 500 people. Kirk Deighton is set along the county border line between West Yorkshire...
which for many in North Wetherby is the closest church.
The Wetherby Secular Forum http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/catchuk2000/WSF&date=2009-10-25+17:03:52 is a Wetherby-based campaign group of Atheists
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
from the North East Leeds Area.
Media
- The town's local Paper is the Wetherby News.
- Tempo FMTempo FMTempo FM is the local radio station for Wetherby, West Yorkshire as well as for surrounding villages and Leeds districts. The radio station mainly plays easy listening music.-Background:...
is the local radio station. The regional radio station is BBC Radio LeedsBBC Radio LeedsBBC Radio Leeds is the BBC Local Radio service for the English metropolitan county of West Yorkshire.- Frequencies :It broadcasts from its studios at St...
. - Wetherby Film Theatre is an independent, traditional single screen cinema situated on Caxton Street.
- The regional newspaper in the area is the Yorkshire Evening PostYorkshire Evening PostThe Yorkshire Evening Post is a daily evening publication published by Yorkshire Post Newspapers Ltd in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
The regional BBC televised news is Look North
BBC Look North (Yorkshire and North Midlands)
BBC Look North is the BBC's regional television news service for West & South Yorkshire, parts of North Yorkshire and the North Midlands. The programmes as produced and broadcast from the BBC Broadcasting Centre at St...
. Topographical features between Emley Moor transmitting station
Emley Moor transmitting station
The Emley Moor transmitting station is a telecommunications and broadcasting facility on 'Emley Moor' to the west of the village of Emley, in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England . The station's most visible feature is its concrete tower, which is a Grade II listed building...
and the town mean many buildings can only receive Tyne Tees
Tyne Tees Television
Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television franchise for North East England and parts of North Yorkshire. As of 2009, it forms part of a non-franchise ITV Tyne Tees & Border region, shared with the ITV Border region...
from the Bilsdale transmitting station. Regional radio stations include Stray FM [Harrogate), Radio Aire (Leeds), The Pulse of West Yorkshire
The Pulse of West Yorkshire
The Pulse is a British Independent Local Radio station that serves the Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale areas of West Yorkshire. The station was originally known as Pennine Radio...
(Bradford), BBC Radio Leeds
BBC Radio Leeds
BBC Radio Leeds is the BBC Local Radio service for the English metropolitan county of West Yorkshire.- Frequencies :It broadcasts from its studios at St...
, Minster FM
Minster FM
Minster FM is an independent commercial local radio station based in Dunnington near York, Yorkshire, England and covering the city of York and surrounding areas...
(York), Viking FM (Kingston Upon Hull).
Racecourse
Wetherby Racecourse
Wetherby Racecourse is a National Hunt racecourse situated near the market town of Wetherby in West Yorkshire, England, located from Leeds city centre.-Location:...
was originally located on the King George V playing fields at the Ings or Scaur Bank on Linton Road. It moved to its current site on the B1224 York Road and is the only racecourse in Yorkshire to stage only jump racing. There has been debate as to whether to introduce a flat course. The course is a left hand oval with easy bends. In 1999 the new millennium stand opened, providing the racecourse with executive facilities, making it possible to compete with York
York Racecourse
York Racecourse is a horse racing track in the southwest of the city of York in North Yorkshire, England with a spectator capacity of 60,000. The most famous race to be held at York on an annual basis is the Ebor Handicap, which is run during the Ebor Festival meeting in August...
, Pontefract
Pontefract Racecourse
Pontefract Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England.Pontefract is one of the best appointed courses of its kind in the country. There are modern bars and refreshment areas in all enclosures....
, Ripon
Ripon Racecourse
Ripon Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England. It has been used for horse racing for more than 300 years and is nicknamed the Garden Racecourse. The course is a right-handed oval of approximately 1m5f with a 5f finishing straight and a 6f chute...
and Thirsk
Thirsk Racecourse
Thirsk Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England. The course is a left handed oval of about 1m2f with a 3f finishing straight and a 6f chute...
). It has three stands, one constructed in the 1930s with football style terracing, a two-tier seated stand constructed in the 1970s and the new Millennium Stand.
Housing
Housing and Town Planning Act 1909
The Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act 1909 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which prevented the building of "back-to-back" houses. The act also meant local authorities must introduce systems of town planning and meant homes had to be built to certain standards....
led to the building of many 'villas'. There are many surviving examples of these, such as Park Villas, York Place, Grosvenor Terrace and Sandringham Terrace. Landlords found these hard to let due to exorbitant rents and many remained empty for years. This also led to the demolition of the town's Bishopgate Area. In 1910 the parish council started a programme to install street lighting in the hope of bettering the standard of living and reducing crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
.
It was not until the post war years the large housing estates appeared throughout Wetherby. From the 1940s until the 1980s, many large estates were built from scratch. Both the local corporation and the private sector built many houses to satisfy the huge demand for homes in Wetherby. Developer Norman Ashton's company Ashtons
Ashtons
Ashtons were a leading British house builder.-History:The Company was founded by Norman Ashton. The Company constructed many homes in the North of England during the 1960s and 1970s. Ashtons were one of several pioneers of the british three bed semi, a style of house used frequently from the...
were responsible for much of the housing in Wetherby, particularly around the Ainsty Estate, Hall Orchards and Templar Gardens area. Most housing in the town is from these years. There is a wide variety of housing types in Wetherby, including waterside penthouses, council flats and maisonettes, large detached houses, small terraces and probably the most common, the three bedroomed twentieth century semi-detached
Semi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
home.
Public houses
During the Second World War, The Angel public house served German and Italian prisoners of war from the nearby camps. It was the only pub in Wetherby to do so and attracted some controversy in doing so.
Pubs in Wetherby
High Street
- The George and the Dragon (closed 2010)
- The Red Lion
- The Crown
- Harris' Bar (formerly The Brunswick)
- The Angel (Now St Angleos)
North Street
- The Swan and Talbot
- The Royal Oak
The Market Place
- bar Thr3 (formerly The Three Legs)
- The Black Bull
Westgate
- The New Inn
Scott Lane
- Retro (formerly No 7)(Closed 2011)
Bank Street
- Muse
Lost pubs
- The Blue Boar (also known as the White Hart in its time) was situated between the High Street and the Shambles, its former existence is evident by White Hart Yard (situated off the Shambles).
- The Fox Inn (situated on Bank Street adjacent to the Methodist Chapel).
- The Bowling Green Inn (situated on North Street, where the Garden of Rest is now situated. This was demolished in order to widen the road).
- The Duke of Devonshire (situated on Westgate, where the Halifax Estate Agency is now situated).
Private members clubs
Wetherby has several private members clubs. The Wetherby Sports Association is based on Lodge Lane, adjacent to the swimming baths
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and the ings
Ings
Ings is an old Yorkshire word for water meadows & marshes, including those which were part of the Humber flood plain.Ings often teem with large numbers of water birds and other wildlife...
. The facilities there were recently built with National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
funding. This serves both the football and rugby league
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...
teams as well as other members of the association.
There is also a similar club at Grange Park, serving members of the town's rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
clubs as well as members of its committee and association.
The town's main Working Men's Club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
, Wetherby and District Social Club is based on the Sandbeck Industrial Estate. This burnt down in a fire in 2002. The fire was initially treated as suspicious by West Yorkshire Police
West Yorkshire Police
West Yorkshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing West Yorkshire in England. It is the fourth largest force in England and Wales by number of officers, with 5671 officers....
, however investigations were taken no further. The club was rebuilt in its original location. As was the case in Belle Isle
Belle Isle, Leeds
Belle Isle is a large suburb south of Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. It is bounded to the north and east by the M621 motorway.The district lies in the LS10 Leeds postcode area...
the rebuilt club was significantly larger than its predecessor and offered its members far superior facilities.
Mock news article
A mock news article was filmed regarding a fictional pub in Wetherby, 'The Kings Head'. It was broadcast on Soccer AM
Soccer AM
Soccer AM is a British Saturday-morning football-based comedy/talk show, predominantly based around the Premier League...
. The article reported on the Kings Head being converted into a new 'American style sports bar'. 'Wetherby residents' (who were all working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
northern stereotypes) were interviewed in the film. All of them were dismayed by the conversion, and agreed that 'Change was bad'.
Events
Wetherby is the starting point for the Great Yorkshire Bike Ride. This is an annual event, held every June. The seventy mile ride starts at Wetherby Racecourse and ending in FileyFiley
Filey is a small town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the borough of Scarborough and is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on the North Sea coast. Although it started out as a fishing village, it has a large beach and is a popular tourist resort...
. The event has raised nearly two million pounds for charity since starting out in 1984 with only 284 riders. In 2007 1,494 riders raised £119,575.
The Wetherby Festival http://www.wetherbyfestival.co.uk/indexnew.php is held in the town, across various venues, annually. Both Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
and Wetherby Town Council sponsor the event. The Wetherby Festival is on every year it is a festival put on to promote the arts in Wetherby by providing a platform for local groups to perform and to bring in other performers and art forms. Total Travel
Wetherby Services
Wetherby service station opened in 2008. Located on the town's northern junction with the A1(M) near Kirk DeightonKirk Deighton
Kirk Deighton is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated to the immediate north west of Wetherby and near the A1. The village has a population of less than 500 people. Kirk Deighton is set along the county border line between West Yorkshire...
and Ingmanthorpe
Ingmanthorpe, North Yorkshire
Ingmanthorpe is a hamlet close to the village of Kirk Deighton in North Yorkshire, England, the village is situated approximately 2 miles north of the town of Wetherby in neighbouring West Yorkshire. Ingmanthorpe is situated close the A1 and Wetherby Service Station....
, the new service station uses the latest 'green technologies' in its construction and running, making it the UK's first carbon neutral
Carbon neutral
Carbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint, refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset, or buying enough carbon credits to make up the difference...
service station. The service station includes a 126 bed Days Inn
Days Inn
Days Inn is a motel chain headquartered in the United States. Founded in 1970, it is now a part of the Wyndham Hotel Group, based in Parsippany, New Jersey, which was formerly a part of Cendant...
hotel and is run by Moto
Moto Hospitality
Moto Hospitality is a company which operates 58 motorway service stations across the UK.Moto is owned by a consortium of shareholders including Australian Pension Funds and European and New Zealand Infrastructure Funds and is asset managed by Macquarie Investment Bank...
. This is the first major hotel in the North of the town. The service station is in North Yorkshire and so under separate jurisdiction to Wetherby. The services opened in August 2008, with the hotel opening the following summer.
Notable people
- Flight LieutenantFlight LieutenantFlight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
'Ginger' LaceyJames Harry LaceySquadron Leader James Harry "Ginger" Lacey DFM & Bar was one of the top scoring Royal Air Force fighter pilots of the Second World War and was the second highest scoring British RAF fighter pilot of the Battle of Britain, behind P/O Eric Lock of No. 41 Squadron RAF...
, a Battle of BritainBattle of BritainThe Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
flying ace, was born in Wetherby. Lacey Grove is named after him. - Hayton Drive is named after schoolboy David John Hayton, who drowned in the River Wharfe while trying to save a friend.
- 'The Beer Hunter', Michael JacksonMichael Jackson (writer)Michael Jackson was an English writer and journalist. He was the author of several influential books about beer and whisky.-Life:...
was born in Wetherby. Jackson wrote several popular books about beer and whiskey and hosted Channel 4Channel 4Channel 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...
documentaryDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
The Beer Hunter. Jackson was also widely known in rugby league circles. - Former goalkeeper Stuart NaylorStuart NaylorStuart William Naylor is an English football coach and former player.-Playing career:Naylor had a trial with Leeds United in 1977, but did not sign for the club and the following year joined Yorkshire Amateur. He signed schoolboy forms with Lincoln City in February 1979 before turning professional...
was born in Wetherby in 1962. He was capped three times for the EnglandEngland national football teamThe England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
B teamEngland B national football teamEngland B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the England national football team. At times they have played other nations' full teams; they have also played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations...
in the 1980s - Yorkshire CricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er Charles MidgleyCharles MidgleyCharles Augustus Midgley was an English first-class cricketer, who played four matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 1906....
was born in Wetherby in 1877. - Karen DruryKaren DruryKaren Drury is a British actress best known for her role as Susannah Farnham in Channel 4 soap, Brookside...
, best known for her role as Susannah MorriseySusannah MorriseySusannah Morrisey is a fictional character in the defunct Channel 4 soap opera Brookside. She was portrayed by Karen Drury from 1991 until the character's death in 2000...
(previously Susannah Farnham) in former Channel 4 soap, BrooksideBrooksideBrookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
was brought up in the MicklethwaiteMicklethwaite, WetherbyMicklethwaite is an area of Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough. Micklethwaite lies on the south banks of the River Wharfe. Micklethwaite was at one point a village in its own rights, however through the growth of Wetherby it is now seen as an...
area of Wetherby - Former Conservative MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and MEPMember of the European ParliamentA Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
Robert SturdyRobert SturdyRobert Sturdy is a British politician, and Member of the European Parliament for the East of England constituency for the Conservative Party. He has held the seat since 1999...
was born in Wetherby. He has never represented Yorkshire constituencies, contending seats in the Tory heartlands of CambridgeshireCambridgeshireCambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
and BedfordshireBedfordshireBedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
. - Essex Cricketer Fred CooperFred Cooper (1888–1958)Frederick Joseph Cooper was an English cricketer who played ten first-class matches for Essex between 1921 and 1923....
was born in Wetherby in 1888 - Middlesbrough F.C.Middlesbrough F.C.Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
footballer, Seb HinesSeb HinesSebastian Tony "Seb" Hines is an English footballer. He plays as a central defender or holding midfielder currently playing for Npower Championship side Middlesbrough.- Club career :...
is from the Hallfields Estate in Wetherby.