Barwick-in-Elmet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)

Coordinates: 53°49′52″N 1°23′40″W / 53.831152°N 1.394488°W / 53.831152; -1.394488

Barwick-in-Elmet
Barwick Maypole
Barwick-in-Elmet shown within West Yorkshire
OS grid reference	SE399373
Parish	Barwick in Elmet and Scholes
Metropolitan borough	City of Leeds
Metropolitan county	West Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LEEDS
Postcode district	LS15
Dialling code	0113
Police	West Yorkshire
Fire	West Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
European Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	Elmet
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Barwick-in-Elmet is a village 6 miles (10 km) east of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

It is one of only two places in the area to be explicitly associated with the ancient Celtic kingdom of Elmet, the other being Sherburn-in-Elmet. It is part of the civil parish of Barwick in Elmet and Scholes and lies in the LS15 postcode district.

Barwick-in-Elmet is referred to locally as simply Barwick, with a silent 'w' pronounced "Bar-ick". In the Domesday Book of 1086 the area was known as Berewit and Berewith. The village is noted for its Maypole raising and lowering which is a public event that typically brings large crowds to the area. The event takes place every three years and took place in May 2008.^[1][2]

Barwick has several shops and facilities including three public houses: The Black Swan, The Gascoigne, and The New Inn.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Barwick iron age fort 2 Governance 3 Amenities 4 Local Media 5 Barwick in popular culture 6 Other Barwicks 7 Comparison 8 References 9 External links

[edit] History

Barwick-in-Elmet dates back to between 200-600 BC. The earthworks at Wendel Hill and Hall Tower Hill are perhaps the oldest settlements in the area. There is reference to an agricultural settlement in the Domesday Book. From a taxation survey, it is known that in 1379 there were 197 adults living in about 100 households.

For some time the Manor was in the ownership of the Gascoigne family. In the seventeenth century and there are records indicating that in the following century there were around 240 families living in the parish. In 1720 the first known school in Barwick in Elmet opened. By 1821 the parish had a population of 1,481.

The Cross Gates to Wetherby railway line opened in 1874, with a station in nearby Scholes, enabling residents to commute to Leeds city centre. This service remained running until 1965, when the line closed under the Beeching Axe.

Throughout the 20th century the village grew with many modern houses being built in and around the village by both private developers and the local corporations. During this period many of the older cottages in the village centre were converted into shops and other small business premises.

[edit] Barwick iron age fort

The village includes earthworks created as an Iron Age fort, and used later as the site of a Norman castle and a World War II observation post. The land is currently under multiple ownership, which causes problems for its conservation. Local MP Colin Burgon made it the subject of an Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons on 10 July 2007,^[3] and Minister of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Margaret Hodge, replied.^[4]

[edit] Governance

Barwick in Elmet comes under the civil parish on Barwich and Scholes. This comes under the governance of Leeds City Council, who currently have an assembly with 'no overall control' by any one political party. Barwick comes under the parliamentary constituency of Elmet which is served by the Labour MP, Colin Burgon.

[edit] Amenities

Barwick has three public houses, The New Inn, The Black Swan and The Gascoine Arms. There are two general stores, the larger one with a post office, a fish and chip shop, Italian takeaway as well as several other shops. There are two small churches, one Church of England and one Methodist. Barwick also boasts a small village square with a large maypole, which is perhaps the most notable landmark in Barwick. There are further amenities in nearby Garforth, Cross Gates, Seacroft and Wetherby, all of which have supermarkets. There are nearby secondary schools in Pendas Fields, Garforth, Seacroft, Boston Spa and Wetherby.

[edit] Local Media

The local newspaper is the Wetherby News whilst the regional newspaper is the Yorkshire Evening Post. The local BBC radio station is BBC Radio Leeds, whilst there are many other indepenent local radio stations in the area. There are cinemas nearby in Leeds, Wetherby and Castleford.

[edit] Barwick in popular culture

The theme tune to The Archers is called Barwick Green although Barwick does not itself have a green officially. It was written by Yorkshire composer Arthur Wood in 1924, as a "maypole dance" in his suite My native heath. The other items in this suite are Ilkley Tarn, Bolton Abbey and Knaresborough Status.^[5]

Widge, the protagonist in The Shakespeare Stealer, a 1998 young adult novel by Gary Blackwood, is from Barwick-in-Elmet.

[edit] Other Barwicks

There are other villages in England called Barwick in Norfolk and Somerset, and a suburb of Stockton-on-Tees is called Ingleby Barwick. There is a town called Barwick in Georgia in the USA.

[edit] Comparison

Barwick lies in the LS15 postcode area. Here is a population breakdown of the postcode area in comparison with the UK population.

Category	LS15	UK average
Population density (people / sq mi)	43.2	24.9
Gender split (females / male)	1.05	1.05
Average commute	6.1 miles	8.73 miles
Average age	38	39
Home ownership	16%	16.9%
Student population	2.4%	4.4%
People in good health	69%	69%

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Barwick-in-Elmet Historical Society
• Barwick-in-Elmet Maypole Trust
• Leeds City Council
• Barwick Tennis Club
• The ancient parish of Barwick in Elmet: historical and genealogical information at GENUKI

v • d • e Leeds Topics Architecture • Buildings • Economy • Geography • Government • History • Transport Culture Media • Music • Museums and the Arts • Nightlife • Religious communities • Shopping • Sport • Stately Homes and Parks Places List of towns, villages, areas and suburbs