| Pontefract | |
  Pontefract shown within West Yorkshire |
|
| Population | 29,000 |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan borough | Wakefield |
| Metropolitan county | West Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PONTEFRACT |
| Postcode district | WF8 |
| Dialling code | 01977 |
| Police | West Yorkshire |
| Fire | West Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| European Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament | Pontefract and Castleford |
| List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire | |
Pontefract is a town in the county of West Yorkshire, England, near the A1 (or Great North Road), the M62 motorway, and Castleford. West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government The City of Wakefield is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and Metropolitan borough Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one Yorkshire and the Humber is one of the nine government office Regions of England. Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The, also known as the Wakefield postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Batley, Castleford, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. West Yorkshire Police is the Home Office Police force responsible for policing West Yorkshire in England. The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is the county-wide statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the Metropolitan county of West The Yorkshire Ambulance Service is the NHS Ambulance service covering most of Yorkshire in England. Yorkshire and the Humber is a Constituency of the European Parliament. This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election Pontefract and Castleford is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of cities, Towns and Villages in the historic English county of Yorkshire. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A county is a Land area of Regional Government within a larger State. West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The M62 motorway is a west&ndasheast trans-Pennine Motorway in northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull Castleford is one of the five towns within the Metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is one of the five towns in the borough of Wakefield and has a population of approximately 30,000. The City of Wakefield is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and Metropolitan borough Pontefract's motto is Post mortem patris pro filio, Latin for "After the death of the father, support the son", a reference to Civil War Royalist sympathies. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists.
Contents |
History
Pontefract's name originates in the Latin Pontus Fractus, "Broken Bridge". Another theory is that it is derived from "Pont" meaning bridge in both Latin and late British and the late British name for York, Efroc, Thus "York Bridge". The town is situated on an old Roman road (now the A639), described as the "Roman Ridge", which passes south towards Doncaster. The Roman Roads were essential for the growth of the Roman Empire, by enabling the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate news Doncaster is a large town in South Yorkshire, England and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. Although Pontefract itself does not appear in the Domesday Book, an area of the town, known as Tanshelf, does. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey
Pontefract Castle dates from Norman times, when it was known as Pomfret. Pontefract Castle is a castle in the town of Pontefract, in West Yorkshire, England. Norman dynasty is the usual designation for the English monarchs which immediately followed the Norman conquest and lasted until the Plantagenet dynasty It was built, about 1070, by Ilbert de Lacy. de Lacy (Lascy Lacie Lacey Lacy is the surname of an old Norman noble family originating from Lassy (Calvados. King Richard II was supposedly murdered within the castle walls in 1400. Richard II (6 January 1367 &ndash ca 14 February 1400 was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399 William Shakespeare's play Richard III mentions this incident:
- Pomfret, Pomfret! O thou bloody prison,
- Fatal and ominous to noble peers!
- Within the guilty closure of thy walls
- Richard the second here was hack'd to death;
- And, for more slander to thy dismal seat,
- We give thee up our guiltless blood to drink. William Shakespeare ( baptised Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591
Pontefract suffered throughout the English Civil War. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The castle was noted by Oliver Cromwell as "[. Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 Old Style &ndash 3 September 1658 Old Style) was an English military and political leader best known . . ] one of the strongest inland garrisons in the kingdom. " However, three sieges by the Parliamentarians left the town impoverished and depopulated. After the end of the Third Siege (24 March 1649), Pontefract inhabitants, fearing a fourth, petitioned Parliament for the castle to be demolished. Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland In their view, the castle was a magnet for trouble. On 5 April 1649, demolition began; although efforts were extensive, the crumbling sandstone ruins of the castle remain today and may be visited. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop
Pontefract was the site of St. John of Pontefract Abbey. The Cluniac priory was founded in 1090 by Robert de Lacy, and dedicated to St. John. It was dissolved by royal authority in 1539. The abbey maintained the Chartularies of St. John, a collection of historic documents later published by the Yorkshire Archaeological Society.
Pontefract today
Pontefract has been a market town since, at least, the Middle Ages; the main market days are Wednesday and Saturday, with a smaller market on Fridays. Market town or market right is a legal term originating in the Medieval period for a European settlement that has the right to hold Markets There is also a covered market, which is open all week, except Thursday afternoons and Sundays. Thursday afternoon is half-day closing in Pontefract. The town is called Ponte/Ponty by its citizens and sometimes jokingly referred to as Ponte Carlo, in reference to Monte Carlo. Monte-Carlo ( Occitan: Montcarles, Monégasque: Monte-Carlu) is one of Monaco 's various administrative areas sometimes erroneously This theme is continued in the affectionate name for a local development of bars in the xscape complex, Glasshoughton between Pontefract and Castleford, referred to locally as 'Cas Vegas'. Xscape buildings (named after the company that developed them are large strikingly designed and unusually shaped buildings Glasshoughton is a small area close to Castleford and Pontefract in the County of West Yorkshire, England. Castleford is one of the five towns within the Metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. The local Member of Parliament is Labour MP Yvette Cooper, for Pontefract and Castleford. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Yvette Cooper (born 20 March 1969 is a British Politician. She is the Labour Member of Parliament for Pontefract and Castleford and Pontefract and Castleford is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In her maiden speech, the MP said of the town: 'The House must not misunderstand me. It is true that my constituency is plagued by unemployment, but I represent hard-working people who are proud of their strong communities and who have fought hard across generations to defend them. They are proud of their socialist traditions, and have fought for a better future for their children and their grandchildren. In the Middle Ages, that early egalitarian, the real Robin Hood, lived, so we maintain, in the vale of Wentbridge to the south of Pontefract. It was a great base from which to hassle the travelling fat cats on the Great North road. '
Pontefract's deep, sandy soil makes it one of the few British places in which liquorice can be successfully grown. Liquorice (UK or licorice (US (see spelling differences;, or) is the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra, from which a sweet flavour can be extracted The town has a liquorice-sweet industry; and the famous Pontefract Cakes are still produced, though the liquorice plant itself is no longer grown there. Pontefract cakes (also known as Pomfret cakes and Pomfrey cakes) are a type of small roughly circular black sweet measuring approximately 2 cm The town's two liquorice factories are owned by Haribo (formerly known as Dunhills) and Monkhill Confectionery [part of the Cadbury's Group](formerly known as Wilkinson's), respectively. Haribo is a Confectionery producer founded in 1920 in Germany by Hans Riegel Sr A Liquorice Festival is held each year. Poet laureate Sir John Betjeman wrote a poem entitled "The Liquorice Fields at Pontefract". A Poet Laureate is a Poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for State occasions and other government events Sir John Betjeman, CBE ( 28 August 1906 &ndash 19 May 1984 was an English poet writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who
Close by is the large, coal-fired power station at Ferrybridge. There have been three Power stations constructed at Ferrybridge, a small village situated on the River Aire, just off the junction of the A1 and Ferrybridge is a village situated on the A1 in West Yorkshire, England at a historically important crossing of the River Aire. There are Tesco and Morrisons supermarkets, and most recently Asda, which changed hands from Kwik Save. Tesco plc is a British -based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC ( is the fourth largest chain of Supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Asda is a United Kingdom Supermarket chain which retails food clothing and general merchandise The schools in the town are Carleton Community High School, in Carleton, and The King's School, on Mill Hill Lane; both are comprehensive schools, for ages 11–16. A comprehensive school is a Secondary school and State school for children from the age of 11 to at least 16 that does not select children on the basis of academic
Pontefract is locally renowned for its large number of pubs. One of the oldest buildings, dating from the 16th century and previously used as a shop, was turned into a pub in the 1980s, called the Counting House. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989.
Pontefract General Infirmary is a large general hospital, beneath which is an old hermitage, open to the public on certain days. A hermit (from the Greek ἔρημος erēmos, signifying " Desert " "uninhabited" hence "desert-dweller" adjective "eremitic" It is the first place at which infamous serial killer Harold Shipman began to murder his elderly patients. Harold Frederick "Fred" Shipman (14 January 1946 &ndash 13 January 2004 was an English General practitioner and convicted Serial killer The hospital is currently being rebuilt and will reopen in 2010. Pontefract Museum, from which the hermitage schedule can be obtained, is in the town centre, housed in the former library. Pontefract Museum is a local museum in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. There is now a modern library building. Unlike many towns of its size, Pontefract has three railway stations: Pontefract Baghill, on the Dearne Valley Line, which connects York and Sheffield; and Pontefract Monkhill and Pontefract Tanshelf, which connect with Leeds and Wakefield. Pontefract Baghill railway station is the least busy of the three Railway stations in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. The Dearne Valley Line is the name given to a railway line in the north of England running from York to Sheffield via Pontefract Baghill York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. Pontefract Monkhill railway station is the busiest station in the town of Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. Pontefract Tanshelf railway station is the most central station in the town of Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England, and serves Pontefract Races Wakefield lies at the heart of the City of Wakefield, a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England.
Pontefract has a park with a racecourse on the outskirts of town. Nearer to the town centre are the Valley Gardens, with a love garden, an aviary, and an avenue of cherry trees, which bloom in the spring. This article is about the Cherry berry also classified as fruit for the ornamental tree See Cherry Blossom. Although the trees continue to attract admiration, the gardens have become quite depleted and the aviary has been vandalised. Pontefract swimming pool is on Stuart Road.
Life in Pontefract was satirised by J. S. Fletcher in his book The Town of Crooked Ways, whose title is held to have been purposefully ambiguous, being a reference either to the medieval layout of the town, or to the behaviour of its inhabitants. Joseph Smith Fletcher ( 7 February, 1863 - 30 January, 1935) was a British Journalist and Writer. More recently, Pontefract has seen its share of scandal, in the form of the Poulson affair, in the 1960s. John Garlick Llewellyn Poulson ( April 14, 1910 - January 31, 1993) was a disgraced British architect who caused a major The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969
Pontefract is home to North-East-Wakefield College (more commonly known as NEW College), which has ranked in the top 25 colleges in the United Kingdom for the past few years. NEW (North East Wakefield College is a Coeducational, Sixth form college in Pontefract, near Wakefield in West Yorkshire, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Pontefract is also home to All Saints Church, built over ruins of an original church, which was destroyed during the three Civil War sieges of Pontefract Castle; the church's bell-tower staircase is the famous 'double helix'.
Pontefract has its own non league football club Pontefract Collieries F.C. who were founded in 1958 and play adjacent to the former prince of wales colliery off Beechnut Lane. Pontefract Collieries FC are a football club based in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. "Ponte Colls" play in the Northern Counties East Football League
Andy Carrington is one of the town's resident writers, and has written numerous poems, short stories, and articles in regards to the area; including a parody of Sir John Betjeman's popular poem "The Licorice Fields at Pontefract". Promotion and relegation The league's Premier Division is a feeder to the Northern Premier League First Division North or South, with the championship winning He has been the feature of various monthly and quarterly poetry magazines, and his work has also been included in two poetry anthologies: one of which was compiled to raise money for the Prince of Wales Hospice, Pontefract.
Pontefract currently is part of the Pontefract and Castleford constituency and the Labour Party have a majority in this area in Westminter. However in local politics there are conservatives in council for this area.
Entertainment
Pontefract's local newspaper is the Pontefract and Castleford Express
Pontefract is known for its 'down-to-earth' nightlife, sporting one of the most concentrated numbers of public houses in the UK, with such venues as Kikos, on Front Street, and Big Fellas, on Beastfair. As well as other public houses such as Bar Wrapid, The Counting House, The Elephant, Bar Liquid, The Green Dragon, The Tap and Barrel, The Malt Shovel, The Blackmoor Head (commonly known by locals as the "Blackie Moor") among many others. Some of these pubs have had many different bands performing over time.
See also
Location grid
| North: Castleford | ||
| West: Wakefield | Pontefract | East: Knottingley |
| South: Hemsworth |
External links
- New College
- Local history
- Pontefract Young Farmers
- Pontefract Liquorice Trust
- Pontefract Races
- Pontefract Collieries F.C.
- Priory of St. John of Pontefract, British History Online
- St. Giles Pantomime Society
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