Altofts
Encyclopedia
Altofts is a village near Normanton
, West Yorkshire
, England
. The village is usually quiet, having a mixed population of young and old. There are four pubs, two Working Men's Clubs, a handful of small shops, one post office and a few farms. Lower Altofts is the area at the lower end of the village. It had the longest unbroken row of terraced houses in Europe, named Silkstone Row, until 1974, when it was demolished. There are now just two shorter rows of terraced houses in Lower Altofts on Pope Street. Many people in the village previously worked in the local coal mines, the largest one in the village was owned by Pope and Pearsons and was known as The West Riding Colliery. It was here that the first British coaldust experiments took place during 1908 and 1909. They were conducted by W. E. Garforth, manager of the colliery and president of the Mining Association of Great Britain. In the early 20th Century this man's determination to improve the safety of his workers was crucial to the development of underground safety and rescue procedures that today's worldwide mining community takes for granted. Nowadays, people are either employed in neighbouring towns and cities, or on the Europort 'Tuscany Park' Industrial Estate which has been developed over recent decades.
The most famous person to come from Altofts was Martin Frobisher
, the Elizabethan sea captain and adventurer, credited with the discovery of Frobisher Bay in Canada. John Freeston
lived in Altofts for most of his life.
The amateur football team, several pubs and clubs, some large playing fields, and the churches are at the centre of the small community.
The Cricket Club plays in Central Yorkshire Cricket League. The Club plays at Lock Lane, the pitches at Altofts are highly commended, and are regularly the best batting tracks in the CYCL.
Normanton, West Yorkshire
Normanton is a town and civil parish within the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is northeast of Wakefield and southwest of Castleford, and at the time of the 2001 Census, the population was 19,949.-History:...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The village is usually quiet, having a mixed population of young and old. There are four pubs, two Working Men's Clubs, a handful of small shops, one post office and a few farms. Lower Altofts is the area at the lower end of the village. It had the longest unbroken row of terraced houses in Europe, named Silkstone Row, until 1974, when it was demolished. There are now just two shorter rows of terraced houses in Lower Altofts on Pope Street. Many people in the village previously worked in the local coal mines, the largest one in the village was owned by Pope and Pearsons and was known as The West Riding Colliery. It was here that the first British coaldust experiments took place during 1908 and 1909. They were conducted by W. E. Garforth, manager of the colliery and president of the Mining Association of Great Britain. In the early 20th Century this man's determination to improve the safety of his workers was crucial to the development of underground safety and rescue procedures that today's worldwide mining community takes for granted. Nowadays, people are either employed in neighbouring towns and cities, or on the Europort 'Tuscany Park' Industrial Estate which has been developed over recent decades.
The most famous person to come from Altofts was Martin Frobisher
Martin Frobisher
Sir Martin Frobisher was an English seaman who made three voyages to the New World to look for the Northwest Passage...
, the Elizabethan sea captain and adventurer, credited with the discovery of Frobisher Bay in Canada. John Freeston
John Freeston
John Freeston is known by the locals of Altofts and Normanton, West Yorkshire. Admitted in 1544 to Gray's Inn in London as a barrister, Freeston is best known for the founding of the Normanton Grammar School, forerunner of the Freeston Business & Enterprise College in 1592...
lived in Altofts for most of his life.
The amateur football team, several pubs and clubs, some large playing fields, and the churches are at the centre of the small community.
Churches
There are three churches. Altofts Methodist Church (www.altoftsmethodist.org.uk), opened in 1990, was built when the three Methodist congregations from Lower Altofts, Lock Lane and Upper Altofts joined together. The church is located on Church Road near the Robin Hood Pub. The Church of St Mary Magdalene is the Anglican Parish Church for the village, and is Anglo-Catholic in style. The Hebron is an independent church, also located on Church Road.Altofts Sport
In Altofts, there is a The Altofts Community Sports Club, incoparting Crikcet, Football and Bowls.The Cricket Club plays in Central Yorkshire Cricket League. The Club plays at Lock Lane, the pitches at Altofts are highly commended, and are regularly the best batting tracks in the CYCL.
Brickworks
Normanton Brick Co Ltd, Altofts Brickworks, moved to its present Greenfield Road site from Wakefield Road in the late 1990s. It still runs under Thomas Kirk's great grandsons to this day. The brickworks sells bricks locally but has over the years sent them to various other areas from Scotland to London. It still operates successfully under the directors George and Peter Kirk.Schools
- Altofts Lee Brigg Infants School.
- Altofts Junior school. Recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.
- Martin Frobisher Infants School.