Oxenhope
Encyclopedia
Oxenhope is a village
and civil parish with a population of 2,476 in the metropolitan borough of Bradford
, West Yorkshire
, England, near Keighley
. Oxenhope railway station
is the terminus for the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
. Each year in summer the village holds The Oxenhope Straw Race, a team event in which competitors complete a 2.5-mile course around the village carrying a bale of straw and stopping at each pub on the route for a pint of beer. Many contestants choose to dress up in costumes. The event benefits local charities and always draws many spectators.
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The modern village of Oxenhope encompasses what were originally separate settlements of Uppertown, Lowertown, Leeming and Hawkingstone. The historic hamlets of Marsh and Shaw are also included in modern day Oxenhope. The area became known as Oxenhope because this was the name the railway company gave the station serving the area when the line from Keighley opened in 1867. Until then the name Oxenhope referred to a small settlement between the hamlet of Marsh and the village of Haworth
.
The street pattern of Oxenhope was much altered when the railway arrived. It had originally been intended that the railway would run only to Haworth. The owners of Lowertown Mill, Oxenhope, persuaded the railway company to extend the line to Oxenhope. It was found impracticable, however, to take the railway as far as Lowertown because of the gradients that would have been required. As a compromise, the railway built a road from its station to Lowertown, appropriately named Station Road. The bridge by which this road crosses Leeming Water is of the same construction as many of the railway's bridges.
The 19th-century parish church of St Mary the Virgin has some interesting glass by the William Morris
company.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish with a population of 2,476 in the metropolitan borough of Bradford
City of Bradford
The City of Bradford is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Keighley, Shipley, Bingley, Ilkley, Haworth, Silsden and...
, 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, near Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
. Oxenhope railway station
Oxenhope railway station
Oxenhope railway station serves the village of Oxenhope, near Haworth, and within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District of West Yorkshire, England. It is the terminus of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, with trains to Haworth and Keighley....
is the terminus for the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is a long branch line that served mills and villages in the Worth Valley and is now a heritage railway line in West Yorkshire, England. It runs from Keighley to Oxenhope. It connects to the national rail network line at Keighley railway station...
. Each year in summer the village holds The Oxenhope Straw Race, a team event in which competitors complete a 2.5-mile course around the village carrying a bale of straw and stopping at each pub on the route for a pint of beer. Many contestants choose to dress up in costumes. The event benefits local charities and always draws many spectators.
Haworth
Haworth is a rural village in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is located amongst the Pennines, southwest of Keighley and west of Bradford. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhope...
.
The street pattern of Oxenhope was much altered when the railway arrived. It had originally been intended that the railway would run only to Haworth. The owners of Lowertown Mill, Oxenhope, persuaded the railway company to extend the line to Oxenhope. It was found impracticable, however, to take the railway as far as Lowertown because of the gradients that would have been required. As a compromise, the railway built a road from its station to Lowertown, appropriately named Station Road. The bridge by which this road crosses Leeming Water is of the same construction as many of the railway's bridges.
The 19th-century parish church of St Mary the Virgin has some interesting glass by the William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
company.