Thirsk
Encyclopedia
Thirsk is a small market town
and civil parish in the Hambleton
district of North Yorkshire
, England
. The local travel links are located a mile from the town centre to Thirsk railway station
and 20 miles (32.2 km) to Durham Tees Valley Airport
. Local bus services to and from York, Ripon and Northallerton and nearby villages and long distance National Express Coaches call at the bus stop in the market place. Also, the main road running through the town is the A61
, connecting Thirsk to Ripon
. The parish has a population of 4,703 according to the 2001 Census
.
Thirsk is a popular tourist destination attracting visitors, especially with Thirsk Racecourse
and the North York Moors
.
The town lies in the Vale of Mowbray
, 23 miles (37 km) north of York
. Cod Beck
runs through the centre of Thirsk - the area to the east of the river is called Old Thirsk. The A19 road
now, after a bypass was built in the 1960s, passes Thirsk to the east; the former route of the A19 through the town is the A61
to the north to South Kilvington
and the A170
to the south at the junction where the A19 joins the original route to the south.
The town is mentioned in the Domesday Book
of 1089 as Tresche, derived from the Viking
(Old Norse
) word þresk = "marsh
". It is surrounded by a number of village
s also having names of Danish
origin, such as Thirlby
, Boltby
, Borrowby
and Sowerby
(the -by suffix (Danish in origin) meaning village or farmstead).
Thirsk is built around a large medieval market square, which still hosts an open-air market each Monday and Saturday. Thirsk has a museum
and the 15th century church of St Mary's. It is commonly thought that Thirsk also has a hospital
, cinema
, town hall and swimming pool
, but all are actually in the adjoining village of Sowerby
.
Thirsk's chief modern claim to fame is as the home of the veterinary surgeon
and author James Herriot
, although it was renamed "Darrowby" in the books. The veterinary practice at 23 Kirkgate, in which he was a partner along with Donald Sinclair
(Siegfried Farnon in the books) now houses a museum
dedicated to his life and works, The World of James Herriot
.
Thomas Lord
, another Thirsk notable, who founded Lord's cricket ground in London was born in a house which now houses the Thirsk Museum, also on Kirkgate. Another local attraction is the Kilburn White Horse
, a chalk horse carved into the hillside about four miles (6 km) east of the town in 1857.
The Ritz Cinema on Westgate, Sowerby
is a small 200 seat (100 stalls, 100 balcony) cinema
run by volunteers
. It dates back to 1912 and is one of Britain's oldest operating cinemas. It shows in a period setting most of the current films and is run for residents and visitors to Thirsk and the local villages by a dedicated team of volunteers.
The racecourse at Thirsk is a leading venue for horseracing on the flat in the spring and summer months.
The market square adjacent to the clock tower was featured in the artwork to Pulps 1995 album "Different Class
".
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 in the Hambleton
Hambleton
Hambleton is a local government district of North Yorkshire, England. The main town and administrative centre is Northallerton, and includes the market towns and major villages of Bedale, Thirsk, Great Ayton, Stokesley and Easingwold....
district of North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, 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 local travel links are located a mile from the town centre to Thirsk railway station
Thirsk railway station
Thirsk railway station serves the town of Thirsk in North Yorkshire, England. The station is north of York on the East Coast Main Line. The station is about outside the town centre and is actually on the edge of the village of Carlton Miniott....
and 20 miles (32.2 km) to Durham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport is an international airport in north east England, located southeast of Darlington, about southwest of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. The airport serves County Durham and parts of North Yorkshire, and is in Middleton St George in the borough of Darlington...
. Local bus services to and from York, Ripon and Northallerton and nearby villages and long distance National Express Coaches call at the bus stop in the market place. Also, the main road running through the town is the A61
A61 road
The A61 is a major trunk road in England. It runs from Derby to Thirsk in North Yorkshire. From Derby, it heads north via Alfreton, Clay Cross, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Barnsley, Wakefield, Leeds, Harrogate and Ripon...
, connecting Thirsk to Ripon
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
. The parish has a population of 4,703 according to the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
.
Thirsk is a popular tourist destination attracting visitors, especially with Thirsk Racecourse
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...
and the North York Moors
North York Moors
The North York Moors is a national park in North Yorkshire, England. The moors are one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in the United Kingdom. It covers an area of , and it has a population of about 25,000...
.
Vale of Mowbray
The Vale of Mowbray is a stretch of low lying land between the North Yorkshire Moors and the Hambleton Hills to the east and the Yorkshire Dales to the west...
, 23 miles (37 km) north 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...
. Cod Beck
Cod Beck, North Yorkshire
Cod Beck is a river in North Yorkshire, England. It has a catchment area of .The river extends from above Cod Beck Reservoir at Osmotherley on the edge of the North York Moors through Thirsk and on to join the River Swale at Topcliffe....
runs through the centre of Thirsk - the area to the east of the river is called Old Thirsk. The A19 road
A19 road
The A19 is a major road in England running approximately parallel to and east of the A1 road, although the two roads meet at the northern end of the A19, the two roads originally met at the southern end of the A19 in Doncaster but the old route of the A1 was changed to the A638. From Sunderland...
now, after a bypass was built in the 1960s, passes Thirsk to the east; the former route of the A19 through the town is the A61
A61 road
The A61 is a major trunk road in England. It runs from Derby to Thirsk in North Yorkshire. From Derby, it heads north via Alfreton, Clay Cross, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Barnsley, Wakefield, Leeds, Harrogate and Ripon...
to the north to South Kilvington
South Kilvington
South Kilvington is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated just off the A19, about one mile north of Thirsk. The original route of the A19 used to run through the village, it is now the A61...
and the A170
A170 road
The A170 is an A road in North Yorkshire, England. It begins at Thirsk, spouting off from the A19 road after about it reaches the very steep viewpoint Sutton Bank, after a steep climb it enters the North Yorkshire Moors and the Hambleton Hills then it reaches the small town of Helmsley and the...
to the south at the junction where the A19 joins the original route to the south.
The town 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 1089 as Tresche, derived from the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
(Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
) word þresk = "marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
". It is surrounded by a number of village
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...
s also having names of Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
origin, such as Thirlby
Thirlby
Thirlby is a village and civil parish in Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. With a population of about 120 in 2003, Thirlby is situated approximately four miles east of Thirsk....
, Boltby
Boltby
Boltby is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It is on the edge of the North York Moors National Park at 140 m, and about six miles north-east of Thirsk. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 149....
, Borrowby
Borrowby, Hambleton
Borrowby is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated halfway between Thirsk and Northallerton, about north of York, in an area called the Vale of Mowbray, a low-lying agricultural landscape shaped by the last glaciation, that lies between two...
and Sowerby
Sowerby, North Yorkshire
Sowerby is a small village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England, it is situated immediately south of Thirsk....
(the -by suffix (Danish in origin) meaning village or farmstead).
Thirsk is built around a large medieval market square, which still hosts an open-air market each Monday and Saturday. Thirsk has a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
and the 15th century church of St Mary's. It is commonly thought that Thirsk also has a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
, town hall and swimming pool
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...
, but all are actually in the adjoining village of Sowerby
Sowerby, North Yorkshire
Sowerby is a small village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England, it is situated immediately south of Thirsk....
.
Thirsk's chief modern claim to fame is as the home of the veterinary surgeon
Veterinary surgeon
Veterinary surgeon is a term used to describe:*The full title of a vet, who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals, in the United Kingdom and several Commonwealth countries**See also Veterinary medicine in the United Kingdom...
and author James Herriot
James Herriot
James Herriot was the pen name of James Alfred Wight, OBE, FRCVS also known as Alf Wight , an English veterinary surgeon and writer, who used his many years of experiences as a veterinarian to write a series of books of stories about animals and their owners...
, although it was renamed "Darrowby" in the books. The veterinary practice at 23 Kirkgate, in which he was a partner along with Donald Sinclair
Donald Sinclair (veterinary surgeon)
Donald Vaughan Sinclair was a British veterinary surgeon made famous as the eccentric character Siegfried Farnon in the semi-autobiographical books of James Herriot , later adapted for film and television as All Creatures Great and Small.- Royal Air Force service :In 1939 he bought an existing...
(Siegfried Farnon in the books) now houses a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
dedicated to his life and works, The World of James Herriot
The World of James Herriot
The World of James Herriot is a museum attraction in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England. The museum covers the life and books of the 20th century veterinarian and author James Herriot within the Yorkshire Dales.-Overview:...
.
Thomas Lord
Thomas Lord
Thomas Lord was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1787 to 1802. He made a brief comeback, playing in one further match in 1815. Overall, Lord made 90 known appearances in first-class cricket...
, another Thirsk notable, who founded Lord's cricket ground in London was born in a house which now houses the Thirsk Museum, also on Kirkgate. Another local attraction is the Kilburn White Horse
Kilburn White Horse
The Kilburn white horse, , is a hill figure formed in the hillside near the village of Kilburn, in North Yorkshire, England. The horse is long by high and covers about and is said to be the largest and most northerly in England....
, a chalk horse carved into the hillside about four miles (6 km) east of the town in 1857.
The Ritz Cinema on Westgate, Sowerby
Sowerby, North Yorkshire
Sowerby is a small village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England, it is situated immediately south of Thirsk....
is a small 200 seat (100 stalls, 100 balcony) cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
run by volunteers
Volunteering
Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be...
. It dates back to 1912 and is one of Britain's oldest operating cinemas. It shows in a period setting most of the current films and is run for residents and visitors to Thirsk and the local villages by a dedicated team of volunteers.
The racecourse at Thirsk is a leading venue for horseracing on the flat in the spring and summer months.
The market square adjacent to the clock tower was featured in the artwork to Pulps 1995 album "Different Class
Different Class
Different Class is an album by English Britpop band Pulp. It was released in 1995 at the height of Britpop, and led to the band being regarded as part of that movement. Two of the singles on the album – "Common People" and "Disco 2000" – were especially notable, and helped propel Pulp to...
".