Hampsthwaite

Street in Hampsthwaite

Hampsthwaite Village Green

Packhorse bridge in Hampsthwaite

Church of St Thomas a'Becket from Hampsthwaite Bridge

Hampsthwaite is a small commuter village on the south bank of the River Nidd on the western edge of the Victorian spa town of Harrogate.

Administratively Hampsthwaite is a civil parish in the borough of Harrogate and the county of North Yorkshire, England.

Hampsthwaite is designated as a Conservation Area and the area to the north and west of Hampsthwaite is recognised as an Area of Great Landscape Value

Living mainly alongside two main streets and within more recent housing developments, the village has a mixed population of approximately 1200 who enjoy the benefits of a close, mutually supportive community and access to a wide range of facilities. These include a Village Room and the Memorial Hall for larger events, post office, shop, and Joiners' Arms.

In 1304, Edward the 1st (ie 'Longshanks' or 'Hammer of the Scots') granted the Market Charter of Hampsthwaite to hold an annual market and fair on the Feast of St Thomas the Martyr - Hampsthwaite being one of the few churches in the UK to be named after St. Thomas a' Becket.

Trivia

• Leeds brewer, Joshua Tetley was buried in Hampsthwaite in 1859.
• Hampsthwaite has six consecutive consonants in it.
• The family of the writer William Make-peace Thackeray lived in Hampsthwaite.
• The family of Amy Woodforde Finden (1860-1919) who was best known as the composer of “Kashmiri Song” from The Four Indian Love Lyrics by Laurence Hope lived in Hampsthwaite. Amy was buried here and her memorial, a recumbent figure in white marble, resides in the local parish church of St Thomas a'Becket

Schools

• Hampsthwaite Church of England Primary School

Hampsthwaite School site is located near the River Nidd. As of February 2010 a building extension to provide a new hall, kitchen and two classrooms was completed for September 2010. The school celebrated the anniversary of its opening 150 years ago with a week of activities starting 4th July 2011. Past pupils were invited to contact the school to help create a 'Book of Memories'.

Football Club

Hampsthwaite and Birstwith Junior Football Club is run for the benefit of children living, or attending school, within the Hampsthwaite and Birstwith area catering for boys and girls ages 6 through to 11. Saturday morning coaching sessions are run in Hampsthwaite on Feast Field. For details visit http://www.hbjfc.co.uk/

Hampsthwaite United Football Club has been known to exist for approximately 100 years. They play in the Harrogate & District Football League. In May 2011 Hampsthwaite United gained promotion to Division 2. They currently do not play in Hampsthwaite after moving to a home pitch in Harrogate. There are plans to return the team to Hampsthwaite as soon as a suitable pitch location can be found. The football club's official colour scheme is red, white & black. They now play in Red shirts, Black Shorts, Red socks.

A rival team, Hampsthwaite Ravens, was established and this team play in nearby Harrogate. The Ravens compete in the same league as United at the very bottom of the English football league pyramid.

External links

Media related to Hampsthwaite at Wikimedia Commons

• Map sources for Hampsthwaite
• Hampsthwaite Village Web Site
• St Thomas a Becket Church, Hampsthwaite Web Site