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Skipton

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For other places with the same name, see Skipton (disambiguation).
Skipton
Skipton town centre
Population14,313 [1]
OS grid referenceSD993516
• LondonTemplate:Mi to km
Civil parish
  • Skipton
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSKIPTON
Postcode districtBD23
Dialling code01756
PoliceNorth Yorkshire
FireNorth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
Websitehttp://www.skiptontowncouncil.gov.uk/
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire

Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a civil parish and historic market town in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is a popular tourist destination in its own right, as well as being a convenient base for visitors to the Yorkshire Dales (the town is known as 'The Gateway to the Dales').

The town has a population of 14,313 according to the 2001 census.

History

Main article: History of Skipton

The town of Skipton is known to have been in existence since 1085 as it is listed in the Domesday Book. It played roles in history during the English Civil War and as the site of a prisoner of war camp during World War I.

Governance

Skipton lies within the Parliamentary Constituency of Skipton and Ripon, which was created in 1983. The constituency has returned a Conservative MP since its inception. The seat is currently held by David Curry MP.

Skipton forms part of Craven District, a Non-metropolitan district, and is home of the offices of Craven District Council. In 2007, proposals to make North Yorkshire County Council a unitary authority, removing the layer of government represented by Craven District, were rejected.[2]

Skipton has its own town council.

Economy

The town's major local employer is Skipton Building Society and its subsidiary companies. Tourism and retail sales are also significant: The town is known as the gate way to the Dales, due to its close proximity to the Yorkshire Dales. Skipton has many visitors, particularly on market day. As Skipton is the nearest and largest town to most of the small towns and villages within the Dales it attracts a lot of shoppers and as a result has a bustling atmosphere and a wide range of shops. In 2008 the Academy of Urbanism voted the High Street the best shopping spot in Britain.[3] The wide main street used to host the sheep market, but now a general market is held there four days a week, and livestock is auctioned at the Auction Mart on the western edge of the town.

A brewery opened in 2002. The Copper Dragon Brewery produce five different cask beers, four of which are also available bottled.[4] The company's logo is a green dragon coiled around the top of a brewer's copper kettle. Copper Dragon currently have seven pubs.[5]

Heritage and Culture

Craven Museum & Gallery

The Town Hall in Skipton holds regular craft fairs and special events and also houses a local history museum, Craven Museum & Gallery.

Skipton Little Theatre is located near the town centre. The Mart Theatre is an unusual and unique venue. Opening in October 2005 with funding from the European Regional Development Fund, Yorkshire Forward, Craven District Council and the Arts Council England, it provides a unique rural theatre, events and other facilities within a functioning Auction Mart.

Skipton is twinned with the Bavarian town of Simbach. In May 2009 the town council decided to proceed with twinning with Erquinghem-Lys in France.[6]

Skipton has many pubs, two nightclubs, and restaurants ranging from traditional fish and chips to high quality French cuisine, taking in modern British, Mexican, Indian, Greek, Chinese and Italian.

The local newspaper is the Craven Herald & Pioneer.

Transport

May Boat Festival
Skipton railway station

Skipton lies close to the junction of the A65 road (from Leeds to the Lake District) with the A59 from York to Liverpool. The north section (A65 & A59) of the £16.4m Skipton Bypass opened in December 1981. The rest of the six-mile bypass (A629) opened in October 1982, greatly reducing journey times to the Dales.

Skipton railway station gives access southbound to regular services for Leeds and Bradford on the electrified Airedale Line; northbound services connect to Lancaster, Morecambe and Carlisle; the latter route is along the famously scenic Settle-Carlisle Railway, passing over the Ribblehead Viaduct. Skipton bus station was rebuilt in 2009.

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal runs through the heart of Skipton and is a popular destination for tourists, with walking and boat hire being easily available.

Education

Primary education

There is a wide variety of choice for pupils at ages 5–11:

  • Non-denominational:
  • Roman Catholic:
    • St Stephen's Catholic Primary School
  • Church of England:
    • Christ Church
    • Parish Church (informally known as Brougham Street) Primary School

Secondary education

As well as Aireville School (ages 11–16), there are two single-sex grammar schools: Ermysted's Grammar School for boys, and Skipton Girls' High School (SGHS). Both schools are selective (by entrance exam) and obtain comparable high A-Level scores. On the basis of the 2007 A Level results Ermysted's and SGHS were rated first and third respectively in North Yorkshire,[7] Ermysted's ranking 49th nationally.[8]

Further education

Sports

Skipton is home to Skipton Town A.F.C., Skipton Bulldogs, and Skipton LMS, all football clubs; Skipton CC and Skipton CI, both cricket clubs; and Skipton R.F.C., a rugby union club. The Coulthurst Craven Sports Centre, adjacent to the rugby club, has many facilities including all-weather football pitches and squash courts. There are several other gyms in the town as well as a public swimming pool.

Notable people

A number of notable people have been born in Skipton. The philosopher Henry Sidgwick was born in Skipton in 1838.[9] Thomas Spencer, the co-founder of Marks & Spencer, was born in Queen's Court, Skipton in 1858.[10] The American mathematician Thomas William Edmondson was born in Skipton in 1869.[citation needed] Geoffrey Dawson, editor of The Times from 1912 to 1919 and from 1923 until 1941, was born in Skipton in 1874.[11]

Two politicians were born in Skipton: the former Conservative MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer Iain Macleod in 1913,[12] and the Labour MP Joan Humble in 1951.[13] Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's personal physician during the Second World War, Charles Wilson, the first Baron Moran, was born in Skipton in 1882.[14]

The poet and author Blake Morrison was born in Skipton in 1950.[15] The former Manchester City footballer Rick Holden was born in Skipton in 1964.[16] The actress Elaine Glover, who has appeared in Footballers' Wives and HolbyBlue, was born in Skipton in 1983.[17] former Olympic swimmer Sarah Collings daughter of retired Greatwood_school headmaster John Collings, was also born in Skipton.

See also

References

  1. ^ Census, 2001
  2. ^ Speak, Jenny (2007-07-27). "Unitary council plan scrapped". Craven Herald & Pioneer. Retrieved 2007-08-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ Brown Jonathan (28 November 2008). "Vibrant Yorkshire Dales town has best high street in Britain". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved on 3 July 2009.
  4. ^ "Copper Dragon (UK)". ratebeer.com. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  5. ^ "- Yorkshire's Fastest Growing Brewery". www.copperdragon.uk.com. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  6. ^ "Skipton set to get French twin town", Craven Herald & Pioneer, p. 5, 21 May 2009{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  7. ^ Secondary schools in North Yorkshire: A/AS-level score, BBC News, 2007.
  8. ^ Top A-level results, BBC News, 2007.
  9. ^ Moggridge, Donald Edward (1995). Maynard Keynes: An Economist's Biography. Routledge. p. 57. ISBN 0415127114.
  10. ^ "M&S may open in Skipton". Telegraph & Argus. 2007-01-20. Retrieved 2008-08-19. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Obituary: Mr Geoffrey Dawson". The Times. 1944-11-08. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Wright, Greg (2008-07-29). "Words of a 'forgotten politician' have returned to haunt us". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 2008-08-19. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Joan Humble > Biographical details". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
  14. ^ "Wilson, (Charles McMoran), Baron Moran of Manton". Royal College of Physicians. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
  15. ^ "Blake Morrison: Biography". British Council. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
  16. ^ "Rick Holden". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
  17. ^ "Biography for Elaine Glover". IMDb. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
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