Leyburn
| Leyburn | |
|---|---|
 Leyburn Market Square | |
| Population | 2,183 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SE114904 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LEYBURN |
| Postcode district | DL8 |
| Dialling code | 01969 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| UK Parliament | |
Leyburn is a market town and civil parish in the district of Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, England sitting above the northern bank of the River Ure in Wensleydale. Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the name was derived from 'Ley' or 'Le' (clearing), and 'burn' (stream), meaning clearing by the stream. The town boasts two markets, several pubs, two banks with cash machines, and many small speciality stores. Market day is Friday. It is served by local buses that connect to Richmond, Hawes, Bedale and Northallerton. The local Rotary Club sponsors the annual Wensleydale Wander in March or April, organised walks of 12 miles (19 km) and 22 miles (35 km).
Town information and business
Leyburn had a population of 1,844 at the 2001 census,[2] increasing to 2,183 at the 2011 Census, but this swells in summer with visitors to the Yorkshire Dales national park. Public services, with a primary school, a secondary school which serves the whole of Wensleydale, a police station and a medical centre. Several independently owned shops are situated around a market square with a number of pubs and bars. Shops include Tennant's auction house, a small department store called Milners of Leyburn, Campbell's supermarket, a chocolate shop, a range of oriental takeaways, electrical stores and a hunting and sports shop.
Although a small town, Leyburn has its own railway station on the re-opened Wensleydale Railway which offers tourist rides throughout the dale, mostly on diesel multiple units but occasionally on a steam train. The town of Leyburn has a 6,000-square-foot (560 m2) antiques centre on Harmby Road. The town also has a local market in the town centre every Friday and a farmers' market which specialises in local meats once a month.
Leyburn has appeared in various television programmes including The Department Store: Milner's, on BBC Four in 2008, and the 1960s-set drama series, Heartbeat.
Leyburn has two hotels and several bed and breakfasts situated in or close to the town centre. The town is a centre for walking, cycling and general sight-seeing, especially the waterfalls for which Wensleydale is renowned. The town is famous for the Leyburn Shawl, an escarpment of about 1.5 miles in length which provides panoramic views of rolling Wensleydale. According to legend, Mary, Queen of Scots, upon fleeing captivity in nearby Bolton Castle, dropped her shawl en route to Leyburn. The Shawl is the start of several circular walks taking in the nearby village of Wensley, from where Wensleydale takes its name.
Leyburn Golf Club (now defunct) was founded in 1895. The club continued until the late 1950s.[3]
On 5 July 2014, the Tour de France Stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate passed through the town.[4]
Governance
An electoral ward in the same name exists. This ward includes Harmby with a total population of 2,554.[5]
Annual events
Annually there is a Dales Festival of Food and Drink, held Saturday 18 and 19 June 2016.
There is an annual 1940s weekend, which takes place each year at the end of July.[6]
Wensleydale agricultural show takes place on the third Saturday in August. Saturday 23 August 2014 will mark the 100th Wensleydale Show.[7]
Education
The town's secondary school, the Wensleydale School, has just over 500 pupils. It serves the whole of Wensleydale which includes the towns and villages between Leyburn and Hawes. The school has a sixth form with around 80 students enrolled. Past students have gone on to study at some of the country's best universities, including Cambridge. In 2006 the School became a Specialist Science College under a programme discontinued in 2010.[8] The town's primary school is Leyburn Community Primary School, from where a vast majority of the pupils proceed to the Wensleydale School for secondary education. There was a St Peter and St Paul Roman Catholic Primary School, now closed.[9]
Notable people
Leyburn is the home town of footballer Michael Dawson and his elder brother, Andy.[10]
References
- ^ "Town population 2011". Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ "Parish Headcounts: Richmondshire". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ^ "Leyburn Golf Club". Golf’s Missing Links. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
- ^ "Tour de France Stage 1". Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ^ "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ "26th & 27th July 2014". Leyburn 1940s Weekend Website. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
- ^ Show, Wensleydale. "The 2013 Show". Wensleydale Agricultural Society. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ "The Wensleydale School and Sixth Form". The Wensleydale School. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ^ "St Peter and St Paul Roman Catholic Primary School, Leyburn". Inspection Reports. Ofsted. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ^ "Home Team Is Feeling Happy". The Northern Echo. 22 November 2002. Retrieved 8 February 2012.