Altofts is a village in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Normanton and Altofts Normanton is the name of: England *Normanton, Derby *South Normanton, Derbyshire *Temple Normanton, Derbyshire *Normanton, Leicestershire *Normanton, Lincolnshire *Normanton, Rutland *Normanton, West Yorkshire **Normanton (UK Parliament constitue ...

, in the

City of Wakefield Wakefield, also known as the City of Wakefield, is a Local government in England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status and a metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. Wakefield, the largest settl ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

, England. It lies north-east from the centre of

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

and less than north-west of Normanton. The M62 runs close to the village to the north-east, and the

Aire and Calder Navigation The Aire and Calder Navigation is the River engineering#Canalization of rivers, canalised section of the River Aire, Rivers Aire and River Calder, West Yorkshire, Calder in West Yorkshire, England. The first improvements to the rivers above Kn ...

to the north-west. It is part of the

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

of Altofts and Whitwood, which also includes the western part of

Castleford Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield district, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the t ...

Economy

Many people in the village previously worked in the local coal mines. The largest mine in the village, The West Riding Colliery, was owned by Pope and Pearsons. It was here that the first British coaldust experiments took place during 1908 and 1909, conducted by W. E. Garforth, manager of the colliery and president of the

Mining Association of Great Britain The Mining Association of Great Britain (MAGB) was an industry association of employers in the mining industry of Great Britain that was active from 1854 to 1954. History The Mining Association of Great Britain was established in 1854 to represe ...

. In the early 20th century Garforth's improvement to worker safety helped to develop underground safety and rescue procedures that are today common worldwide. Today people are either employed in neighbouring towns and cities, or on the

Wakefield Europort Wakefield Europort is a rail-connected warehousing and industrial estate located to the northeast of Wakefield at junction 31 of the M62 motorway in West Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1996 in anticipation of increased international railfreigh ...

's 'Tuscany Park' industrial estate which has been developed over recent decades. Altofts' brickworks, Normanton Brick Co Ltd, moved to its present Greenfield Road site from Wakefield Road in the late 1990s. It ran under Thomas Kirk's great grandsons until it stopped production in 2011.

Community facilities

The village has four

pubs A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

: The Horse and Jockey, Miners Arms, The Poplar, and the Robin Hood. The Horse and Jockey is the oldest pub in the village. There are two

Working Men's Clubs Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, English Midlands, Midlands, Scotland, Northern Ireland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreati ...

one of which has been converted into a community centre called The Brig. The Brig is owned by the registered charity called Altofts Community & Sports Foundation Ltd. The Brig is home to many community groups including Altofts Juniors FC, Altofts Cycling Club, Readers group and Storytime. The Altofts Book Swap is also based at The Brig. The Brig hosts an annual summer gala to promote local talent and community groups. The Brig outside

In the village there is also a post office, a butchers and a small number of shops and farms.

Landmarks

Lower Altofts is an area at the lower end of the village. It had the longest unbroken row of three-storey terraced houses in Europe, Silkstone Row, until 1978 when it was demolished. There are now just two shorter rows of terraced houses in Lower Altofts on Pope Street.

Education

Altofts schools are Lee Brigg Infants School, Martin Frobisher Infants School, and Altofts Junior school which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2008.

Religious sites

There are three churches. Altofts Methodist Church, opened in 1990, was built when the three Methodist congregations from Lower Altofts, Lock Lane and Upper Altofts amalgamated. The church is located on Church Road. The Church of St Mary Magdalene is the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

for the village, and is

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...

in tradition. The Hebron is an independent church, also located on Church Road.

Sport

Altofts Community Sports Club and playing fields provide for cricket, football and bowls. The Cricket Club plays at Lock Lane and is in the Bradford Cricket League. Altofts AFC, which was founded in the 1890s, plays in the

West Yorkshire Association Football League The West Yorkshire Association Football League is a association football, football competition based in Yorkshire, England. It was previously known as the Leeds League until the name change in 1939. Although it is named the ''West Yorkshire'' Le ...

History

Altofts was formerly a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in the parish of Normanton, in 1866 Altofts became a separate

, in 1894 Altofts became an

urban district An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...

, on 1 April 1938 the district and parish was abolished and merged with Normanton. In 1931 the parish had a population of 4981.

Notable people

John Freeston John Freeston (1512–1594) was a barrister from Altofts, West Yorkshire, admitted in 1544 to Gray's Inn in London. Possibly inspired by Walter Midway, Freeston posthumously left £500 to fund a school in Normanton, with a scholarship program i ...

, Tudor barrister and benefactor; lived in Altofts for most of his life. *

Martin Frobisher Sir Martin Frobisher (; – 22 November 1594) was an English sailor and privateer who made three voyages to the New World looking for the North-west Passage. He probably sighted Resolution Island near Labrador in north-eastern Canada, before ...

, Elizabethan sea captain and adventurer, credited with the discovery of

Frobisher Bay Frobisher Bay is an inlet of the Davis Strait in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the southeastern corner of Baffin Island. Its length is about and its width varies from about at its outlet into the Davis Strait ...

in Canada; born in Altofts

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in West Yorkshire Former civil parishes in West Yorkshire Geography of the City of Wakefield Normanton, West Yorkshire