Wombwell

Wombwell

High Street, Wombwell
Wombwell
Wombwell shown within South Yorkshire
Population 15,316 (2011)
OS grid reference SE399028
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BARNSLEY
Postcode district S73
Dialling code 01226
Police South Yorkshire
Fire South Yorkshire
Ambulance Yorkshire
EU Parliament Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament

Wombwell (locally /ˈwʊmwəl/) is a town near Barnsley, located in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. The town in the 2011 census was split between a ward called Wombwell,[1] as well as small parts that fell under two other wards called Darfield (specifically the area south of Pitt Street, including Broomhill.[2] and Stairfoot (specifically the area south of Aldham Crescent.[3] Added together, these list the town's population as roughly 15,316.

Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, its name's origin may mean "Womba's Well", or "well in a hollow".

Wombwell railway station (formerly Wombwell West) serves the Penistone and Hallam lines. Until 1959 it had another station (Wombwell Central) on the Barnsley-Doncaster line that was closed when that line lost its passenger service. Wombwell was home to two collieries; Wombwell Main and Mitchells Main. Wombwell is close to the large shopping and leisure facilities of Cortonwood, and also has a number of local business from cafes to travel agents and high street chains like Wilko store on High Street.

Wombwell has one main cemetery, tended to by a voluntary group named the Friends of Wombwell Cemetery.[4] The cemetery houses two chapels that are Grade II listed buildings: one of which was transformed into an outdoor "Peace Garden" without a roof due to a fire before the group materialised; the other renovated into a "Community Hub".

Churches

The parish church, St Mary's, located on Church Street, is a Grade II listed building.[5][6] The parish also contains the Anglican church of St George, St Martin Of Tours Roman Catholic church, Wombwell Pentecostal Church, a Salvation Army Hall and a Methodist Church.[7]

Education

  • Netherwood Academy established in 2012 from a merger of Wombwell High School and Darfield Foulstone School
  • St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School, located on Stonyford Road, was established in 1903
  • Kings Oak Primary Learning Centre, established in 2007 from a merger of Kings Road Infant School and Oakfield Junior School
  • High View Primary Learning Centre, established in 2007 from a merger of Highfields Junior School and Wood View Infant School
  • Park Street Primary Learning Centre

Sport

Football

The town has had a number of football teams -

Mark Jones, one of the eight Manchester United players who died in the Munich air disaster of 6 February 1958, is buried in Wombwell Cemetery, having been born in Wombwell in 1933.[8]

Other sports

Roy Kilner, Yorkshire CCC and England cricketer was born in Wombwell and is buried in Wombwell Cemetery.[9]

The South Yorkshire Sports Stadium on Station Road existed from 1928-1965 and hosted greyhound racing and speedway.[10][11]

The Wombwell Greyhound Stadium on Hough Lane existed from 1934-1972 and hosted greyhound racing. It had previously been a football ground.[12]

Earliest recorded scrying

William Byg (alias Lech) of Wombwell is credited with the first ever recorded case of scrying in modern Europe. This confession was recorded on 22 August 1467. He was said to have earned a living by finding stolen property with the help of his crystal ball for over a period of two years, and was eventually charged with heresy. Scholars have researched and examined, until modern times, Byg's description of his own scrying. His description matches many scrying examples and methods which occurred later, and his work is considered authentic by those who believe it is possible to find property by paranormal means.

Floods

Parts of Wombwell were affected by the 2007 floods in the UK. The River Dove breached its banks on Friday 15 June and then again on Monday 25 June. Many homes and businesses were flooded.

References

  1. ↑ http://ukcensusdata.com/wombwell-e05000995#sthash.5eSaR7F.dpbs
  2. ↑ http://ukcensusdata.com/darfield-e05000978
  3. ↑ http://ukcensusdata.com/stairfoot-e05000994#sthash.ysdzCqNt.dpbs
  4. ↑ Friends of Wombwell Cemetery
  5. ↑ "Church of St Mary - Wombwell - Barnsley - England - British Listed Buildings". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  6. ↑ You, A Church Near. "St Mary, Wombwell". achurchnearyou.com. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  7. ↑ "Church in Wombwell". cylex-uk.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "Mark Jones (1933 - 1958) - Find A Grave Memorial". Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  9. ↑ Wombwell Cemetery.
  10. ↑ "OS County Series Yorkshire 1931". old-maps.co.uk.
  11. ↑ "Wombwell Speedway". Defunct Speedway Tracks.
  12. ↑ "OS Plan 1962". old-maps.co.uk.

Other sources

  • Basterman, T. (1924), Crystal gazing: a study in the history, distribution, theory and practice of scrying, London: William Rider.
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