Newmillerdam

Newmillerdam is a village and suburb of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. The name also refers to the lake and country park [1] adjacent to the village. The park is a Local Nature Reserve.[2][3]

The lake

Formerly known as Thurstonhaigh, the village got its current name from the construction of a grain mill powered by water from the dammed lake, thus the 'New mill on the dam'. The mill still stands, though it is nonoperational, and is privately owned. The mill was originally owned and operated by the Pashley family, who remained in the village until the 1980s. The Pashleys owned many local business through the centuries including blacksmiths, coal mines and a furniture making business. These furniture makers were also general carpenters and installed one of the first public toilets in the yard of The Three Houses Public House in 1852.[4]

The Pashley family were Methodists and provided large sums of money to build two Chapels in the village. The two Chapels are situated on School Hill, and on Barnsley Road. The Pashley reference is noted on these buildings by the dedication stones to William M Pashley. The Pashley family also funded and built Newmillerdam School located on School Hill in the village. However, the landowning gentry of the time - the Pilkington family - took much credit and introduced the annual Miss Pilkington Scripture Prize as an annual award in the school. One of the last pupils to receive this prize before the school was closed and sold by the local council was ironically a Pashley family member, Sharon Mulheir now Smith. She is the great great great great granddaughter of the schools founder, William Pashley.

The boathouse, Newmillerdam

Chevet Hall was a mansion that stood on the site on an older hall to the east of Newmillerdam and was built in 1529 by the Neviles. The hall was demolished as a result of mining subsidence in the 1960s despite a massive outcry from locals.[5] In 1765, the hall and estate was acquired by the Pilkingtons. And in 1820, they built the boathouse on the lake on their private grounds. The Pilkingtons built lodges around their 2,340 acres (9.5 km²) private estate to deter poachers; some of these survive. It was opened to the public after Wakefield Council bought the estate in 1954. The boathouse is a Grade II Listed building.[6]

There was a Newmillerdam Colliery, close to the small village of Hall Green. This closed in 1981. As with many of the Wakefield collieries, closure in the 1980s was agreed with the NUM on the basis that the workers could transfer to the new Selby Coalfield.

Seckar Woods nature reserve, located near the more affluent village of Woolley is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest).