Flockton is a village in the civil parish of Kirkburton, in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England.[2] It is halfway between Huddersfield and Wakefield. In 2020, the population of Flockton and Flockton Green was estimated to be 2,107.[1]

Flockton
Barnsley Road A637, Flockton
Flockton is located in West Yorkshire
Flockton
Flockton
Location within West Yorkshire
Population2,107 (2020 Kirklees Council)[1]
OS grid referenceSE242149
• London160 mi (260 km) SSE
Civil parish
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWAKEFIELD
Postcode districtWF4
Dialling code01924
PoliceWest Yorkshire
FireWest Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
53°37′48″N 1°38′06″W / 53.630°N 1.635°W / 53.630; -1.635

Its name derives from Flóki, an Old Norse personal name, and tūn, which is Old English for enclosure or fence.[3]

History edit

Flockton grew in a coal mining area, Flockton Collieries are closed. Locals could find mining jobs at nearby collieries such as Bullhouse, Shuttle Eye, Emley Moor, or Caphouse Colliery[4] when the local pits were closed due to their inability to compete pricewise with collieries that were connected to the railways.[5]

Governance edit

Flockton was formerly a chapelry in the parish of Thornhill in the West Riding of Yorkshire[6] and from 1866 Flockton was a civil parish[7] and in 1894 an urban district. In 1938 the urban district was abolished and Flockton was added to Kirkburton.[8]

Geography edit

Flockton contains the once separate areas of Over and Nether Flockton and Flockton Green. The village is about 6 miles (10 km) east of Huddersfield and the same distance south-west of Wakefield. The village extends along the A637 Grange Moor to Barnsley road. At Flockton Green, at the eastern end of the village, there is a junction with the road from Overton. To the west is Flockton Moor, a rural area containing mainly farmhouses. Parkside is an area of council housing. In contrast there are stone-built private developments. House prices are above average for the area.[1] Flockton is a commuter village because of its proximity to the M1 motorway, which brings with it a large amount of traffic.[4]

The village had a population of 800 in 1809,[9] 1,318 in 1951,[10] and 2,107 in 2020.[1]

Amenities edit

St James the Great Church is on Barnsley Road[11] next to Flockton C of E (C) First School.[12]

Flockton has a newsagent/convenience store, a hairdressing salon, a working men's club, a motorcycle shop, and a fish and chip shop. The Dartmouth Arms public house was replaced by an Indian restaurant in October 2007. The George and Dragon at Flockton Green is one of the oldest public houses in England, dating from 1485.[13]

New Hall Prison edit

New Hall Prison is in New Hall Wood, 0.6 miles (1 km) east of Flockton.[14] The prison holds female adults, juveniles and young offenders.[15]

Sport edit

Flockton has a cricket team that plays in the Huddersfield Cricket League. The village football teams play in Huddersfield and District Association Football League leagues.[5]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "E01011193 Flockton / Grange Moor". observatory.kirklees.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Kirkburton Parish Council map" (PDF). kbpc.co.uk. Kirklees Council. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  3. ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 182, 482. ISBN 0-19-869103-3.
  4. ^ a b "Grange Moor and Flockton, West Yorkshire". Yorkshire Life. 13 January 2010. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  5. ^ a b "FLOCKTON - Pits, Pubs and a Prison". Huddersfield Examiner. 28 November 2005. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  6. ^ "History of Flockton, in Kirklees and West Riding". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Relationships and changes Flockton Ch/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Flockton West Riding". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  9. ^ Langdale, Thomas (1809). A Topographical Dictionary of Yorkshire. J. Langdale, 1809. p. 194. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Population statistics Flockton Ch/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  11. ^ "St. James the Great Church, Flockton, in the Benefice of Lepton, Emley and Flockton with Denby Grange". Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Flockton C of E (C) First School - Home". Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Restaurant Review: The George & Dragon Flockton". Huddersfield Examiner. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  14. ^ "110" (Map). Sheffield & Huddersfield. 1:50,000. landranger. Ordnance Survey. 2016. ISBN 9780319262085.
  15. ^ "New Hall Prison and Young Offender Institute". GOV.UK. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

External links edit

  Media related to Flockton at Wikimedia Commons