Gawthorpe, Ossett
| Gawthorpe | |
| Yorkshire West Riding | |
|---|---|
 Gawthorpe Water Tower | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SE273221 |
| Location: | 53°41’44"N, 1°35’15"W |
| Data | |
| Postcode: | WF5 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Wakefield |
Gawthorpe is a village to the north of Ossett, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is roughly midway between Wakefield and Dewsbury north of the A638.
The name of the village derives from ‘Gorky’, a Norse name, and ‘thorpe’ means a village, but it is earlier: there is evidence suggesting Roman origins.
Gawthorpe Water Tower stands 180 feet tall. It built of concrete between 1922 and 1928 to store drinking water for the Ossett area, and today is a Grade II listed building.[1] The tower is a prominent local landmark of the Ossett and Gawthorpe area.
Events
The village’s Mayday celebrations date back to at least 1875 when a seventy-foot fir tree was bought and erected by public subscription on the village green. The maypole was last replaced in 1986.
Gawthorpe hosts the World Coal Carrying Championships.[2] The Championships were originally run from the Shaw Cross colliery to the May Pole, although the collieries in this area all closed in the Robens era. It also gives its name to the Gawthorpe seam of coal, which stretches from the village down through Horbury and Crigglestone.[3]
References
- ↑ National Heritage List 1472774: Gawthorpe Water Tower (Grade II listing)
- ↑ "Coal Race Event". http://www.gawthorpemaypole.org.uk/?page_id=21.
- ↑ "The Barnsley-Warren House Seam (The Art and Science of Mining, 17th June 1939, Page: 388, Column: 1)". http://www.dmm.org.uk/news19/9390617a.htm.
