1. History
    Crofton Castle 

2. Location grid

3. Crofton today

4. Sport

5. Notable residents

6. Schools

7. Transport
    Bus  Train  Air 

8. References

9. External links

History

Crofton is listed in the Domesday Book as Scroftune.

The village has one church, the cruciform All Saints' Church, which is Anglican. It dates from the 15th century.^[2] It shares an incumbent with the Church of St Peter the Apostle at Kirkthorpe.^[3] A Roman Catholic church built in the 1920s closed in 2008.^[4]

Crofton New Hall was built in the 1750s for the Wilsons, who lived in the village until 1935, when a Colonel Wilson sold the hall and estate and moved away. The hall was used by the army during the Second World War and later by the National Coal Board. It housed Brown's Tutorial School until 1980, when the building was demolished. Shortly afterwards, a new housing estate was built there. Some of the Wilson family are buried in a large mausoleum in the cemetery.^[5]

Crofton was predominantly a farming community, but the mining of coal became important in the 19th century and continued until the 1980s.^[4] There were three coal mines within two miles of the village, at Nostell, Walton and Sharlston.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}} By the early 1900s, Lord St Oswald had built houses at New Crofton, known locally as Cribbens or Scribbens Lump, for the workers of Nostell Mine. This area was populated until the 1980s, when it was demolished along with the mines.^[9] "The Lump" also had a mission hall, a local shop and a fish-and-chip shop, locally as "The Leaning Chippy" due to subsidence from the local mine at Nostell. In the 1970s, there were two shops near the Lump: "Alf's", which was a corner shop located where the Slipper public house is today, and another attached to the local car garage, "Mrs Moody's".^[4] There is also a disused well from which villagers used to get their water. It can still be seen, but the well itself has since been filled in, as a hazard for local children.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

The houses at the Lump were demolished due to severe subsidence from Nostell mine, it being was cheaper to demolish them than to repair the damage the subsidence had caused. Once demolished, the area remained a wasteland for many years, but the old cobbled streets and other roads were still visible. Eventually the land was sold and a new housing estate built on it. Most of the old subsidence has stopped by now. with many of the old mines collapsed and filled in years ago, but some remain and will affect the surrounding areas for years to come.^[4]

When the miners at Nostell were clearing new coal seams, they came across what was described as an underground church, which the monks from Nostell Priory had built years before. This church was complete with tunnels, which the monks used to use for transporting coal to the monastery. The church had wooden doors and seating inside. Exactly why they built it underground is unclear. The entrance and tunnel was eventually sealed off.^[4] Local miner and Nostell safety officer Leslie Simpson Sr and a fellow miner carved their names into the wood of the church door just before the tunnel was sealed. One theory is that the monks built the underground church to pray and worship in private, the monastery attached to Nostell Priory being dissolved by Henry VIII in 1540.^[4]

Crofton Castle

Crofton Castle was built in Towers Lane in 1853 by John Blackburn in the style of a Gothic manor house, complete with a parapet. The house acted as a prisoner-of-war camp during the Second World War for captured Italian soldiers. The house was then bought by the Abbott family, who allowed it to fall into disrepair. In 2004 the house suffered a horrific blaze, which led to its demolition.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

Rumours of hauntings and paranormal activity at the mansion surfaced. Many schoolchildren and also some adults have reported seeing a white figure standing at the back window, locally known as the Grey Lady. Over the years, there were rumours of suicides and hangings in and around the castle, but most were unsubstantiated or greatly exaggerated. Since the castle was demolished, a new housing estate has been built on the site, but the developers were mindful of the stories behind the castle and so planned the new estate that no houses would occupy exactly the same position as the castle had, which is nowadays covered by a road. Even so, events from the legend of the Grey Lady and other strange phenomena are still reported from the new housing estate.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}

Location grid

Crofton today

Today, Crofton is seen as a commuting village, with many of the inhabitants leaving daily to work in nearby cities such as Leeds and Wakefield and to a lesser degree Sheffield and York. The village has two post offices, one in New Crofton and one in the High Street, two fish and chip shops – one in New Crofton – mini-markets and a carpet store. The village also boasts several pubs: the Crofton Arms and the Cock and Crown, both on the A638 road, the Royal Oak and The Goose & Cowslip. Also serving drink are a working men's club and the Crofton Community Centre, formerly known as the Nostell Miners' Welfare. The Crofton Arms is now an Indian restaurant. Of other earlier pubs, Weavers Green has been demolished to make way for new houses, and The Slipper has been converted into flats. The Goose and Cowslip was formerly known as the "Lord of the Manor", and residents still call it The Manor.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

Crofton made national newspaper headlines when a noted motel in the village, The Redbeck, had stayed open for 21 years without ever closing, working its way through renovations, leaks and power cuts. The Redbeck is now a diner, hotel and long-haul truck stop on the outskirts of Crofton, located on the A638.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

Crofton has had a makeover in the last few years. Mainly the old Nostell Mine and its surrounding area have been transformed into a nature park, with a small pond and walking areas that many locals use. The walk comprises around 3–4 miles of ash path from start to finish, with some being concreted (remnants of the old opencast mining area). The path can be followed on foot or by bike, right to the Trans-Pennine Trail and through Walton Forest. Use in some years is marred by surges in the tick population, which particularly affect dog walkers and farm cattle.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

In July 2017, the Secretary of State for Transport announced the decision to route the West Midlands to Leeds leg of the future high-speed rail link HS2 through the eastern side of the village. At the same time, it was announced that a large maintenance depot, proposed for south of the village, will be built east of Leeds.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

Sport

Crofton is in the centre of what is locally known as Rugby land, with the local team Crofton Cougars contributing to the maintenance of the rugby league tradition. The team was formed in 1996 and plays in the CMS Unison Division 1. They won the CMS Division 2 title in 2006. The home ground of the Cougars is Cougar Park, which is part of the Crofton Community Centre facilities. It provides up to 3000 capacity, both seated and standing.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

Crofton cricket team play at The Sidings Playing Fields, as do Crofton Juniors AFC and Crofton Sports FC, which has two teams playing in the Wakefield Saturday League and are based at the Weavers Green pub.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

Nostell Miners Welfare F.C. also play at the community centre facilities and are currently in the Northern Counties Premier division.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

Notable residents

In birth order:

• Richard Fleming (c. 1385 – 1431), later Bishop of Lincoln and the founder of Lincoln College, Oxford, built Crofton Church.
• John Clayton (1657–1725) was Rector of Crofton and an author of scientific books and papers.
• John Harrison (1693–1776), the man who solved the problem of calculating longitude, was born in Foulby. Harrison Road in Crofton is named after him.
• Richmal Mangnall (1769–1820), headmistress of Crofton School for Young Girls, wrote a once-famous textbook, Mangnall's Questions.
• Sir Titus Salt (1803–1876), who built the mills of Saltaire, lived on Manor Farm (now a pub).
• Maria Brontë (1814–1825), oldest of the Brontë sisters, was educated at Crofton Hall School.^[10]
• Elizabeth Brontë (1815–1825) was educated at Crofton Hall School.^[10]
• Edward Simpson (1867–1944), born in Crofton, was a first-class cricketer.
• Harry Roberts (1904–1968), born in Crofton, was a professional footballer with Leeds United, Plymouth Argyle and Bristol Rovers.
• Joby Shaw (c. 1934 – 2010), born in Crofton, was an international rugby league footballer.

Schools

Crofton Infants School was opened in 1877 and was then known as Crofton Board School. In 1920, at a dance, Crofton School was the scene of a horrific murder, in which 19-year-old Jane Darwell was murdered in the hall during the dance by her ex-boyfriend Edwin Sowerby, in front of several witnesses. Sowerby was given the death penalty and hanged at Armley Prison in Leeds on 30 December 1920.^[11][12] Local legend depicts that the ghost of Jane Darwell still haunts the infants school, known as The Blue Lady.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}. In 1955, Crofton Secondary School opened in Crofton Old Hall. Crofton Slack Lane Junior School and Crofton High School were both built in the 1960s. A new Junior and Infant school was opened in Shay Lane in 1972.^[8] In the summer of 1995, a fire destroyed most of the High School and a new school opened in 1998. In 2007 Crofton High School achieved record GCSE pass rates, putting it in the top 100 state schools in the country. In August 2011 the school became Crofton Academy.^[13]

Transport

Bus

Crofton is located on the A638 road that runs between Wakefield and Doncaster and serves as the village's lifeline. There are several bus routes which run from Crofton:

• 145/148/149, Arriva Yorkshire – Wakefield to Knottingley and Pontefract via Crofton.
• 150, Arriva Yorkshire – Wakefield to Knottingley and Selby via Crofton, Featherstone and Pontefract.
• 195/196, Arriva Yorkshire – Wakefield to Hemsworth via Crofton and Walton.
• 485, Arriva Yorkshire – Wakefield to South Elmsall via Ackworth Crofton and Agbrigg.
• 496, Arriva Yorkshire – Wakefield to Doncaster via Belle Vue, Crofton, South Elmsall and Upton.
• 223, B.L Travel – Minsthorpe to Wakefield via Hemsworth, South Elmsall, South Kirkby and Crofton.
• The P2/6, Poppletons Coaches – Pontefract to Wakefield via NEW College, North Featherstone, Ackton, Sharlston, Crofton and Walton

Train

Up until the 1960s the village was served by the Hare Park & Crofton railway station before it was demolished. The station was located on the Great North Eastern Railway and on the Wakefield Line. The sidings were also used as part of the Dearne Valley Line.

Air

Crofton is located 26 miles (42 km) from Leeds Bradford International Airport, which offers services to European and Asian destinations such as Paris, Milan, Rome, Alicante, Tenerife, Larnaca and Islamabad. Crofton is the same distance from Doncaster Sheffield Airport, at Finningley in Doncaster, which serves a smaller range of European destinations. The nearest international airport offering a full range of international destinations is Manchester Airport, which is 69 miles (111 km) from the village.

References

External links

• Crofton Village Website
• Crofton Scout Group Website
• Crofton Silver Band
• Redbeck Hotel Cafe Website
• {{cite web|url=http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/armley.html|publisher=capitalpunishmentuk.org|title=Armley Gaol - Leeds|accessdate=16 January 2017}}

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