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86-612: The BW&LR later built a branch line from near Wakefield to Batley, opening in stages to 1863. In that year it changed its name to the West Yorkshire Railway , and planned a branch line from Lofthouse to Methley, forming an eastwards link to other companies' lines. It agreed to make the line jointly with the North Eastern Railway and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway , and the branch line became

172-421: A spiritualist church in the town centre. The King's Way church on Ventnor Way is a Methodist and United Reformed church. Ossett Rugby are based at Ossett Cricket and Athletic Club and play at Southdale playing fields with two men's and one senior ladies team. Recently the club have offered Junior rugby with mini rugby for ages 2 and up, mixed age grades at under 9's and under 12's plus girls only teams to extend

258-519: A community based station. The Wakefield Express and the Dewsbury Reporter report local news. The Wakefield Express publishes an Ossett Edition , and also contains an Ossett and district section. Ossett has a free magazine The Ossett Review established in July 2005. The Ossett Civic Trust produce a quarterly newsletter Ossett Times . The Horbury Ossett Community News , which

344-669: A director, later becoming Chairman (1904-5; curtailed by his appointment as Foreign Secretary). In his autobiographical work Twenty-Five Years Grey later wrote that ‘…the year 1905 was one of the happiest of my life; the work of Chairman of the Railway was agreeable and interesting…’. After leaving the Foreign Office Grey resumed his directorship of the NER in 1917, and when the North Eastern Railway became part of

430-537: A league long as much broad" (roughly six furlongs by six furlongs). Four villeins and three bordars lived in Osleset. Coal-mining was, up to the late 1960s, Ossett's second industry in terms of people employed and the first in terms of males employed. Coal has been mined since the 14th century and there were a large number of pits in Ossett during the 19th century. The pits included Old Roundwood, opened in 1851 mining

516-700: A minimum dividend of 6%. On 1 February 1866 the West Riding and Grimsby Railway was opened, jointly owned by the Great Northern Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway . Part of the line formed a direct link between Doncaster and Wakefield, leading on to the former BW&LR line. At last the GNR had a direct route under its own control from Doncaster to Leeds. The West Yorkshire Railway network had become an integral part of

602-626: A near monopoly. That district extended through Yorkshire , County Durham and Northumberland , with outposts in Westmorland and Cumberland . The only company penetrating its territory was the Hull & Barnsley, which it absorbed shortly before the main grouping. The NER's main line formed the middle link on the Anglo-Scottish "East Coast Main Line" between London and Edinburgh , joining

688-619: A proposal that the Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway and the BW&;LR should amalgamate, but the idea came to nothing. In fact both lines were dependent on the Great Northern Railway for the majority of their income. The BW&LR obtained an act of Parliament on 23 July 1860 for a branch to Ossett . It was single line, and left the main line at Wrenthorpe [south] junction, just north of Wakefield. It ran as far as Roundwood colliery, carrying mineral traffic from 6 January 1862. Soon after it

774-520: A reputation as high-quality producers. Whitehead's Mill used to have a carnival float that said "We Export to the World" at the Gawthorpe May Pole parade. During the 1970s, Woodhead Manufacturing employed 1,500 people on this site in its two premises fronting Church Street and Kingsway. The shock absorber business was the last part of the site operations to close in the early 1990s. The site

860-604: A story about the Bells and the NER: As the heirs of the director of the North Eastern Railway, the Hugh Bells were transport royalty. At Middlesbrough the stationmaster doffed his hat to them and ushered them onto the train at Redcar. Many years later, Florence's daughter Lady Richmond was to remember an occasion when she was seeing her father off from King's Cross, and he had remained on the platform so that they could talk until

946-492: A third route between Wakefield and Bradford. In the 1863 session of Parliament the BW&LR sought powers to change its name to the West Yorkshire Railway, and this was sanctioned by an act of Parliament of 21 July 1863. Also in the 1863 session of Parliament the BW&LR sought powers for a branch to Methley , and this too was sanctioned by the act of Parliament of 21 July 1863, giving running powers over

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1032-524: Is a free local weekly paper printed and distributed throughout the town and Horbury . Gawthorpe hosts the annual World Coal-Carrying Championships (Easter Monday) and an annual Maypole parade in May. Ossett Beercart takes place on the first weekend of June. Ossett Gala takes place in July. The turning on of the Christmas lights is another focal point for the community, along with the fire station's bonfire on

1118-552: Is largely drawn from Appendix E (pp 778–779) in Tomlinson. 1854 1857 1858 1859 1862 1863 1865 1866 1870 1872 1874 1876 1882 1883 1889 1893 1898 1900 1914 1922 1853 1857 1893 Having inherited the country's first ever great barrel-vault roofed station, Newcastle Central, from its constituent the York Newcastle & Berwick railway,

1204-458: Is now a housing estate and Woodhead's exists in name only and is run from an industrial estate in Leeds. There is however, a large old 'mill type' building situated on Church Street, which, prior to its refurbishment, had shown Woodhead signage in large blue lettering on the buildings' facade. The building was for many years left in a very derelict and dangerous state, largely due to vandalism. Arson in particular inflicted significant damage, leaving

1290-412: Is situated in the town centre next to Prospect Road ( B6128 ) and Ossett Town's football ground. The bus station is managed and owned by West Yorkshire Metro , and was rebuilt in 2005; it has six stands and a real-time information board. The main operator at the bus station is Arriva Yorkshire . Buses run around the town and regularly to Wakefield and Dewsbury , and less frequently to Batley . Until

1376-415: Is still extant but in non-transport use since 1991 as a second-hand book warehouse, the others having been demolished during the 1950s/60s state-owned railway era, two (Sunderland and Middlesbrough) following Second World War bomb damage. The NER was the first railway company in the world to appoint a full-time salaried architect to work with its chief engineer in constructing railway facilities. Some of

1462-563: Is the only reminder of the bridge that used to exist there until its removal in the 1980s. The railway station closed in 1964. The town was close to four other railway stations: Chickenley Heath closed in 1911, Earlsheaton in 1953, Flushdyke closed in 1941 and Horbury & Ossett in 1970. It is now the largest town in Yorkshire and one of the largest towns in Britain without a railway station. Railway sidings and yards are still to be found at

1548-579: Is used. The British Library has an online dialect study that uses the spelling. One new alternative theory is that it is the place where King Osbehrt died after receiving fatal wounds when fighting the Great Heathen Army of the Vikings at York on 21 March 867. An exceedingly rare clustering of high status Anglian graves, one bearing the Anglian royal symbol of the dragon and the name Osbehrt,

1634-402: The 17th (N.E.R. Pioneer) Battalion and 32nd (N.E.R. Reserve) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers . This was the first time that a battalion had been raised from one Company. The company also sent two tug boats, NER No.3 . and Stranton The latter became HM Tug Char and was lost at sea on 16 January 1915 with the loss of all hands. The NER Heraldic Device (seen above the tile map photo)

1720-552: The 2021 census , the town had a population of 21,861. Ossett forms part of the Heavy Woollen District . The name Ossett derives from the Old English and is thought to be either "the fold of a man named Osla" or " a fold frequented by blackbirds". Ossett is sometimes misspelled as "Osset". In Ellis' On Early English Pronunciation , one of the founding works of British linguistics , the incorrect spelling

1806-890: The Great Northern Railway near Doncaster and the North British Railway at Berwick-upon-Tweed . Although primarily a Northern English railway, the NER had a short length of line in Scotland, in Roxburghshire , with stations at Carham and Sprouston on the Tweedmouth-Kelso route (making it the only English railway with sole ownership of any line in Scotland), and was a joint owner of the Forth railway bridge and its approach lines. The NER

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1892-895: The Labour Party . Between 2010 and 2024, it was part of the Wakefield constituency ; the MPs during this period were Mary Creagh , Imran Ahmad Khan and Simon Lightwood . In 1983 , the town transferred from the Dewsbury seat to the Normanton constituency. When Ossett was part of the Dewsbury constituency, the MP was David Ginsburg , one of the Labour MPs who defected to the Social Democratic Party . On transferring to

1978-809: The London and North Eastern Railway he became a director of that company, remaining in this position until 1933. At the Railway Centenary celebrations in July 1925, Grey accompanied the Duke and Duchess of York and presented them with silver models of the Stockton and Darlington Railway engine Locomotion and the passenger carriage Experiment . (Post renamed Superintendent of the Line): (Post then divided between General Superintendent - Henry Angus Watson - & Chief Passenger Agent) The above list only covers

2064-477: The Methley Joint Railway , opening in 1865. In that year the West Yorkshire Railway (former BW&LR) was absorbed by the Great Northern Railway. The original main line is part of the present-day electrically operated Doncaster to Leeds main line. At the conclusion of a Parliamentary struggle, the Great Northern Railway was authorised in 1846 to build a railway line from London to York . York

2150-517: The Northern Premier League Division One North : Ossett Town played at Ingfield, and neighbours Ossett Albion played at Queen's Terrace, more commonly known as Dimplewells. In February 2018, the two clubs announced an agreement to merge under the name Ossett United . For the remainder of the 2017–18 season, a season ticket at either club is valid for matches at either Ossett Albion or Ossett Town. There

2236-470: The 18th and 19th centuries, the town had a reputation as a centre of religious Nonconformism . Although Nonconformist churches were common all over West Yorkshire, Ossett was a particular hotbed. In 1890, seventeen different churches were recorded in Ossett, excluding "spiritualist churches". Trinity Church is one of the two Anglican churches in the town. The other is Christ Church, South Ossett. St Mary's Church on Dewsbury Road closed in 2002, and its parish

2322-468: The 1970s. The railways arrived in Ossett in 1862 when the Bradford, Wakefield & Leeds Railway company opened a branch line to Flushdyke. The line was extended to Ossett in 1864 and then onto Dewsbury and Batley. Ossett railway station , located roughly where Southdale Gardens now is, was opened in 1889 by the Great Northern Railway . The line ran underneath Station Road and the bump in the road today

2408-481: The BW&LR gave the GNR direct access to Leeds without running over the rival Midland Railway, and without the necessity to reverse direction on the approach to Leeds itself. This was a very considerable advantage for the GNR, and from 12 November 1857 the company transferred most of its long-distance trains on to the route. From November 1857 the GNR complained about poor permanent way conditions between Wakefield and Leeds, and threatened to transfer its traffic back to

2494-505: The GNR using the two faces on the east side. A permanent station with an island platform was provided at Dewsbury. The new double-track line was 1 mile 74  chains (1.93 miles, 3.10 km) in length, from a new Dewsbury junction on the Ossett-Dewsbury line, leaving the temporary Dewsbury terminus station at the end of a 31 chains (620 m) branch, thereafter used only for goods and minerals. General traffic began on

2580-576: The Gawthorpe seam. The Haigh Moor seam opened in 1860 and the Silkstone seam opened in 1893. Pildacre pit shut due to flooding in 1875 but remained as a source of water for Ossett. Westfield shut in the early 1900s. The Chidswell riot in 1893 was caused by striking miners trying to reach Westfield to stop other miners working. Another pit down Healey Road was also the scene of tension between police and striking miners. Low Laithes pit shut in 1926, however

2666-412: The Great Northern Railway system in the area. The Ossett and Batley line passed Dewsbury by, and the GNR decided to make a new line connecting Dewsbury into the system. An act of Parliament of 24 July 1871 authorised this. Work started on 9 April 1872; the project included doubling the line from Wrenthorpe junction to Ossett; this was completed to Runtlings Lane junction by August 1873. A new north curve

Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue

2752-653: The Great Northern Railway, which operated their trains, and the occasional talk of absorption by the GNR became serious. In the face of strenuous L&YR opposition, the West Yorkshire Railway (former BW&LR) as well as the LB&;HJR passed into GNR possession. The GNR took over working of the WYR on 1 January 1865, ratified by an act of Parliament of 5 July; the one third share of the Methley Joint line became GNR property from 5 September. The WYR shareholders were guaranteed

2838-734: The Humber branch of the Disability Sports Federation has its headquarters on the Longlands Industrial Estate in the town. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire . Television signals are received from the Emley Moor TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Leeds , Heart Yorkshire , Capital Yorkshire , Hits Radio West Yorkshire , Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire , and Rhubarb Radio ,

2924-508: The Kingsway roundabout, is a grade II listed building. Ossett Town Hall celebrated its centenary in June 2008. Gawthorpe , an area of north Ossett, is known for its landmark water tower . The Romans constructed a road from Halifax to Wakefield, this road became a turnpike road in 1741, its route is roughly similar to the modern day Dewsbury Road. Streetside Post Office is a reminder of

3010-722: The L&;YR. There was a fourteen span viaduct in its 49 chain length. Goods traffic began in 1887; the curve was sanctioned by the Board of Trade for passenger operation in October 1887, but no regular service was run until 1893, when a joint GNR/L&YR Leeds-Pudsey-Cleckheaton-Batley-Leeds circular service was introduced. The passenger service from Wakefield to Dewsbury (and on to Drighlington ) closed from 8 September 1964. The entire line from Adwalton through Batley to Wrenthorpe Junctions, near Wakefield, closed on 15 February 1965, except for

3096-624: The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. For the first time a direct communication from Halifax to London without break of journey was created. Although the LB&HJR was independent, the beginnings of a Great Northern Railway network in West Yorkshire were visible. Nevertheless, there were still some significant gaps in the railway system, and another independent company, the Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway secured its authorising act of Parliament on 10 July 1854. Authorised share capital

3182-519: The Methley route of the Midland Railway. In October the Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway gave notice that from 1 January 1858 it would appoint its own station staff. The GNR abruptly withdrew its engines and coal wagons, in effect ceasing to work the line. The BW&LR hurriedly had to acquire engines and wagons of its own. For a few months it hired wagons from the GNR. In 1859 there was

3268-483: The NER during the next half century built a finer set of grand principal stations than any other British railway company, with examples at Alnwick , Tynemouth , Gateshead East, Sunderland , Stockton , Middlesbrough , Darlington Bank Top , York and Hull Paragon ; the rebuilding and enlargement of the last-named resulting in the last of the type in the country. The four largest, at Newcastle, Darlington, York and Hull survive in transport use, as does Tynemouth. Alnwick

3354-559: The NER had a reputation for innovation. It was a pioneer in architectural and design matters and in electrification. By 1906 the NER was further ahead than any other British railway in having a set of rules agreed with the trades unions, including arbitration, for resolving disputes. In its final days it also began the collection that became the Railway Museum at York, now the National Railway Museum . In 1913,

3440-625: The Normanton constituency, the MP for many years was Bill O'Brien until he entered the House of Lords and was succeeded by Ed Balls. Most of the town is in the Ossett ward on the local council, but the south-eastern part of the town is in the Horbury and South Ossett ward. The Ossett ward is extremely marginal, and has been won in the 21st century by Labour, Liberal Democrat, Conservative and UKIP candidates at different times. As of 3 September 2024,

3526-452: The North Eastern Railway at Methley Joint Line junction; there was a spur at Methley connecting to the L&YR. The line opened in August 1865 for goods traffic, but passenger working was delayed until 1 June 1869. The south curve at Lofthouse was brought into use on 1 May 1876. The West Yorkshire Railway, together with the Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway, had become dominated by

Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue

3612-529: The North Eastern Railway from Methley to Castleford . The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and the North Eastern Railway had opposed this line, but they had acquiesced on the promise of its being made joint with them. This was ratified by an act of Parliament of 23 June 1864, and the line became known as the Methley joint line, or the Methley Joint Railway. The railway diverged from the West Yorkshire Railway at Lofthouse North junction, and joined

3698-479: The Northern and Southern Divisions. The NER was one of the first main line rail companies in Britain to adopt electric traction , the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway having opened its first electrified line between Liverpool and Southport one week earlier. The Tyneside scheme commenced public operation on 29 March 1904. The scheme was known as Tyneside Electrics and totalled about 30 miles: The last-named

3784-558: The Roman origins of the road. The M1 motorway between Junctions 40 and 42 to the east of Ossett was opened in April 1967. The stretch from junction 38 to 40 was opened in October 1968. The Highways Agency have plans to widen the M1 to 4 lanes between Chesterfield and Leeds. In 2005 a bus station was opened in the town built by West Yorkshire Metro replacing an earlier bus station constructed in

3870-438: The arms of the three places in its title) Constituent companies of the NER are listed in chronological order under the year of amalgamation. Their constituent companies are indented under the parent company with the year of amalgamation in parentheses. If a company changed its name (usually after amalgamation or extension), the earlier names and dates are listed after the later name. The information for this section

3956-427: The buildings' roof black and charred. Building work was attempted many times until the building was eventually renovated and converted into flats in 2016. The yard and building has a large stone wall and locked iron gates to the front, which edges right up to the pavement on Church Street, and high metal fencing to the rear, which edges up to a grassed area next to the large housing estate. The housing estate situated at

4042-613: The company achieved a total revenue of £11,315,130 (equivalent to £1,406,360,000 in 2023) with working expenses of £7,220,784 (equivalent to £897,470,000 in 2023). During the First World War, the NER lost a total of 2,236 men who are commemorated on the North Eastern Railway War Memorial in York. An earlier printed Roll of Honour lists 1,908 men. They also raised two 'Pals Battalions' ,

4128-541: The late 1960s, Ossett had its own Grammar School. Founded in 1735 it grew out of the activity of the National Society for Promoting Education of the Poor, and its local committee formed in 1727. When sufficient funds had been raised, a small classroom was erected on waste land facing the chapel-of-ease in Ossett. The area given to the school increased throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and the education it offered

4214-434: The men appointed were based in, or active in, Darlington . Professional design was carried through to small fixtures and fittings, such as platform seating, for which the NER adopted distinctive 'coiled snake' bench-ends. Cast-iron footbridges were also produced to a distinctive design. The NER's legacy continued to influence the systematic approach to design adopted by the grouped LNER. The initial NER Board of Directors

4300-652: The most prominent being Royd's Mill on the Leeds Road roundabout and the large congregation of mills in the Healey area . Some mills remain derelict. Ossett is home to two real ale breweries. Ossett Brewery, located in Healey and Bob's Brewing Company, formerly the Red Lion Brewery. Trinity Church was consecrated in 1865 and its spire which rises to 226 feet is a landmark that can be seen for miles around. A red phone booth in Ossett town centre, opposite

4386-541: The most senior officers of the company and its passenger department. Further lists covering the officers in the Engineering, Locomotive and Docks departments will be summarised here as they appear. The Northern and Southern Divisions were established for operating and engineering purposes on the creation of the NER in 1854. When the merger with the Stockton and Darlington Railway took place in 1863 their lines became

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4472-759: The new Ossett Grammar School in September 1906, with 95 pupils and a staff of 8. For the next 63 years the school underwent substantial building expansions, and growth in numbers. Enrolment was via success in the 11+ examination, and many pupils were educated to university entrance level. It ceased to be a grammar school in 1969. Ossett now has nine primary schools; Gawthorpe Community Academy, Ossett Flushdyke School, Towngate Primary Academy; Ossett Holy Trinity C of E Primary School, St Ignatius Catholic Primary School, Ossett South Parade Primary, South Ossett Infant Academy, Ossett Southdale C of E Junior School and Dimplewell Infants School and Nursery. Ossett has one mainstream secondary school, Ossett Academy & Sixth Form College , on

4558-412: The new Wrenthorpe curve, increased to eight each way on weekdays in June. A collapse in the financial markets caused the GNR to defer proceeding to Batley, and the parliamentary powers to do so lapsed; they were authorised once again by an act of Parliament of 12 July 1877. An agreement was made with the London and North Western Railway to rebuild Batley station: the new station had two island platforms,

4644-492: The new line on 12 April 1880; most of the trains which had used the old West Yorkshire single line between Ossett and Batley were diverted via Dewsbury. The old line was now referred to as the Chickenley Heath branch. A railmotor operated a shuttle service between Ossett and Chickenley Heath, but a parallel tram service killed that off: it closed on 1 July 1909. A connecting line was built at Dewsbury from Dewsbury Goods junction (formerly Dewsbury junction) to Headfield junction on

4730-468: The old Horbury & Ossett railway station site and Healey Mills Marshalling Yard where Queen Elizabeth II spent a night aboard the Royal Train during her 1977 Silver Jubilee tour. In June 2009, the Association of Train Operating Companies proposed Ossett, as one of seven English towns with a strong business case for the location of a new railway station. It is likely that an unstaffed station would be erected at Healey Mills. Ossett bus station

4816-464: The rear, is fairly large and has a selection of mixed style and sized modern houses and four-storey flats, occupied by singletons, couples and families. In the Second World War , Ossett was accidentally bombed on 16 September 1940. Ten High Explosive bombs were dropped. No one was killed, save for a number of chickens and several properties were damaged. Later in the war a V-1's engine was reportedly heard to cut out, and came down at Grange Moor, to

4902-423: The rugby offering in the town to all ages. Ossett Trinity, the local rugby league club, resigned from the Rugby League Conference in 2006. Ossett Cricket Club also play at Dimplewells. The Heavy Woollen District has its own cricket association and its own cricket team. Residents of Ossett are eligible to play for the Heavy Woollen District team. Ossett hosted two semi-professional football teams, both played in

4988-412: The seams later flooded and were responsible for the Lofthouse Colliery disaster in 1973. Greatfield shut in the 1950s, Old Roundwood shut in 1966 and Shaw Cross, on the Ossett/ Dewsbury border near the current Dewsbury Rugby League stadium , closed in 1968. Author and local resident Stan Barstow said that Ossett and Horbury were the "border country" where the north-west of the coalfield merged with

5074-419: The section from Roundwood Colliery (near Flushdyke) to Wrenthorpe North Junction, which closed on 31 October 1965. In the 1980s a major project of electrification was implemented on the East Coast Main Line and associated routes. The Doncaster to Leeds line was included, and the first electric train ran from Doncaster to Leeds in August 1988. The original main line of the BW&LR continues in use as part of

5160-484: The site of the previous Ossett Grammar School, and also has The Grange School, which is an independent special school and Highfield School which caters for children aged 11 to 16 who have learning difficulties, using the buildings of the old North Ossett High School which closed in 1997. There are seven churches in the town, each with their own particular identities and initiatives. Many of the leaders of these churches meet regularly to collaborate and support each other. In

5246-412: The south-east of the wool towns. Local historian John Goodchild said, "The place was essentially one of small mines and small mills". The town was once a thriving centre of the "shoddy" industry; recycling woollen garments. Whilst some mill towns employed mostly females in its textile sector, Ossett's mills always had roughly equal numbers of men and women. The town's mills were generally small, but they had

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5332-403: The spa closed as a result. The south-east of the town is still known as "Ossett Spa". Ossett cum Gawthorpe was a township in the ancient parish of Dewsbury ; it became a civil parish in 1866, and was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Ossett in 1890. Under the Local Government Act 1972 , it became an unparished area in the City of Wakefield . In an earlier draft of the Act, Ossett

5418-544: The station by reversing over a short length of the Leeds and Thirsk Railway . The first GNR trains reached Leeds by this route on 1 October 1849. The Midland Railway was firmly under the control of George Hudson and was therefore hostile to the GNR, but Hudson was at the final stage of his powers and his initial antagonism became ineffective. On 1 August 1854, the Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway opened its line between Leeds and Bowling, near Bradford . Great Northern Railway trains ran over it, reaching Halifax over

5504-416: The town: Ings Mill, on Dale Street, deals in recycled textiles ; Burmatex Ltd, based at Victoria Mills on the Green produce carpet tiles; Edward Clay & Son Ltd, Wesley Street manufactures felts for the mattress making and horticultural industries and Wilson Briggs & Son by the River Calder off Healey Road deals with textile mill waste and remnant processing. Other have been converted into units, some of

5590-826: The train left. The packed train failed to leave on time. Remarking on its lateness, they continued to talk until they were approached by a guard. 'If you would like to finish your conversation, Sir Hugh', he suggested, doffing his hat, 'we will then be ready to depart'. Among the other famous directors of the NER were George Leeman (director 1854–82, Chairman 1874–80); Henry Pease (director 1861–1881); Sir Joseph Whitwell Pease, Bart. (director 1863–1902, Chairman 1895–1902); John Dent Dent (director 1879–94, Chairman 1880–94); Matthew White Ridley, 1st Viscount Ridley (director 1881–1904, Chairman 1902–04); Sir Edward Grey, Bart (see below); George Gibb (solicitor 1882–1891, general manager 1891–1906, director 1906–1910); and Henry Tennant (director 1891–1910). In 1898 Sir Edward Grey became

5676-422: The trunk electrified Doncaster to Leeds line. The short section between Wakefield Kirkgate and Wakefield Westgate has not been electrified, but carries an approximately hourly passenger service between Knottingley and Leeds. The Ossett and Batley line, and the Methley joint line, are closed. North Eastern Railway (United Kingdom) The North Eastern Railway ( NER ) was an English railway company. It

5762-637: The ward is represented by one Conservative councillor and two Labour councillors, whereas Horbury and South Ossett is represented by three Labour councillors. Ossett experiences an oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfb ) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom. At the 2021 Census, the population was 21,861. Ossett's convenient proximity to the M1 motorway has led the old industrial town to become more affluent in recent years, attracting both industry and resident commuters to Leeds . This leaves Ossett with higher priced housing compared to nearby areas. There are four operational textile mills in

5848-425: The west of the town. Ossett was, for a brief period in the 19th century, a spa town , having been founded by a local stonemason who was inspired by Harrogate and Cheltenham . The waters were popular with those seeking relief from certain skin diseases in the early 19th century, but it remained a small spa during this period. In the 1870s, a plan to transform Ossett into a "second Harrogate" ended in failure, and

5934-412: The ‘Darlington Section’ until 1873, and then the Central Division. In 1888 the boundaries were altered to remove anomalies; for example, the former Clarence Railway routes became part of the Central Division. The engineering and purchasing autonomy of the three divisions brought about diverging styles of infrastructure. In 1899 it was decided to abolish the Central Division and its area was divided between

6020-434: Was a combination of the devices of its three major constituents at formation in 1854: the York and North Midland Railway (top; arms of the City of York); the Leeds Northern Railway (lower left; arms of the City of Leeds along with representations of the expected traffic, wool and corn, and connection to the sea via the West Hartlepool Harbour and Railway ); and the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway (lower right; parts of

6106-581: Was a viaduct with three brick arches of 30 feet span. A new platform at a higher level was provided at Flushdyke, although to reach it passengers had to cross the rails of the earlier line. The BW&LR had obtained an act of Parliament on 17 May 1861 to further extend the line to Batley , a distance of 3 miles 55 chains. The new line was to make a junction with the LB&HJR line at Batley. The works were considerable, including two tunnels: Chickenley Heath (47 yd) and Shaw Cross (209 yd). The single line route opened on 15 December 1864. The combined branches formed

6192-471: Was already reached from London by linked railways in the group controlled by George Hudson , the so-called Railway King. His business methods were tough and effective, but they were also underhand and dishonest, and eventually he was found out and disgraced. The Great Northern Railway promoters had wanted branches to Sheffield and Leeds , but these were cut out of the authorisation in Parliament. Leeds

6278-492: Was an Ossett Football Club in the 1890s, they played in the original West Yorkshire League, but the oldest current club in Ossett is Ossett Common Rovers, formed in 1910 and currently playing in the modern West Yorkshire League. Other clubs in Ossett include Ossett Wanderers, Ossett United and Ossett Panthers. Little Bull F.C., Ossett Two Brewers and AFC Two Brewers play in the Wakefield & District League. The Yorkshire and

6364-528: Was an important commercial centre, and the GNR had to take alternative steps to reach it. For a time the only possibility was over the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway from Askern Junction (north of Doncaster ) to Knottingley and Methley , and from there over the Midland Railway to Gelderd Junction, immediately outside the Leeds Central station. GNR trains making that journey finally reached

6450-406: Was divided between Dewsbury (Chickenley) and Ossett and Gawthorpe (Gawthorpe). St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church was built in 1878. The Salvation Army is the only church in Gawthorpe. The Salvation Army building also acts as a community centre providing dinners for senior citizens & two parent & toddler groups. There is also a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses on Ventnor Way, and

6536-404: Was double track and stations were at Wakefield (Westgate), Lofthouse, and Ardsley. The new line was opened on 5 October 1857, following a ceremonial opening on 3 October; it was worked by the Great Northern Railway which already worked the majority of trains on the Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction line. GNR trains could already run from the south to Wakefield over the L&YR. The opening of

6622-437: Was drawn from the directors of its four constituent companies. A director of the NER from 1864, and deputy chairman from 1895 until his death in 1904, was ironmaster and industrial chemist Sir Lowthian Bell . His son Sir Hugh Bell was also a director; he had a private platform on the line between Middlesbrough and Redcar at the bottom of the garden of his house Red Barns. Gertrude Bell 's biographer, Georgina Howell, recounts

6708-517: Was electrically operated from June 1905 and was a 3/4 mile freight-only line from Trafalgar Yard, Manors to Newcastle Quayside Yard. Ossett Ossett / ˈ ɒ s ɪ t / is a market town in the Wakefield district, in the county of West Yorkshire , England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire , it is situated between Dewsbury , Horbury and Wakefield . At

6794-521: Was extended to a station named "Ossett", in fact at Flushdyke, opening on 7 April 1862, but minerals had been carried between Roundwood Colliery sidings and Wrenthorpe since 6 January. Captain Rich of the Board of Trade inspected the new line on 12 March 1864 and found it satisfactory, and the remainder of the line to Ossett was opened for traffic on 2 April 1864. It was a single line, 65 chains long, and there

6880-541: Was found in the churchyard at Thornhill Parish Church directly across the valley from – and within sight of – Ossett. Ossett appears in the 1086 Domesday Book as "Osleset" in the Manor of Wakefield. The Domesday Book was compiled for William the Conqueror in 1086. "Osleset" was recorded as three and a half carucates which is the land needed to be ploughed by three teams of eight oxen. Woodland pasture measured "half

6966-545: Was incorporated in 1854 by the combination of several existing railway companies. Later, it was amalgamated with other railways to form the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923. Its main line survives to the present day as part of the East Coast Main Line between London and Edinburgh . Unlike many other pre-Grouping companies the NER had a relatively compact territory, in which it had

7052-653: Was initially largely linked with the church. In 1904, the old Grammar School had to move from the centre of Ossett, to make way for the construction of the new Town Hall. Temporary location was found in the Central Baptist schoolroom in old Church Street. Changes agreed included a decision that the School should have mixed-sex classes, the first of its kind in the West Riding of Yorkshire. In 1905/6 Ossett Corporation purchased Park House, built in 1867, off Storrs Hill for £2,500. This house, with its three acres of land became

7138-537: Was made at Wrenthorpe, opened to goods trains from March 1875 and passenger trains from 1 May 1876. The new line was 2 miles 1  chain (2.01 miles, 3.24 km) in length to a temporary Dewsbury terminus station. Goods traffic to Dewsbury began on 1 May 1874 and passenger trains on 9 September, when a service of 14 trains each way on weekdays and five each way on Sundays was put on between Wakefield and Dewsbury. On 1 May 1876 six trains each way on weekdays and three on Sundays began between Leeds and Dewsbury via

7224-487: Was the only English railway to run trains regularly into Scotland, over the Berwick-Edinburgh main line as well as on the Tweedmouth-Kelso branch. The total length of line owned was 4,990 miles (8,030 km) and the company's share capital was £82 million. The headquarters were at York and the works at Darlington, Gateshead, York and elsewhere. Befitting the successor to the Stockton and Darlington Railway,

7310-631: Was to be part of the Kirklees district on the grounds that the area was originally part of the parish of Dewsbury; after an appeal by the Ossett Labour Party, it was decided Ossett would be part of the Wakefield district. Ossett has changed its parliamentary constituency several times. Since the 2024 election , Ossett has been part of the Ossett and Denby Dale constituency, which is currently represented in Parliament by Jade Botterill of

7396-471: Was £180,000. It was to be built from the Wakefield station of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, via Ardsley, to Wortley Junction on the LB&HJR, near Leeds. Wortley Junction was to be formed as a triangular junction, enabling direct running from Wakefield towards Bradford and Halifax. The originating point was Ings Road Junction, immediately west of the Wakefield station of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, later Wakefield Kirkgate station . The line

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