Birkenshaw, West Yorkshire

Birkenshaw is a village in the borough of Kirklees in the county of West Yorkshire, England. It lies at the crossroads between the A58 Leeds to Halifax road and the A651 Bradford to Heckmondwike road. At the 2011 census, the village was located in the ward of Birstall and Birkenshaw, which had a population 16,298.^[1] Birkenshaw forms part of the Heavy Woollen District.

Birkenshaw
St Paul's Church
Birkenshaw Location within West Yorkshire
OS grid reference	SE203279
Metropolitan borough	Kirklees
Metropolitan county	West Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BRADFORD
Postcode district	BD11
Dialling code	01274, 0113
Police	West Yorkshire
Fire	West Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	Batley and Spen
List of places UK England Yorkshire 53.7475°N 1.6934°W / 53.7475; -1.6934

It is the site of the headquarters of the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.^[2]

History

The name of the village derives from Old English and means "Birch Wood".^[3]

Birkenshaw was formerly a chapelry in the parish of Birstall,^[4] in 1894 Birkenshaw became an urban district, on 31 December 1894 Birkenshaw became a civil parish,^[5] being formed from the part of the parish of Gomersal in Birkenshaw Urban District, on 1 April 1937 the district was abolished to form the Municipal Borough of Spenborough.^[6] On 1 April 1937 the parish was also abolished and merged with Gomersal.^[7] In 1931 the parish had a population of 2816.^[8]

Transportation

The village used to have a railway station (Birkenshaw and Tong) on the former Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway. It was closed to passengers in 1953 and closed completely in 1964.^[9]

Facilities

There are two schools in the village, Birkenshaw Primary School and BBG Academy, a church and two playgrounds.

The village has three pubs - The Golden Fleece, The Halfway House and The George IV – and one social club, Birkenshaw Liberal Club.

There are two restaurants, The Grand Cru.^[10] and Heath-field Farm.

This village also has some sporting teams such as the Birkenshaw Bluedogs (rugby league) and the Birkenshaw Bells (netball).

Birkenshaw and Tong station closed in 1953

Location grid

Notable people

People from Birkenshaw:

• Benjamin Lister (1850–1919), cricketer
• Michael McGowan (born 1940), politician
• Emanuel Scott (1834–1898), cricketer
• Harry Turner (1879–1939), cricketer

References

1. UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Birstall and Birkenshaw Ward (as of 2011) (E05001392)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
2. "Headquarters". West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
3. Johnston, James B (1915). The place-names of England and Wales. London: J Murray. p. 150. OCLC 1050761076.
4. "History of Birkenshaw, in Kirklees and West Riding". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
5. "Relationships and changes Birkenshaw CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
6. "Relationships and changes Birkenshaw UD through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
7. "Dewsbury Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
8. "Population statistics Birkenshaw CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
9. Bairstow, Martin (1999). Great Northern railway in the West Riding. Farsley: Bairstow. p. 94. ISBN 1-871944-19-8.
10. Winrow, Jo (27 March 2019). "Luxury restaurant Grand Cru opening soon in Birkenshaw's former Co-op building". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 25 November 2019.

External links

Media related to Birkenshaw, West Yorkshire at Wikimedia Commons