Ossett
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Ossett [pronounced "Oss-it"] is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on junction 40 of the M1 motorway. It is located half-way between Dewsbury, to the west, and the city of Wakefield, to the east. The township was formed as "Ossett-cum-Gawthorpe" in 1866 and became just "Ossett" in 1890. In the 2001 census, it was classified as part of the West Yorkshire Urban Area.[1]
The town is exactly half-way between the west and east coasts.
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[edit] History
The South African astronomer Cyril V. Jackson, who was born in Ossett, honoured the town when he named asteroid 1244 Deira; the citation he submitted to the IAU boils down to « Ancient name of Ossett, Yorkshire ». That is something of an exaggeration: the ancient Kingdom of Deira actually encompassed (at its height) most of modern Yorkshire.
Ossett became incorporated as a municipal borough in 1890. Under the Local Government Act 1972, it became an unparished area in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield.
[edit] Industry
Stan Barstow said that Ossett and Horbury were the "border country" where the north-west of the coalfield merged with the south-east of the wool towns.
The town was once a thriving centre of the "shoddy" industry; i.e. the recycling of woollen garments. This particular focus meant that mills employed as many men as women in Ossett, in contrast to the usual female-dominated mills of Yorkshire. The town's mills were generally small. However, there are still three operational mills in the town: Royds' Mill on the Leeds Road rounabout; the Victoria carpet mill off the Green, close to Ossett School; and a shoddy mill on Church Street. Some mills have been converted in the Healey and Ossett Spa areas of the town. Other mills stand derelict, such as Healey New Mill with its large chimney.
Coal-mining was, up to the late '60s, Ossett's second industry in terms of people employed and the first in terms of males employed. There were a large number of pits around the turn of the century. After the Second World War, the main pits were "Old Roundwood", which closed in 1966, and "Savile & Shawcross", on the Ossett/Dewsbury border, which closed in 1968.
At the time of the UK miners' strike (1984-1985), the nearest pits were "Denby Grange" and "Bullcliffe Woods" - both being about 3 miles to the south. The latter was one of the pits threatened with closure and one of the few concessions won was the merger of the latter with the former; the combined pit finally closed in 1991. The town's badge features images of both mills and collieries.
[edit] Transport
The town once had three train stations: Flushdyke closed in 1941, Ossett in 1964 and Ossett & Horbury in 1970. It is now one of the largest towns in Britain without a train station. The slight 'bump' on Station Road is the only remainder of Ossett Station. Railway sidings and yards are still to be found at the old Ossett & Horbury Station site, heading towards Huddersfield and Horbury Bridge. Queen Elizabeth II spent a night aboard the royal train there during her 1977 Silver Jubilee tour.
In 2005 a brand new bus station was opened in the town built by the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
[edit] Tourism
Ossett was for some years a spa town. The spa has now long since closed but part of the town is still known as "Ossett Spa".
[edit] Churches
There are 7 Christian Churches in the town, each with their own particular identities and initiatives. The leaders of these churches meet regularly to plan and prepare a wide range of different events. In the 18th and 19th Centuries, the town had a reputation as a centre of religious Nonconformism[2].
TrinityChurch is one of threeChurch of England churches in the town. The other two are St Mary's Church and Christ Church.
St Ignatius Church is the only Roman Catholic Church in Ossett.
[edit] Facts and Figures
At the 2001 census, the town's population was estimated at 20,988 residents plus an extra 88 in communal establishments[3]. This may now be slightly higher due to continued expansion. 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, following on from a period of economic decline that lasted almost three decades. The town now serves as the best example of gentrification in this part of Yorkshire.
House prices increased from around £50,000 in 1998 to around £130,000 in 2003 - one of the largest increases in the country. This rise was noted at the time as being in line with price rises in West London and Cheshire. In contrast, "The Yorkshire Dictionary" defines Ossett as once being known as "wheeare the' black-leead t'tram lines", at a time when the town was seen as being dirty and having a very different reputation from what it has today.
The Ossett accent has a very thick rhythm to it and can be found online as part of the English Accents and Dialects collection.
Ossett has 8 Primary Schools: (including Holy Trinity School) however it now has only one High School, Ossett School. All of the primary schools in Ossett bear the town's name in the title as a mark of civic pride. The only two exceptions to this is Highfield School, which caters to those with learning disabilities; the building was the old North Ossett Comprehensive before its closure in 1997, and St. Ignatius Catholic Primary School.
Ossett is the home of the Wakefield Wind Orchestra.
Ossett is currently famous for its fish and chips and for its high stock of hairdressers.
Ossett is home to two real ale breweries. Ossett Brewery, located at The Brewer's Pride pub in Healey is best known for Ossett Pale Gold and Excelsior (the latter a winner of several CAMRA awards) ; The Red Lion Brewery, at The Red Lion on Dewsbury Road is best known for its unusual Chardonnale. Both are available across the North of England and the breweries also produce several other beers.
The Yorkshire and the Humber branch of the Disability Sports Federation has its headquarters on the Longlands Industrial Estate in the town.
[edit] Events
Gawthorpe, an area of north Ossett, is known for its striking 'water tower' and also hosts the annual World Coal-Carrying Championships and an annual 'Maypole' parade. The Ossett Beer Festival takes place annually in the Brewers' Pride pub in the Healey area of Ossett.
[edit] Politics
Politically, Ossett has changed which constituency it is in several times. It is currently part of the Normanton constituency, which is represented by Ed Balls, who was formerly chief economic adviser. The seat has been continually represented by Labour since 1885: longer than any other British constituency. Prior to 1983, Ossett was part of the Dewsbury seat. At the next election, Ossett [and Horbury] shall be part of the Wakefield seat.
In local elections, Ossett tends to be keenly contested between Labour and the LibDems. The British National Party reached a high of 18.5% in 2003. About a third of the town is included in the "Horbury and South Ossett" ward. The town of Ossett was for many years divided into three Church of England parishes, where the northern Gawthorpe area of the town was linked to the Chickenley estate in Dewsbury - an area that has no church of its own. This was recently rearrganged so that the northern two-thirds of the town were Ossett and Gawthorpe, and the South is South Ossett. Chickenley is now part of the large parish of Dewsbury, which was created by an amalgamation of old parishes.
[edit] Publications
Ossett's local paper is the Ossett Observer, which was founded in 1864. The Wakefield Express and the Dewsbury Reporter are also regularly stocked in local newsagents. The Wakefield Express also contains an Ossett and district section.
[edit] Sport
Despite being smaller than nearby Wakefield, Ossett hosts two semi-professional football teams, to Wakefield's one. Ossett Town play at Ingfield across from the bus station, and are in the Unibond Premier Division. Neighbours Ossett Albion make their home at Queen's Terrace, more commonly known as Dimplewells, and are one league below Town, in the Unibond First Division.
Ossett Rugby Union Football Club [4] play at Spring Mill Playing Fields on Queen's Drive.
[edit] Famous Ossetters
- Novelist Stan Barstow, the author of A Kind of Loving, was born in Ossett.
- Benjamin Ingham, one of the founders of Methodism came from the town.
- South African astronomer Cyril V. Jackson was born in Ossett.
- Software house Team17 are based there and their most famous game - "Worms" - contained a Hell level with a sign saying, "Welcome to Ossett".
- The crime novelist David Peace originates from Ossett and has set all of his books in the West Riding, but the town itself has only ever been mentioned in passing; he now lives in Japan.
- Actress Helen Worth (Gail Platt From Coronation Street) was born and brought up in Ossett.
- Black Lace (band).
[edit] Trivia
- The red phone booth in Ossett town centre, opposite the Kingsway roundabout, is a grade II listed building[5].
- In the Second World War, it seems that Ossett was accidentally bombed on 16th September, 1940[6]. Ten HE bombs were dropped. No one was killed, save for a number of chickens. Several properties were damaged.
Also, a V1's engine was reportedly heard to cut out, and came down at Grange Moor, to the west of the town.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- "Bygone Ossett" - Norman Ellis, Rickaro Books, November 2003, ISBN 0-9546439-0-9
