Featherstone facts for kids
Featherstone is a town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, England. It's located about two miles southwest of Pontefract. In 2011, about 15,244 people lived there. Featherstone has its own train station on the Pontefract Line, making it easy to travel to nearby towns.
Quick facts for kids Featherstone |
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 Station Lane, Featherstone |
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 Featherstone
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| Population | 15,244 (2011 census) |
| OS grid reference | SE424206 |
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| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PONTEFRACT |
| Postcode district | WF7 |
| Dialling code | 01977 |
| Police | West Yorkshire |
| Fire | West Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament |
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Contents
- A Look Back at Featherstone's History
- Remembering Featherstone's Heroes
- What Featherstone Means
- How Featherstone is Governed
- Improving Featherstone's Future
- Getting Around Featherstone
- Learning in Featherstone
- Places of Worship
- Sports in Featherstone
- Location of Featherstone
- Images for kids
- See also
A Look Back at Featherstone's History
Featherstone has a long and interesting past, even though it grew a lot during the Industrial Revolution. The town is mentioned in the Domesday Book from 1086, which was a big survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror. This shows Featherstone has been around for a very long time!
Some old buildings still stand, like the Traveller's Rest pub, which might be from the 1600s. The former Jubilee Hotel, now apartments, used to be a resting place for wealthy visitors and their horses in Victorian times. There are even old standing stones nearby that suggest ancient druids once gathered here.
The original village is now called North Featherstone. It's built around All Saints' Church. What we know as Featherstone today was once called South Featherstone. It grew later, especially near the train station and the village of Purston Jaglin.
How Coal Mining Shaped Featherstone
Like many places in this area, Featherstone grew because of coal mining. People have been mining coal here since the 1200s. You can still see signs of old "bell pits" (small, early mines) north of Park Lane.
A big change happened in 1848 when a new railway line opened through Featherstone. This made it much easier to send coal to places like southern England and Europe. This led to large-scale coal mining. Featherstone Main Colliery opened in 1866, and Ackton Hall Colliery followed in 1873. These mines were closer to the main part of Featherstone, which then expanded rapidly.
Featherstone became nationally known in 1893 during a time when miners were "locked out" of their jobs. This was due to low coal prices. During a protest at the colliery gates, soldiers fired into the crowd, and two people sadly died. Today, a special sculpture in the shopping area and a large mural remember this important event in the town's history.
After the big miners' strike, Ackton Hall Colliery was one of the first mines to close. This was because it became too difficult to dig for coal there.
Parks and New Developments
Purston Park opened in the 1950s and is a large green space in Featherstone. It has a lake and a children's play area. It used to have a bowling green, but that was changed into a rose garden in 2004. The park was once the grounds of a private estate, and the large house there used to be the town hall. This building was sold in 2007 and is now luxury apartments.
Featherstone is always changing and improving. A new, modern £2.5-million community centre has been built on Station Lane. Old council houses that belonged to the National Coal Board have been taken down to make way for new buildings.
Remembering Featherstone's Heroes
In 2018, a special sculpture called War Horse - A Place of Peace to be Together was put up. It honors the soldiers from Featherstone who died in the First World War. The sculpture was designed by artists called Cod Steaks and was paid for by a grant from the FCC Communities Foundation.
What Featherstone Means
The name 'Featherstone' comes from Old English, which is a very old form of the English language. It means "place at the four stones." These "four stones" were probably a landmark or a monument along an old road or path through the town. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the settlement was recorded as Fredestan.
How Featherstone is Governed
Featherstone has its own local government. It used to be a "township" within a larger church area. In 1894, Featherstone became an "urban district," which meant it had its own local council. This district included Featherstone, Purston Jaglin, Ackton, and Snydale.
Since 1974, Featherstone has been part of the City of Wakefield. The Featherstone ward (a local area for voting) now includes the old urban district area plus Sharlston.
Featherstone is a strong area for the Labour Party. The town is part of the Normanton and Hemsworth constituency, and its Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons is Jon Trickett, who is from the Labour Party. Featherstone also has three Labour Councillors on Wakefield Council: Steve Vickers, Graham Isherwood, and Maureen Tennant-King. The Featherstone Town Council is also led by the Labour Party, and Cllr Dwain Longley OStJ is the Mayor for 2024/2025.
Improving Featherstone's Future
From the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, the quality of life in Featherstone faced some challenges. This was partly because the coal industry was slowly disappearing, and there were issues with housing and education.
However, things have started to get better in recent years. New houses are being built, schools are improving, and there are plans to help local businesses grow. Many of these plans also focus on being friendly to the environment.
Getting Around Featherstone
Featherstone has its own train station on the Pontefract Line, which connects it to other towns. There are also bus services run by companies like Arriva Yorkshire and Ross Travel. The M62 motorway is also very close by, making it easy to travel by car.
Learning in Featherstone
The town has two secondary schools for older students: the Featherstone Academy and St Wilfrid's Catholic High School.
For younger children, there are several primary and infant schools. These include St Thomas' Junior, Girnhill Infants', Purston Infants', North Featherstone Junior and Infants', and All Saints Junior and Infants'.
Places of Worship
Featherstone has several churches. St Thomas's Church (Anglican) was built in the 1870s using traditional Yorkshire sandstone. It doesn't have a bell tower, so its bell hangs outside on the south wall. The original vicarage (where the church leader lived) is now a private home. All Saints' Church (Anglican), the Methodist church, and the South Featherstone Gospel Hall are also active churches in the town.
Some former churches have found new uses. A former Methodist chapel on Wakefield Road is now an antiques shop, and the North Featherstone Gospel Hall has been turned into a private home. St Gerard Majella's Roman Catholic Church closed in 2008.
Sports in Featherstone
Featherstone Rovers
The most popular sport in Featherstone is rugby league, thanks to the local club, Featherstone Rovers. This team has won the Challenge Cup three times, most recently in 1983. They also won the League Championship in 1976–77. The club was started in 1902 by local miners.
The Rovers are currently in the Championship league. In 2010, they finished first in their league and won the League Leader's Shield. They became Champions in 2012 by beating Sheffield Eagles 44–4 in the Grand Final. In 2021, the club won the RFL 1895 Cup.
The Featherstone Rovers Women's team started in 2011 and won the Women's Challenge Cup in 2012. They were one of the first four teams to play in the new RFL Women's Super League in 2017.
Featherstone Lions
Another rugby league team from the town is Featherstone Lions. They play their home games at Mill Pond Stadium. The Lions have men's teams that play in the National Conference League and Yorkshire Men's League. They also have junior teams for boys and girls from under 7s to under 18s, as well as a women's team.
Location of Featherstone
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Castleford | |
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Pontefract | ||
 Featherstone  |
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| Hemsworth |
Images for kids
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Station Lane, Featherstone
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Terraced Housing on Carlton street
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The Jubilee Pub
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War Horse - A Place of Peace to be Together, commemorating the soldiers from Featherstone who died in WWI
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Featherstone railway station
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All Saints' Church
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The former Methodist chapel
See also
In Spanish: Featherstone (Yorkshire del Oeste) para niños
