Loftus, North Yorkshire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Loftus |
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| Town | |
 Loftus Town Hall (on the right) and Parish Church (on the left) |
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 Loftus
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| Population | 7,988 (2011 census) |
| OS grid reference | NZ716185 |
| • London | 210 mi (340 km) S |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SALTBURN-BY-THE-SEA |
| Postcode district | TS13 |
| Dialling code | 01287 |
| Police | Cleveland |
| Fire | Cleveland |
| Ambulance | North East |
| EU Parliament | North East England |
| UK Parliament |
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Loftus is a market town in North Yorkshire, England. It's part of the Redcar and Cleveland area. You can find it north of the North York Moors, between the towns of Whitby and Skelton-in-Cleveland. The area around Loftus includes smaller places like Carlin How, Easington, Liverton, Liverton Mines, and Skinningrove. It's also close to Brotton and Saltburn.
The town used to be called Lofthouse.
Contents
About Loftus
How Many People Live Here?
In 2011, about 4,824 people lived in the main part of Loftus, including Liverton Mines. If you count the whole area around the town, the population was 7,988 people.
A Look Back in Time
People have lived in the Loftus area for a very long time, at least since the 600s. A powerful leader named Siward, Earl of Northumbria once owned land here. In an old book called the Domesday book, Loftus was written as "Lcotvsv". This name comes from an older word, Laghthus, which means "low houses".
Ancient Royal Burial Site
Near Loftus, archaeologists found the only known Anglo-Saxon royal burial site in the north-east of England.
Between 2005 and 2007, during special digs, they found amazing items. These included pieces from a very rare "bed burial". This is where a decorated body, likely a woman, was laid on a fancy wooden bed. She was buried with beautiful gold jewellery, including a gold pendant that might have belonged to a princess. They also found glass beads, pottery, iron knives, belt buckles, and other objects.
These finds are almost 1400 years old! Members of the Teesside Archeological Society, led by Dr Steve Sherlock, discovered them in a burial ground with 109 graves at Street House, Loftus. You can see these ancient treasures at the Kirkleatham Old Hall Museum.
The Oddfellows Hall
The Oddfellows Hall in Loftus was built in 1874. It was used as offices and a meeting place for a group called the local Oddfellows society. Oddfellows were like friendly clubs or groups that helped each other out. They were set up by people from different jobs or trades. Other groups were just for one type of job, but in smaller towns, if there weren't enough people from one trade, they would form a group from an "odd" mix of people. That's how they got the name "Oddfellows"! The Loftus Oddfellows would collect money to help their members when they needed it.
The Oddfellows Hall was empty from the early 1990s. Now, a housing group called Tees Valley Housing Association owns the building. They have changed the big meeting hall into eight separate apartments.
Weather in Loftus
Loftus has a mild, wet climate, which is typical for places near the ocean. This means it doesn't get too hot or too cold.
| Climate data for Loftus (158 m or 518 ft asl, averages 1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.2 (43.2) |
6.8 (44.2) |
8.8 (47.8) |
11.2 (52.2) |
13.7 (56.7) |
16.7 (62.1) |
19.3 (66.7) |
19.4 (66.9) |
16.6 (61.9) |
12.8 (55.0) |
9.1 (48.4) |
6.7 (44.1) |
12.3 (54.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.7 (35.1) |
1.7 (35.1) |
2.6 (36.7) |
4.3 (39.7) |
6.7 (44.1) |
9.3 (48.7) |
11.4 (52.5) |
11.6 (52.9) |
9.9 (49.8) |
7.4 (45.3) |
4.2 (39.6) |
2.0 (35.6) |
6.1 (42.9) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 48.9 (1.93) |
38.7 (1.52) |
37.3 (1.47) |
43.7 (1.72) |
40.2 (1.58) |
65.1 (2.56) |
61.8 (2.43) |
59.9 (2.36) |
55.0 (2.17) |
53.7 (2.11) |
73.7 (2.90) |
54.9 (2.16) |
632.9 (24.91) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) | 11.3 | 10.1 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 10.5 | 10.3 | 10.1 | 9.5 | 11.5 | 12.3 | 11.6 | 123.8 |
| Source: Met Office | |||||||||||||
Religion and Education
Loftus has two main churches: St Leonard's (Church of England) and St Joseph and St Cuthbert (Roman Catholic). For younger students, there are three primary schools: St. Joseph's RCVA Primary School, Handale Primary School, and Hummersea Primary School.
Getting Around Loftus
The main road through Loftus is the A174. Loftus used to have its own railway station, which opened in 1875. It stopped taking passengers in 1960. However, the train tracks are still used for freight trains going to Boulby Mine. Sometimes, special passenger trains for train fans also use the line. The closest train station that is still open for regular passengers is in Saltburn.
Community Life and Activities
The Loftus area includes several smaller places like Boulby, Carlin How, Cowbar (near Staithes), Easington, Handale, Liverton Mines, Liverton, Scaling, and Skinningrove.
Loftus offers many activities for its residents. These include:
- Loftus Swimming Baths, where the swimming group "Loftus Dolphins" practices.
- Loftus Youth Club.
- Loftus Army Cadets, Scouts, and Cubs groups.
- Triple Dee Dance Studio, which offers dance classes for children as young as two years old. This studio started in the town hall and later moved to its own building on Zetland Road.
The town also has a fire station and a part-time police station.
Loftus Town Hall is an important building. It was ordered by Lawrence Dundas, 3rd Earl of Zetland and built by Thomas Dickinson from Saltburn. It first opened in 1879.
Loftus Leisure Centre opened in 1981, giving the community a place to swim. It was improved over the years with a sauna in 1985 and a fitness room in 1998. This centre is run by Tees Valley Leisure Limited, a non-profit group that provides fun activities for the community.
Sports in Loftus
Loftus Cricket & Athletic Club is located on Whitby Road. The club has two main teams. One team plays cricket on Saturdays in the Langbaurgh Cricket League. The other team plays during the week in the Esk Valley Evening League.
Famous People from Loftus
Some well-known people who were born or lived in Loftus include:
- Lewis Hunton (1814–1838), a geologist who studied rocks and the Earth.
- Faye Marsay (born 1986), an actress.
- Jade Hind (born 1990), who won the Coloured Horse Champion award in 2008 with her horse 'Unapologetically me'.
- Paul Drinkhall (born 1990), a professional table tennis player.
