Birkenshaw is a village in the borough of

Kirklees Kirklees is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Kirklees Council with the status of a metropolitan borough. The largest town and administrative centre of Kirklees is Huddersfield, and the district also includes ...

in the county of

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It lies at the crossroads between the A58

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

to Halifax road and the A651

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

Heckmondwike Heckmondwike is a town in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, south west of Leeds. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is close to Cleckheaton and Liversedge. It is mostly in the Batley and Spen pa ...

road. At the 2011 census, the village was located in the ward of Birstall and Birkenshaw, which had a population 16,298. The name of the village derives from

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

and means "Birch Wood". Birkenshaw forms part of the

Heavy Woollen District The Heavy Woollen District is a region of textile-focused industrial development in West Yorkshire, England. It acquired the name because of the heavyweight cloth manufactured there from the early 19th century. The district is made up of parts o ...

. Birkenshaw is in the Bradford conurbation and the Bradford postcode area. Most landline telephones have the Bradford dialling code (01274), but some use the

prefix (0113). It is the site of the headquarters of the

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) is the county-wide, statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. It is administered by a joint authority of 22 people who are appointed an ...

Transportation

The village used to have a railway station () on the former

Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway The Leeds, Bradford and Halifax Junction Railway (LB&HJR) was an English railway company. It built a line between Bradford and Leeds, and had running powers over the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway to Halifax. It opened its main line in 1854 ...

. It was closed to passengers in 1953 and closed completely in 1964.

Facilities

There are two schools in the village, Birkenshaw Primary School and

BBG Academy BBG Academy (formerly Birkenshaw Middle School) is a mixed secondary school located in Birkenshaw, West Yorkshire, England. Birkenshaw Middle School was a community school administered by Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council Kirklees Coun ...

, a church and two playgrounds. The village has three

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

s - ''The Golden Fleece'', ''The Halfway House'' and ''The George IV'' – and one social club, Birkenshaw Liberal Club. There are two restaurants, The Grand Cru. and Heath-field Farm. This village also has some sporting teams such as the Birkenshaw Bluedogs (rugby league) and the Birkenshaw Bells (netball). Birkenshaw & Tong Station 1802134 b030f5f1

Birkenshaw & Tong Station 1802134 b030f5f1

Location grid

Notable people

People from Birkenshaw: *

Benjamin Lister Benjamin Lister (9 December 1850 – 3 December 1919) was an English first-class cricketer, who played six matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1874 to 1878, and one match for the Players of the North in 1878. He also appeared in ...

(1850–1919), cricketer * Michael McGowan (born 1940), politician *

Emanuel Scott Emanuel Scott (6 July 1834 – 3 December 1898) was an English first-class cricketer, who played one match for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 1864. Born in Birkenshaw, Yorkshire, England, Scott batted right-handed and scored eight runs in ...

(1834–1898), cricketer * Harry Turner (1879–1939), cricketer

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in West Yorkshire Geography of Kirklees