Gawthorpe is a village to the north of

Ossett Ossett is a market town in the Wakefield district, in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated between Dewsbury, Horbury and Wakefield. At the 2021 census, the town had a po ...

, in the

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

district, in the county of

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

, England. It is roughly midway between

and

Dewsbury Dewsbury is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder, West Yorkshire, River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, ...

north of the

A638 The A638 is a major road in England. It runs between the A1 at Markham Moor, Nottinghamshire and Chain Bar Interchange – Junction 26 of the M62 motorway, south of Bradford in West Yorkshire. History The section of road between Markham Moor ...

. The village's name derives from Gorky, a Viking name, and thorpe was a settlement, but evidence suggests the village may have Roman origins. It gives its name to the Gawthorpe seam of coal, which stretches from the village down through

Horbury Horbury is a town in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated north of the River Calder, West Yorkshire, River Calder about three miles (5 k ...

and

Crigglestone Crigglestone is a village and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is recorded as "Crigeston" (along with neighbouring "Orberie") in the Domesday Book. The civil parish had a population of 9,271 at the 2011 Census ...

. Gawthorpe's Mayday celebrations date back to at least 1875 when a seventy-foot fir tree was bought and erected by public subscription on the village green. The maypole was last replaced in 1986. Gawthorpe Water Tower is a concrete structure built between 1922 and 1928 to store drinking water for the Ossett area. The 55m tall tower is a prominent local landmark of the Ossett and Gawthorpe area. Since around 2006 it was no longer used for storing water, but has been used to hold communications equipment. The tower received

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

status in 2020, following a campaign by residents. Gawthorpe Academy On Top my mush

World Coal Carrying Championships

Since 1963 Gawthorpe has hosted the World Coal Carrying Championships on Easter Monday. Entrants run 1,012 metres from the Royal Oak in Ossett to the Maypole Green, while carrying a sack of coal weighing for men or for women. The Championships were originally run from the Shaw Cross colliery to the May Pole, although the collieries in this area all closed in the Robens era.

The Gawthorpe Peacock

Gawthorpe gained national attention when an escaped peacock caused havoc within the local community, featuring on BBC Look North and BBC Radio 5 live news. The peacock was apprehended sometime in late 2024.

References

{{authority control Villages in West Yorkshire Geography of the City of Wakefield Ossett Novelty running

World Coal Carrying Championships

The Gawthorpe Peacock

See also

References