Selby is a
market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in the
Selby District
Selby District is a local government district of North Yorkshire, England. The local authority, Selby District Council, is based in the town of Selby. The Local Authority had a population of 83,449 at the 2011 Census. The southernmost distri ...
of
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
, England, south of
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
on the
River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731.
The town was historically part of the
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
until 1974.
Selby once had a large
shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...
industry, and was an important port on the
Selby Canal
The Selby Canal is a canal with 2 locks which bypasses the lower reaches of the River Aire in Yorkshire, England, from the village of West Haddlesey to the town of Selby where it joins the River Ouse. It opened in 1778, and provided the main o ...
which brought trade from
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 ...
.
History
The town's origins date from the establishment of a
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
settlement on the banks of the River Ouse. Archaeological investigations in Selby have revealed extensive remains, including waterlogged deposits in the core of the town dating from the Roman period onwards. It is believed that Selby originated as a settlement called Seletun which was referred to in the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alf ...
of AD 779.
The place-name 'Selby' is first attested in a Yorkshire charter , where it appears as ''Seleby''. It appears as ''Selbi'' . The name is thought to be a Scandinavian form of Seletun, meaning '
sallow tree settlement'.
The town of Selby is on the main route north from the
Midlands
The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...
and is the traditional birthplace of
King Henry I, fourth son of
William the Conqueror
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
, in 1068/69; the connection is supported by William and his wife
Matilda
Matilda or Mathilda may refer to:
Animals
* Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder
* Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse
* Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...
's unique joint charter of
Selby Abbey
Selby Abbey is an Anglican parish church in the town of Selby, North Yorkshire, England. It is Grade I listed.
Monastic history
It is one of the relatively few surviving abbey churches of the medieval period, and, although not a cathedral, ...
, far to the north of their usual circuit of activities, which was founded for
Benedict of Auxerre in 1069 and subsequently supported by the
de Lacy
de Lacy (Laci, Lacie, Lascy, Lacey, Lassey) is the surname of an old Norman family which originated from Lassy, Calvados. The family took part in the Norman Conquest of England and the later Norman invasion of Ireland. The name is first recorde ...
family. King
Henry I Henry I may refer to:
876–1366
* Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936)
* Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955)
* Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018)
* Henry I of France (1008–1060)
* Henry I the Long, Margrave of the No ...
is reputed to have been born there in either 1068 or 1069. A notable feature of the abbey is the 14th-century Washington Window, featuring the
heraldic arms of the ancestors of
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
, the first
president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
. The design is often cited as an influence for the
Stars and Stripes flag.
It is said that the abbey was founded when Benedict saw three swans on a lake in Selby, and he saw it as a sign of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and that is why the official crest of Selby Abbey is three swans. Selby Abbey was closed in 1539 as part of the
Dissolution of the Monasteries under
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
and the majority of the buildings have since been demolished. The central nave of the abbey church survived and in 1618 it became the parish church of Selby.
During the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
, the Royalist garrison of Selby was captured by Parliamentarians in the
Battle of Selby
The Battle of Selby occurred on 11 April 1644 in North Yorkshire during the First English Civil War. In the battle, the Roundhead, Parliamentarians led by Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, Lord Fairfax attacked and captured t ...
on 11 April 1644. There are other historical sites, such as the
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
burial ground
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
on the north side of the abbey,
the market cross and the local school,
Selby High School
Selby High School is a co-educational secondary school in North Yorkshire, England. Its main catchment area is the town of Selby and villages from the Selby District, including Thorpe Willoughby, Hambleton, Monk Fryston, Cawood and Wistow.
H ...
. The Market Place has existed since the early 14th century when the market was moved away from the monastery churchyard. The Crescent which curves eastwards from James Street was planned in the early 19th century by a local man, John Audus, after seeing
Lansdown Crescent in
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
,
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
.
Selby is expanding to become a larger town. New houses and shops are being built on the present town's outskirts with the expansion of the town stretching as far as the bypass, although this has resulted in the loss of some trade from the town centre. Meanwhile, the riverfront area is being revamped with modern housing and fashionable flats.
Selby was also a centre for
shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...
, with vessels launched into the river. This often required the more unusual technique of launching the vessels side-on into the river due to lack of space for a more conventional stern first or bow first launch. One famous vessel of the Cochrane and Son's shipyard of the town is the preserved trawler ''
Ross Tiger
''Ross Tiger'' is a traditional side-winder fishing trawler that was converted into a museum ship in 1992. She is currently berthed in Alexandra Dock at her home port of Grimsby, close to the site of the former PS ''Lincoln Castle''. She forms ...
'' at
Grimsby
Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...
's
National Fishing Heritage Centre
The Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre is a heritage attraction at Alexandra Dock, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England, opened in 1991. The attraction is an Arts Council England Accredited Museum and holds a number of awards, including the TripAdvis ...
. Cochrane launched their last vessel into the Ouse in 1998, a historical occasion which people around the area went to see. Once Cochrane had closed, the massive cranes still stood over the skyline of Selby until 2001, when seriously strong winds blew them down. Most of the shipyard buildings are still standing (as of February 2014) and the site along with interviews with former employees and archive film was featured in a 2013 video production 'Cochranes of Selby'. The site of the shipyard is currently home to many small businesses who work in the same buildings that were once used to build the Selby ships.
Governance
![Selby Town Hall (Taken by Flickr user 31st December 2015)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Selby_Town_Hall_%28Taken_by_Flickr_user_31st_December_2015%29.jpg)
At the lowest level of governance is Selby Town Council. The town is divided into three electoral
wards
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...
, north, south and west, each represented by six councillors. These 17 councillors are responsible for burial grounds, allotments, play areas and some street lighting. Elections to the town council are held every four years. The Mayor of Selby is elected annually by the members of the town council.
At district level the town is part of the
Selby District Council
Selby is a market town and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731.
The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until ...
area. The town is represented by seven councillors on the
District Council, two each for the west and south wards and three for the north ward.
On the
North Yorkshire County Council
North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) is the county council governing the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire; an area composing most of North Yorkshire in England. The council currently consists of 90 councillors. The council is current ...
the town is part of the Selby Barlby county division which elects two representatives to the
county council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.
Ireland
The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...
.
In the United Kingdom Parliament Selby formed part of the
Selby constituency until the
2010 general election when it became part of the new seat of
Selby and Ainsty
Selby and Ainsty is a constituency in North Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 2010 creation by Nigel Adams, a member of the Conservative Party.
History
For 2010 the Boundary Commission recommended t ...
. It is represented by Conservative MP,
Nigel Adams
Nigel Adams (born 30 November 1966) is a British politician who served as Minister of State without Portfolio at the Cabinet Office from 2021 to 2022. A member of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party, he has been Member of Parliament ...
.
Geography
Selby lies on the
tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* ...
River Ouse in a natural area of Yorkshire known as the
Humberhead Levels
The Humberhead Levels is a national character area covering a large expanse of flat, low-lying land towards the western end of the Humber estuary in northern England. The levels occupy the former Glacial Lake Humber, an area bounded to the east ...
. The main roads which cross at Selby are the
A63 from
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
Hull
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship
* Submarine hull
Mathematics
* Affine hull, in affi ...
and the
A19 from
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
to
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, though the A19 and A63 no longer meet in Selby itself since the opening of the Selby
Bypass in 2004. The River Ouse is
navigable
A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Such a navigable water is called a ''waterway'', and is preferably with few obstructions against dir ...
upstream as far as York so the
old toll bridge by which the A63 crossed the river at Selby had to allow for this. For many years the swing bridge in Selby was a notorious local
bottleneck
Bottleneck literally refers to the narrowed portion (neck) of a bottle
A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material (such as glass, plastic or aluminium) in various shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids ...
but since the opening of the Selby bypass congestion in the town has been relieved.
The importance of Selby as a market town has declined in recent decades and its short lived prominence as the centre of the
Selby Coalfield
Selby coalfield (also known as the Selby complex, or Selby 'superpit') was a large-scale deep underground mine complex based around Selby, North Yorkshire, England, with pitheads at ''Wistow Mine'', ''Stillingfleet Mine'', ''Riccall Mine'', ''Nor ...
has also waned. Selby is close in proximity to both
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
and
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 ...
. Its popularity as a tourist destination, due to
Selby Abbey
Selby Abbey is an Anglican parish church in the town of Selby, North Yorkshire, England. It is Grade I listed.
Monastic history
It is one of the relatively few surviving abbey churches of the medieval period, and, although not a cathedral, ...
, has led to a large amount of development and renovation in the town and surrounding area.
The
residential
A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.
Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residen ...
areas of Selby have also been subject to expansion and development. A significant development called Staynor Hall continues to be developed on the South East of the town, with other developments in the Holmes Lane area, and around the villages of Brayton, Barlby and Thorpe Willoughby. More have been built at various points along the riverfront, the result of an ongoing project to improve an area that had been largely derelict since the decline of the shipbuilding industry.
Floods
In recent years there have been serious flood problems in Selby and the adjoining village of
Barlby
Barlby is a linear village in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated to the north-east of the market town of Selby, and is bordered to the west by the River Ouse and to the east by the A19 Barlby bypass. Across the bypass is Barlby's small ...
. The threat in the Barlby area has been alleviated to some extent by work on improved, better flood barriers following the major flood of November 2000.
Religion
Selby Abbey
Selby Abbey is an Anglican parish church in the town of Selby, North Yorkshire, England. It is Grade I listed.
Monastic history
It is one of the relatively few surviving abbey churches of the medieval period, and, although not a cathedral, ...
is one of the largest parish churches in Britain and is larger than several cathedrals.
There are various other Christian churches in the town that offer community and differing styles of worship: King's Church, St Mary's
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
Church, Portholme
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
/
URC Church, and St James' Church. Edge Community was founded in 2009 for the Flaxley Road community, and
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...
opened The Church at the Crossroads on the Abbotts Road estate in 2015.
Brayton has St Wilfrid's Anglican Church and the Methodist Chapel and All Saints' Church is in Barlby.
Selby Churches Together set up and run the Selby and District Food Bank.
Economy
Much of the historical wealth of the town is based upon its position upon the banks of the tidal
River Ouse. In the past, Selby had a large
shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...
industry and was an important port, due to the
Selby Canal
The Selby Canal is a canal with 2 locks which bypasses the lower reaches of the River Aire in Yorkshire, England, from the village of West Haddlesey to the town of Selby where it joins the River Ouse. It opened in 1778, and provided the main o ...
which brought trade from Leeds. The Selby Canal links the River Ouse at Selby, to the
River Aire
The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, in length. The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malham to Howden is direct, but the river's meanderings extend that to . Between Malham Tarn and Ai ...
at Haddlesey. The replacement
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
craft (1989 – 2011), bearing the name
''Rainbow Warrior'' was built in Selby in 1957 as a fishing boat.
![BOCM mills, Barlby, Selby - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/BOCM_mills%2C_Barlby%2C_Selby_-_geograph.org.uk_-_644762.jpg)
For a time, Selby was the leading coal
mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
area in the UK and featured some of the most advanced mining technology in Europe. It was the first new mine in the UK for decades and seen as a rejoinder to widespread concern that the British mining industry was effectively shutting down, particularly following the defeat of the
1984–85 miners' strike.
Wistow Colliery, which was part of the
Selby Coalfield
Selby coalfield (also known as the Selby complex, or Selby 'superpit') was a large-scale deep underground mine complex based around Selby, North Yorkshire, England, with pitheads at ''Wistow Mine'', ''Stillingfleet Mine'', ''Riccall Mine'', ''Nor ...
, holds the UK record for coal mined in one week—200,743 tonnes in 1995. The Selby Complex, employing 3,000 miners plus contractors and ancillary staff, closed on Friday 14 May 2004 despite rising demand for coal in the UK.
UK Coal
UK Coal Production Ltd, formerly UK Coal plc, was the largest coal mining business in the United Kingdom. The company was based in Harworth, in Nottinghamshire. The company was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. The successor company that con ...
, the pit's owner, said closure was due to rising costs caused by deteriorating geological conditions and the falling price of coal. In its final years, the company listed a £30 million loss on the plant.
Although much of the infrastructure of the shipbuilding and coal mining industries remain both in and around Selby, both industries have long since been defunct. Present day, the main income for the area is derived from
arable farming
Arable land (from the la, arabilis, "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the ...
and as a commuter area for
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 ...
,
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
and
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
.
![Selby, Market Cross - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Selby%2C_Market_Cross_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1372240.jpg)
In recent years, Selby has seen the development of new shopping areas both in the town centre and on the outskirts. The Abbey Walk Shopping Centre was developed on recreational land that runs parallel to the town centre. The expansion not only increased the volume of town centre shops but also provided large scale, convenient parking for the town centre. In more recent years, the Three Lakes Retail Park has opened on the outskirts of town and continues to expand with more developments under construction. Two of the town's supermarkets,
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
and
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqua ...
are both looking to expand their stores, the latter meaning the re-siting of the Abbey Primary School.
On 14 September 2005, Selby District Council was conditionally granted outline planning permission for a
state of the art
The state of the art (sometimes cutting edge or leading edge) refers to the highest level of general development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field achieved at a particular time. However, in some contexts it can also refer to a level ...
science facility to be built on the site of
Burn
A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...
Gliding Club
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is al ...
but these plans did not come to fruition.
Transport
![Selby station geograph-3852727-by-Ben-Brooksbank](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Selby_station_geograph-3852727-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg)
Selby is the transport hub for the local area and has a bus and railway station running services to many places around the area. Train services from
Selby railway station
Selby railway station is a Grade II listed station which serves the town of Selby in North Yorkshire, England. The original terminus station was opened in 1834 for the Leeds and Selby Railway. The Hull and Selby Railway extended the line in 18 ...
run directly to
London King's Cross
King's Cross railway station, also known as London King's Cross, is a passenger railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, on the edge of Central London. It is in the London station group, one of the busiest stations in the United King ...
,
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 ...
,
Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. Opened as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchester Piccadilly in 1960. Located to the south-east of Manchester city ...
,
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
,
Hull
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship
* Submarine hull
Mathematics
* Affine hull, in affi ...
and other destinations.
Arriva Yorkshire
Arriva Yorkshire is a major bus operator providing services primarily within and across West Yorkshire, although it also provides service in some parts of South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and southern areas of North Yorkshire. It is a ...
have a bus depot in Selby, from where they offer a range of local services, as well as longer services to Goole, Doncaster, Leeds, Pontefract, Wakefield and York. Thornes Independent of Hemingbrough also offer a range of services in the area.
Bypass
![The Ouse Swing Bridge - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/The_Ouse_Swing_Bridge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_343536.jpg)
In July 2001 construction began on the Selby bypass which was authorised for development in 1993. The bypass runs from the
A19 at
Barlby
Barlby is a linear village in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated to the north-east of the market town of Selby, and is bordered to the west by the River Ouse and to the east by the A19 Barlby bypass. Across the bypass is Barlby's small ...
along the southern perimeter of Selby, joining the
A63 at
Thorpe Willoughby
Thorpe Willoughby is a village and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England. The village is situated just off the A1238 (a primary road, previously designated A63 road, A63 prior to the construction of the Selby Bypass) an ...
. The project was delayed due to technical difficulties with the
swing bridge
A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...
over the River Ouse but was eventually completed in July 2004.
Rail crash
The 2001
Great Heck rail crash
The Selby rail crash (also known as the Great Heck Rail Crash) was a high-speed train crash that occurred at Great Heck near Selby, North Yorkshire, England, on the morning of 28February 2001. An InterCity 225 passenger train operated by Great ...
is also often referred to as the Selby rail crash. It happened a few miles south of Selby, at the village of
Great Heck
Great Heck is a small village in Heck, North Yorkshire, Heck parish, about south of Selby, North Yorkshire, England. The population of the parish was 201 at the 2011 census. It is part of the district of Selby District, Selby, having been part ...
near the
M62 motorway
The M62 is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting Liverpool and Hull via Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield; of the route is shared with the M60 orbital motorway around Manchester. The road is part of ...
, and Selby was the closest major town to the accident site. On 28 February 2001, a vehicle crashed off the M62 down an embankment on to a railway track, where it was struck by a passenger train heading to London. The accident was then compounded by a second collision involving an oncoming goods train.
Culture and sport
Selby Town Hall
Selby Town Hall is a municipal building in York Street in Selby, North Yorkshire, England. The structure, which was built as a Methodist chapel, is now the home of Selby Town Council.
History
The local board of health in Selby, which was estab ...
has been running a music venue since 2003, with regular performances of music, dance, drama and comedy and local band nights, with an annual Battle Of The Bands final, which in 2009 sold out in 12 hours, seeing local band Leonard's Revenge crowned victors.
![Selby (36673630096)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Selby_%2836673630096%29.jpg)
There have been four cinemas in Selby with the last one closing in the early 1980s. In 2009 a community group established a cinema project called Selby Globe. The group are also working with local community groups in securing the Abbot's Staith, a 15th-century warehouse, a property currently on
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
's
At Risk Register, it is anticipated that the development of the Abbot's Staith could offer opportunities for social, educational, historical and economic solutions for the town, whilst also promoting tourism.
![Selby town richard street side with turnstiles clubhouse and bar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Selby_town_richard_street_side_with_turnstiles_clubhouse_and_bar.jpg)
Selby's major sporting team is
Selby Town F.C.
Selby Town Football Club is an English football club based in Selby, North Yorkshire, founded in 1919. They play in the Northern Counties East League Division One. The club's traditional rivals are Goole (with whom they play an annual match, for ...
('the Robins'), playing in the Northern Counties East Division One and based at the Flaxley Road Stadium. As a result of a sponsorship deal by a local business, the stadium is now known as the "Fairfax Plant Hire Stadium". The club was founded in 1919, and their most successful season was perhaps the 1953/54 season when they won the
Yorkshire Football League
The Yorkshire Football League was the name of two football competitions. The first lasted three seasons in the late 19th century and the second lasted 62 years until merging with the Midland League in 1982 to become the Northern Counties East Lea ...
and reached the 1st Round of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
– meeting
Bradford Park Avenue
Bradford (Park Avenue) Association Football Club is an association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in , at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The name derived from their former hom ...
and getting their highest ever attendance of 7,000 fans.
A
Rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
club, Selby RUFC, is based at Sandhill Lane Stadium. Sandhill Lane Stadium is currently undergoing construction work to create a new seating stand overlooking the first team pitch, as well as a gym and new changing rooms being added to the members' bar and club bar that's already in place. Selby RUFC have five open age teams, and have veteran and junior set-ups too. Selby 1st are currently in Yorkshire League Division One. In the season 2008–09 Selby U10s won the Gullivers Plate down at Twickenham, The U16s got to the final of the Yorkshire Bowl and Selby 3rds also reached a North Yorkshire final. Selby also has a
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
club, Selby Warriors based at The Rigid Containers Sports Ground, Foxhill Lane and the Selby Rugby League Referees Society.
Selby Cricket Club which shares Sandhill Lane Stadium has four senior league teams, with the 1st and 2nd XI playing in the York and District Senior League, the 1st XI in Division 4 and the 2nd XI in Division 5. Also the 3rd XI play in Division 4 and 4th XI play in Division 5 of the York Vale League. The team runs two junior teams the under 11s and 15s which both play in the York and District Junior League and also an evening league team in the Howdenshire Evening League (West Division).
Selby and District Motor Club has its own clubhouse at Breighton Airfield on Sand Lane. Meeting on Tuesday evenings, its members participate in Road Rallies, Stage Rallies, Sprints, Autotests and Production Car Trials. Members discuss motor sporting events and regularly show videos. The club has organised an annual Road Rally called the Three Swans Rally, based on local roads and forming a major part of local championships.
Media
Selby's longest established newspaper title is the ''
Selby Times
The ''Selby Times'' is a local weekly newspaper covering Selby and the surrounding district in North Yorkshire, England. It is a paid-for title published weekly on Thursdays, and is the sister paper to the Goole Times, with which it shares co ...
'', owned and published by Chronicle Publications along with its sister paper the ''
Goole Times''. The company previously owned the ''Selby Post'' and purchased the title from Johnston Press when they ceased publication of the paper in August 2013. Published weekly, the paper costs 60p. The paper covers the Selby district, including the town centre and villages such as
Sherburn-in-Elmet
Sherburn in Elmet (pronounced ) is a large village, civil parish and electoral ward in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, west of Selby and south of Tadcaster.
It was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974.
It is one o ...
, and as far as
Tadcaster
Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England, east of the Great North Road, north-east of Leeds, and south-west of York. Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the ...
.
In 2014, despite the shift to online news, The ''Goole and Selby Times'' together were only part of three newspapers in the country to actually increase print sales.
The ''Goole Times'' (incorporating the ''Selby Times'') saw a rise of more than three quarters to 15,045 compared to the same period in 2013.
The ''Goole Times'' and ''Selby Times'' received an unprecedented 1,000 toys for their annual Christmas toy appeal in December 2017.
In 2019, The ''Selby Chronicle'' was relaunched as an online-only newspaper.
Hobson murders
Selby and its surrounding area came to national prominence, once again, through another tragedy on 18 July 2004, this time through four exceptionally violent murders carried out by former
refuse collector
A waste collector, also known as a garbageman, garbage collector, trashman (in the US), binman or (rarely) dustman (in the UK), is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and dispose of municipal solid waste (refuse) and r ...
Mark Hobson. Hobson, 34 at the time, killed his girlfriend Claire Sanderson, 27, and her sister Diane at a flat in the nearby village of
Camblesforth
Camblesforth is a village and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 Census the civil parish had a population of 1,526, increasing to 1,568 at the 2011 Census. The village is south of Selby and w ...
. He subsequently murdered an elderly couple, James and Joan Britton, at their home in the village of
Strensall
Strensall is a village in the Strensall with Towthorpe civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Foss north of York and north-east of Haxby. From the 2011 Census, the civil parish of St ...
, near
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
. Hobson was later sentenced to life imprisonment with the trial judge recommending that he should never be released; the
High Court later agreed with this recommendation.
Twin towns
Selby is twinned with:
*
Carentan
Carentan () is a small rural town near the north-eastern base of the French Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy in north-western France, with a population of about 6,000. It is a former commune in the Manche department. On 1 January 2016, it was merg ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
*
Filderstadt
Filderstadt (; Swabian: ''Fildorsdadd'') is a town in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is located approximately 13 km south of Stuttgart.
Filderstadt is located next to the Stuttgart Airport and t ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
[
]
Notable people
*Harold Brigham
Harold "Harry" Brigham (born 1914) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Nottingham Forest, Stoke City and York City.
Career
Born in Selby, West Riding of Yorkshire, Brigham started his career at Bolton Wanderers as an ...
, footballer
*Nigel Adams
Nigel Adams (born 30 November 1966) is a British politician who served as Minister of State without Portfolio at the Cabinet Office from 2021 to 2022. A member of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party, he has been Member of Parliament ...
, Member of Parliament, Selby and Ainsty (UK Parliament constituency)
Selby and Ainsty is a constituency in North Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 2010 creation by Nigel Adams, a member of the Conservative Party.
History
For 2010 the Boundary Commission recommended t ...
and Minister of State for Asia
* Robert Aske, rebel leader, lawyer
*Tommy Cannon
Thomas Derbyshire (born 27 June 1938), known professionally as Tommy Cannon, is an English comic, actor and singer. He is best known as the straight man of the comic double act Cannon and Ball, until Bobby Ball's death in 2020, in TV programme ...
, entertainer
*Robert of Selby Robert of Selby (or Salebia) (died 1152) was an Englishman, a courtier of Roger II and chancellor of the Kingdom of Sicily. It is likely that his name indicates that he was from Selby in Yorkshire. He probably journeyed to Sicily about 1130. In his ...
, courtier, chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
of Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
*Jack Byers
John Edwin Byers (1897–1931) was a professional footballer who played for Selby Town, Huddersfield Town, Blackburn Rovers, West Bromwich Albion, Worcester City, Torquay United and Kidderminster Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers Football Clu ...
, footballer
*Gavin Harding
Gavin Nigel Xavier Harding MBE (born 18 March 1974) is a British politician and academic who was mayor of Selby, North Yorkshire, England. He was the first person in the United Kingdom to become mayor while being formally diagnosed as having a le ...
MBE, first person with learning disability to become mayor in United Kingdom
*Henry I of England
Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...
, king of 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 ...
*Arthur Hinsley
Arthur Hinsley (1865–1943) was an English prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1935 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1937.
Early life and ministry
Hinsley was born in Carlton ne ...
, Roman Catholic cardinal, archbishop
*Jonathan Hutchinson
Sir Jonathan Hutchinson (23 July 1828 – 23 June 1913), was an English surgeon, ophthalmologist, dermatologist, venereologist, and pathologist.
Life
He was born in Selby, Yorkshire, of Quaker parents and educated in the local school. Then he ...
, surgeon, dermatologist
*Woods Hutchinson
Woods Hutchinson (January 3, 1862 – April 26, 1930) was an English Americans, English American physician and health writer. Hutchinson promoted the consumption of red meat and white bread and was strongly opposed to the ideas of vegetarianism. ...
, physician, writer
* Thomas Johnson, botanist
* Keith Kelly, pop singer
*Bill Nelson
Clarence William Nelson II (born September 29, 1942) is an American politician and attorney serving as the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Nelson previously served as a United States Senator from Flor ...
, singer, songwriter
* John Sherwood, Olympic athlete
*Steve Sherwood
Stephen Sherwood (born 10 December 1953 in Selby, England) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper, best remembered for his time at Watford, Chelsea and Grimsby Town.
Career
He played for Watford for 11 years, making 211 leag ...
, footballer
*James Stephenson
James Albert Stephenson (14 April 1889 – 29 July 1941) was a British stage and film actor. He found extraordinarily rapid success in Hollywood after arriving in his late 40s, but he died unexpectedly in his early 50s.
Early life
Stephenson ...
, actor
*Eden Taylor-Draper
Eden Taylor-Draper (born 28 October 1997) is an English actress. She portrays Belle Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', a role she took over from Emily Mather in 2005.
Career
In 2005, at the age of eight, Taylor-Draper was cast in the ...
, actress
*Smithson Tennant
Smithson Tennant FRS (30 November 1761 – 22 February 1815) was an English chemist. He is best known for his discovery of the elements iridium and osmium, which he found in the residues from the solution of platinum ores in 1803. He also cont ...
, chemist, discoverer
*Matthew Warchus
Matthew Warchus (born 24 October 1966) is a British theatre director, filmmaker, lyricist, and playwright. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015.
Personal life
Warchus is married to American actress Lau ...
, theatre and film director
* Leigh Wood, footballer
See also
*Selby and District DIAL
Selby and District DIAL was an independent, regional charity which offered help and advice to people with disabilities, caregivers, family and concerned professionals. Based in the town of Selby, its remit covered the Selby District of North Yo ...
*Selby College
Selby College is a tertiary college, offering A Level courses through its Sixth Form Academy, work-related vocational courses, apprenticeships, business training and adult education courses. It is located in Selby, North Yorkshire, England. The ...
*Selby High School
Selby High School is a co-educational secondary school in North Yorkshire, England. Its main catchment area is the town of Selby and villages from the Selby District, including Thorpe Willoughby, Hambleton, Monk Fryston, Cawood and Wistow.
H ...
References
External links
''Selby Times''
Selby Town Council
Selby Globe Community Cinema
Selby Town Hall Events
Online Map-Based record of Selby's History
Selby Chamber
The Riverside Live Music Venue
{{Authority control
Towns in North Yorkshire
Civil parishes in North Yorkshire
Populated places established in the 1st millennium