Driffield

For the units of optical density, see Hurter and Driffield.

Coordinates: 54°00′18″N 0°26′17″W / 54.005°N 0.438°W / 54.005; -0.438

Driffield
Market Place, Driffield
Arms of Driffield Town Council
Driffield  Driffield shown within the East Riding of Yorkshire
Population	11,477 (2001 census)[1]
OS grid reference	TA023577
Parish	Driffield
Unitary authority	East Riding of Yorkshire
Ceremonial county	East Riding of Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DRIFFIELD
Postcode district	YO25
Dialling code	01377
Police	Humberside
Fire	Humberside
Ambulance	Yorkshire
EU Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	East Yorkshire
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Driffield, also known as Great Driffield, is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The civil parish is formed by the town of Driffield and the village of Little Driffield.

According to the 2001 UK census, Driffield parish had a population of 11,477.^[1]

Location

Driffield Navigation.

Driffield lies in the Yorkshire Wolds, on the Driffield Navigation (canal), and near the source of the River Hull. Driffield lies on the A614, A166 and B1249, and on the Yorkshire Coast rail line from Bridlington to Hull. It is situated next to Little Driffield, where King Aldfrith of Northumbria was reputedly buried, and is also very close to Nafferton, Hutton Cranswick and Wansford. Driffield is named the Capital of the Wolds, mainly through virtue of its favourable location between Bridlington, Beverley and York.

The town is served by Driffield railway station on the Yorkshire Coast Line.

Driffield has been covered by the HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) network for mobile telephony, commonly known as 3.5G, since mid-August 2009.

Description

Driffield c.1838

All Saints' Church

Driffield contains a small community hospital, small fire, police and ambulance stations, several churches - the largest being All Saints' Parish Church, whose bells were restored for the millennium - and a fairly small high street. There is also an area of parkland close to the parish church alongside the stream (Driffield Beck) that runs roughly parallel to the high street.

Education

There are a two infant schools, one larger primary school (Driffield Junior School) and a large secondary school, known simply as Driffield School. Driffield School contains a sixth form, and so offers education up to A level standard. The nearest independent school is Woodleigh School, North Yorkshire.

Economy

The local cattle market, despite former glories, closed after the 2001 UK foot and mouth crisis.

Public houses include the Original Keys (formerly the Ferret and Sprout, previously the Cross Keys), the Buck, the Full Measure, the Rose and Crown and the Mariner's Arms. Old standbys to the town's catering services include the Water Margin and Mario's.

The town's main hotel is the Bell Hotel, an old coaching inn in the centre of the town, which has a substantial selection of whiskies. Its many facilities include the former town hall, which was bought by the hotel's owner and is now a function suite and gym/leisure centre. Recent additions (i.e. late 2006) to the town's night-time scene include The Lounge and the London Bar.

The town is home to the country's largest one-day annual agricultural show, as well as the Driffield Steam and Vintage Rally - an event showcasing historical vehicles including traction engines, fairground organs, tractors and vintage cars. A particular focus is placed upon agricultural history, with demonstrations of ploughing and threshing often taking place. The rally is particularly known for the Saturday evening road-run of the steam engines and other vehicles into Driffield town centre, an event which invariably attracts large crowds of spectators.

Toponymy

The place-name 'Driffield' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, and means 'dirty (manured) field'.^[2]

Traditions

It is also tradition for the townspeople of Driffield to congregate in the market place on New Year's Eve and listen for the church bells ringing in the new year.
Scrambling This age-old tradition is unique to the town of Driffield and has its origins in the 18th century. The event takes place a couple of days into the New Year. Children walk through the main street shouting an ancient rhyme to shopkeepers in return for money and goodies.....The cry is.... "Here we are at our town end...A Bottle of rum and a crown to spend...Are we downhearted?..No!...Shall we win?...Yes!..."

Sport

Driffield is home to Driffield Mariners Football Club, who have won 3 Hull Sunday League titles in recent years.

The town has a cricket club in which its first team play in the ECB Yorkshire League. First class cricketers Andrew Gale, Richard Pyrah, Steven Patterson and Ishara Amerasinghe have all played for the club.

Driffield Rugby Union Football Club is a member of the RFU and Yorkshire RFU, playing its senior fixtures in North 2 East. The club fields four senior teams, a colts team and mini/juniors (at every age group from Under 7s to Under 17s) every week during the season.

Driffield has an 18-hole golf club that has been at its present location since 1934.

Driffield has recently added a new sports centre to the list of sports venues in the town, replacing the old sports centre; both are located just north of Driffield Secondary School and can be accessed via Bridlington Road instead of through the school. The new facility will include a main pool and learner pool, new sports hall, a 50-piece gym in line with the successful East Riding Leisure Tone Zone brand and a studio/multi-use room.

Trivia

Mick 'Woody' Woodmansey, drummer with David Bowie's band the Spiders (originally called the Hype) from 1970, was born in Driffield.

The Manchester band Happy Mondays recorded their second album Bummed at the Slaughterhouse, a studio that has since burnt down, in Driffield in 1988.

Driffield was home to one of the finest of English 19th century woodblock colour printers, Benjamin Fawcett, and the artist who worked for him, Alexander Francis Lydon.

The town is twinned with Saint Affrique, France.

RAF Driffield was targeted by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. On 15 August 1940, a raid by Junkers 88s resulted in 14 deaths and many injuries.

RAF Driffield was the site of the first death in the WAAF during the Second World War.

The BBC reported that "Driffield couple remarry 57 years after divorce" on 27 January 2011.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "2001 Census: Key Statistics: Parish Headcounts: Area: Driffield CP (Parish)". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=790945&c=Driffield&d=16&e=15&g=390704&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1210878240776&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779. Retrieved 15 May 2008. 
2. ^ Eilert Ekwall, Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p. 151.
3. ^ "Driffield couple remarry 57 years after divorce". BBC News Online (BBC). 27 January 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-12302146. Retrieved 27 January 2011. 

• Gazetteer — A–Z of Towns Villages and Hamlets. East Riding of Yorkshire Council. 2006. p. 5. 

External links

• Driffield Online
• Driffield School
• Driffield Times Newspaper