Birstwith

Birstwith
Birstwith is located in North Yorkshire
Birstwith
Birstwith
Location within North Yorkshire
Population868 (2011 census)[1]
OS grid referenceSE239595
• London185 mi (298 km) SSE
Civil parish
  • Birstwith
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townHARROGATE
Postcode districtHG3
PoliceNorth Yorkshire
FireNorth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
54°01′52″N 1°38′04″W / 54.03111°N 1.63444°W / 54.03111; -1.63444

Birstwith is a village and civil parish in Nidderdale in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Nidd. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 756[2] and increased to 868 based on the 2011 Census.[1]

Birstwith Mill on Wreaks Road is run by Kerry Ingredients, a food products manufacturer. The River Nidd provided water for the mill, and although sluice gates and a mill race exist, the water wheel no longer turns—an existing weir provides the mill with a head of water. The mill race rejoins the river downstream. About 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream is a packhorse bridge.

A mill race on the Nidd at Birstwith
Site of Birstwith station, 1976

The local public house is the Station Hotel which acts as a meeting place, and venue for organised charity events such as the Birstwith Coast 2 Coast Cycle Challenge.[3] The village has a store and post office, and a doctor's surgery which is part of a Nidderdale medical group. Sport facilities include a cricket pitch, tennis courts, and a snooker room.

The village had a railway station on the NER line running between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge.[4] The goods yard became Birstwith Grange, a housing development for commuters. The railway line continued along the Nidd Valley and was used in the construction of Scar House and Angram reservoirs.

A village primary school and a Reading Room, built and donated by the owner of the local Swarcliffe Hall around 1880, still exist today. In the mid-1970s Swarcliffe Hall was sold and the contents auctioned, the building became a private prep school. Today Birstwith has a Church of England primary school, and a private school which occupy Swarcliffe Hall.

St James' Church, Birstwith was completed in 1857 and is a grade II listed building.[5]

In 2017 Birstwith In Bloom was established. Birstwith won a Silver-gilt at the Yorkshire in Bloom awards, this was the first time the village had entered the competition.[6]

  1. ^ a b UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Birstwith Parish (1170216977)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  2. ^ UK Census (2001). "Local Area Report – Birstwith Parish (36UD010)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Birstwith News", Harrogate Advertiser, 27 May 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2011
  4. ^ Suggitt, Gordon (2007). Lost railways of North and East Yorkshire. Newbury: Countryside Books. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-85306-918-5.
  5. ^ Historic England. "Church of St James the Apostle (1315284)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  6. ^ "2017 Summary of Results Categories 1 – 5" (PDF). yorkshireinbloom.co.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2020.