WETHERBY CONSERVATION AREA
Historical development and changing character of the conservation areas
Wetherby is a Market Town situated on the north bank of the River Wharfe c. 12 miles north-east of Leeds; the river forming the southern boundary of the ancient township and manor of Wetherby, and also the parish boundary. Wetherby was formerly within the Claro Wapentake of the West Riding and was one of the six townships which formed the parish of Spofforth. The settlement was strategically placed at a crossing point of the River Wharfe, where east-west and north-south routes converged. The route from Doncaster, via Wetherby, to the north, later known as the Great North Road, was mapped by Gough as early as c. 1360. The present High Street and North Street at Wetherby formed part of this routeway until a bypass, constructed in 1959, redirected traffic to the east of Wetherby and away from the town. Immediately north and west of Wetherby the geology comprises Permian Magnesian Limestone, whilst the town, standing at c. 30-35m OD above sea level, is located upon fluvo-glacial terraces and morainic drift.
Evidence of early activity within the general area is provided by artefacts and earthworks dating to the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. Mesolithic flints have been found c. 2 miles south-west of Wetherby near Whitwell House Farm, and Neolithic pottery has been found c. 2 miles to the north-west of Wetherby, in the vicinity of North Deighton. Bronze Age and Iron Age material has similarly been found at Compton (Dalton Parlours) and Thorp Arch, respectively the south-west and south-east of the town. At Wetherby, there would appear to have been a Roman settlement of substantial size and duration. Two main areas of settlement have been identified: remains were found during the construction of the railway station on the western side of the town, whilst 1st to 4th -century AD pottery and 2nd to 4th-century AD coins were noted during gravel quarrying in 1928-30 to the west of the church.
Medieval settlement at Wetherby probably developed near the crossing of the river. Recorded as Wedrebi in the Domesday records of 1086, the place-name may have derived from the Saxon term Wederbi, meaning a turn, such as a turn in the river. The name may also relate to sheep farming, from the Scandinavian elements vedr, meaning wether sheep, and by, a farmstead. After the Conquest, the manor became one of the many manors in Yorkshire held by the Percy family. Land and property, including a mill, at Wetherby was also granted to the Knights Templars in the early 13th century. The Templars were also granted the right to hold a weekly Thursday market (a practice which continues today), and an annual fair at Wetherby in 1240. After this Order was dissolved in 1324 their holdings subsequently passed to the Knights Hospitallers.
By the end of the 13th century Wetherby contained a bridge, mill, chapel/s and apparently a castle. Excavations in 1922 revealed that what has been interpreted as the castle had been constructed on the western side of the town, to the west of Scott Lane. The castle was possibly built by the Percy family in the 12th century to guard the river crossing. In 1233 Archbishop Gray was granted the right to erect chapels in the outlying districts of larger parishes, suggesting that a parishioners' chapel at Wetherby may have been built around this date as a chapel of Werreby is documented by May 1301. The site of this chapel is unknown. It has been suggested that a chapel stood near the bridge, but there is no documentary evidence to support this hypothesis. It is more likely that the building stood on the site of a later 16th-century chapel on Chapel Hill, north of Market Place. The site of the mill, granted to the Templars in the 13th century, is also unknown, but was probably situated on the north bank of the river between the castle and bridge, possibly standing on the site of the later 19th century mill. A bridge, near the river crossing, is recorded in 1233 when Archbishop Gray granted an indulgence to those who contributed towards the construction of Wetherby Bridge. The record may have related to its repair rather than construction since numerous records survive relating to its state and condition. In 1315 the bridge was recorded as ruinous and broken, and in 1599 had cost over £4 for repairs. In 1614 it was noted that the bridge pavement was in poor condition due to the continuous traffic of coal waggons. Flood water severely damaged the bridge in 1767. Later improvements included the widening of the bridge on the eastern side in 1773, and on the western side in 1824. A drawing dating to the 17th or 18th century depicts the bridge as comprising four rounded arches. The present bridge comprises 6 arches and cutwaters, but the partial remains of the early structure have been preserved under these arches. The bridge is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM 74) and a Grade II listed structure (DoE 1988, 2/11).
In 1318/19 Wetherby was devastated by the Scots. Rebuilt after the raids, the poll tax records of 1379 not only list 97 inhabitants as paying tax, but also record a diversity of tradesmen including fullers, weavers, tanners and dyers. A tailor, ropemaker, locksmith and "chaloner" (a dealer in 'shalloon', a type of cloth) are also recorded, as well as brewers and bakers. The rebuilt village was probably confined to the area between the castle and High Street, with Market Place the focus of settlement.
In the 16th Century Leland describes Wetherby as a small market town containing a cross of ancient design. Hospitaller accounts of 1539-40 record a bakehouse, bellhouse and two inns, "le Swanne" and "Blake Bull". The Crown, in 1602, granted the manor to the Countess of Shrewsbury,who subsequently conveyed it to the Cavendish family, the Dukes of Devonshire. This family gradually acquired further holdings until they owned most of the land and the town in the early 19th century.
Wetherby was partly destroyed by fire in 1723 when a fire, starting in a chandler's shop, burnt around half of the town's buildings. Out of the 70 or 80 properties within the town at least 40 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Cartographic evidence of the mid-18th century indicates that town remained confined between the River Wharfe to the south, and Back Street (later Bank Street) to the north. The parochial chapel, built in 1763, stood on the north side of Market Place, within an area known a Chapel Hill, replacing an earlier chapel on the same site which had been described as ancient in 1650. Buildings fronted Market Place and High Street, with barns or outbuildings in crofts to the rear.
Improved communications with the building of turnpike roads and improvements to the Great North Road, from Aberford to Boroughbridge,via Wetherby, occurred between 1753 and 1804. By the late 18th century the London to Carlisle coaches stopped at Wetherby. The first recorded mail coach using Wetherby as a staging post was in 1786. Wetherby was also the centre for droving traffic (cattle from Scotland being taken to markets in the South). A total of 15 inns recorded in census details of 1776 reflect the passing trade through the town. Nine inns were situated on High Street, three in Market Place, and three within the Chapel Yard area.
The population slowly increased from the 19th century. Official census figures record 1114 inhabitants in 1801, growing to 1217 in 1821, and 1657 in 1871. A series of maps including survey, tithe, and O.S. maps dating between 1811 and 1850 demonstrate the growth within this period. Development in the first half of the 19th century mainly occurred within the town's existing bounds, with the crofts being infilled by new buildings and some development on Westgate. The growth may have related to the improvements to the town made by the Devonshire estate in this period. Houses in disrepair were demolished and Cross Street and New Street were laid out between 1811 and 1824. The Shambles, a Grade II listed structure (DoE 5/26), was built in 1811 comprising a colonnade enclosing 10 butchers' shops, but in 1888 the shops were converted into a covered market with the removal of an interior wall. A commemorative façade was added in 1911. Further development took place after the Duke of Devonshires' holdings at Wetherby were auctioned in 1824. Their holdings included the majority of the property within the town.
The selling of property and land widened the scope of development. Outside the perimeter of the former northern bounds, St James' church was built in 1839-41, to the north of Bank Street, the chancel enlarged in 1878. Other denominations included a Weslyan chapel in Bank Street in 1829 and a Calvinist chapel in New Street in 1817. This ceased to function in 1835. In Market Place buildings such as the chapel, cottages and former Town Hall/Court House, were demolished prior to the building of a new Town Hall in 1845. The Catholic church of St Joseph opened in 1882 with a new church and extension in 1986.
In 1887 New Street became known as Victoria Street, renamed at the time of the Queen's Golden Jubilee, and in the 1870s Back Lane was renamed Bank Street. Streets were partly widened including part of North Street in 1929 with the demolition of property. Similarly in 1937, property was demolished to widen Westgate. Improved sanitation included a drainage scheme commenced in 1893. In the 1890s, 80 town wells supplied water to 360 houses, supplemented by rain and river water. By 1899 a piped water system supplied two thirds of the households.
Census figures reflect the growth rate. In 1921 2126 inhabitants are recorded, rising 4237 in 1951. It was not until the late 19th century that larger scale development occurred on the periphery of the town, with later development extending further north and north-west. The present street layout within Wetherby town centre probably reflects the medieval street pattern. Despite changes in the 19th century, and although no longer a thoroughfare, the town has retained much of its early character.
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