Driffield
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Driffield, East Yorkshire, also known as Great Driffield, is a market town in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Other English towns and villages of this name include Little Driffield and Driffield, Gloucestershire.
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[edit] Location
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 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.
[edit] Description
Driffield contains a small community hospital, small Fire, Police and Ambulance Stations, several churches - the largest being the 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.
There are a two infant schools, one larger primary school (Driffield Junior School), and a fairly large secondary school, known simply as Driffield School. Driffield School contains a sixth form, and so offers education up to A level standard.
The local cattle market, despite former glories closed after the 2001 UK foot and mouth crisis.
Local businesses include printers Alma Printers and Horsley and Dawsons, Roger Bentley (Power Equipment), The Yorkshire Trading Company, a chain that originated in Driffield as Nichols. Public Houses include the Original Keys (formerly the Ferret and Sprout), the Buck, the Full Measure, the Rose and Crown, The Mariner's Arms and the Norseman. The town's main hotel is the "Bell Hotel", an old coaching inn, in the centre of the town, which has an 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 wine bar, both of which serve good food and reasonable wine.
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, traction engines, fairground organs and so on. A particular focus is placed upon agricultural history, with demonstrations of ploughing and threshing often taking place.
[edit] 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 eighteenth 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.
[edit] Sport
Driffield is home to the successful Driffield Mariners football club who have won two Hull Sunday league titles in recent years. The town can boast of an excellent cricket club in which its first team play in the ECB Yorkshire league.
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 a golf club.
[edit] Fame
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.
Chris Evans had regularly mocked Driffield on his show Radio 1 breakfast show. However, following listeners' complaints who wanted to prove him wrong he rose to the challenge and in July 1996 hosted a live Roadshow from the Driffield showground.
