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Saturday, August 27, 2016
Parliaments key players in promoting peace – Kadaga
Parliaments are coming to the fore as natural forums which are uniquely designed to address contentious issues and relationships in conflict-affected societies thereby contributing to peace building efforts.
Uganda's Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga noted this while seconding a Motion on the Role of Parliament in promoting peace, justice and strong socio-political institutions moved by Mauritius.
“As Parliamentarians, we are a crucial cog in the peace building process. We must take a central role in ensuring lasting peace on the African continent. Africa has been plagued by so many conflicts which have retarded development.”
The Speaker is in Mauritius attending 47th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CWP) Africa Region Conference. The Conference that under the theme “Africa for Sustainable Goals: the Role of Parliaments” run from 22nd to 27th August 2016.
Kadaga added that the role of parliament in promoting peace becomes even more pronounced when there is consideration for the correlation between poverty and conflict.
“By addressing issues of poverty, equitable distribution of resources and economic development, Parliamentarians can attempt to guard against the creation of an enabling environment that is prone to the escalation of conflict,” she said.
The Speaker raised concern girls and women in conflict areas of Africa citing Congo, Nigeria, and South Sudan. She said that women suffer double jeopardy since they are always raped and sexually enslaved.
“These women end up producing children with men the hate. Even when they are rescued, they suffer additional stigma,” she added.
Kadaga noted that the girls who were rescued from the Boko Haram in Nigeria are now being discriminated against by their own community.
She said parliaments can hold governments to account for their action, or task the executive to address critical issues such as poverty reduction, which can reduce society’s vulnerability to conflict. They are natural places for mediation, where diversity is represented, competing points of view are articulated and where dialogue can build consensus.
ENDS
Uganda's Speaker added that through the oversight function, Parliaments have the latitude to supervise the critical social services which are imperative for the survival of the citizenry.
“For instance, the health and education sectors are very unique sectors that need special attention by Parliaments.”
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Jeff Goodell, Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone; Author, "How to Cool the Planet: Geoengineering and the Audacious Quest to Fix Earth's Climate" and "Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America’s Energy Future"; New America Fellow, Class of 2016 and 2017
Godox TT350 for Nikon Specifications
Flash coverage: Contribute
Guide number (ISO100): 36
Motorised zoom: Automatic or manual
Display: Contribute
Design: Contribute
Dimensions (WxHxD): Contribute
Product weight: 200g
Features: Articulated flash head, Wireless master function, Wireless slave...
This is one of eight Thomas and Rebecca Cornell cemetery photos contributed to this article by their descendent, George Cornwell. If you read the comments at the end of the post, KILLED STRANGELY: A NEW ENGLAND MURDER STORY ( carolyncholland.wordpress.com/2008/02/27/killed-strangely... ), you will learn that he and his brother John spent many “sweaty” hours cleaning up the cemetery. I appreciate George’s permission to post the photos. Carolyn C. Holland, www.carolyncholland.wordpress.com .
37th Annual Capital Pride Parade at Dupont Circle / West proceeding east in 1900 block of P Street, NW, Washington DC on Saturday afternoon, 9 June 2012 by Elvert Barnes Photography
Visit Capital Pride website at capitalpride.org
PHOTOGRAPHERS IN ACTION @ 37th Capital Pride 2012 Festival Project
Ward Morrison, Contributing Photographer, Metro Weekly
Visit Elvert Barnes 37th Capital Pride 2012 / Washington DC docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/37thCapitalPride2012
Contributing Building - Bainbridge Residential Historic District - National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #87001907
The Venezuelan normative framework restricts freedom of expression and access to information in the country and contributes to inhibiting political debate and criticism of the government: www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/pdfs/Venezuela2018-en.pdf
Venezuela must adapt its domestic legislation to inter-American standards regarding freedom of expression and change ambiguous criminal laws that restrict freedom of expression: www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/pdfs/Venezuela2018-en.pdf
Campaign on the human rights situation in Venezuela, published along with the interactive site cidh.org/Venezuela in March 2019
Title:
The Banning Elementary School located at First and Williams Streets in Banning, California
Creator/Contributor:
Unknown
Date:
circa 1905
Contributing Institution:
Banning Library District
www.oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/c8s180hr/?brand=oac4
zoom:
imgzoom.cdlib.org/Fullscreen.ics?ark=ark:/13030/c8s180hr/...
History of Banning, California
From: History of Riverside County, California
with Biographical Sketches.
History By: Elmer Wallace Holmes
Historic Record Company.
Los Angeles, Califirnia 1912
In 1884 a new schoolhouse was erected on Murray street, and this with several subsequent additions needed to accommodate the ever growing community (as well as a kindergarten, which existed from 1892 to 1895), was in use until 1903, when a new frame building was put up, this time on Williams street between First and Second. The new building was only in use a few years and was destroyed by fire early in 1908. The remainder of the term then in progress was finished under great difficulties, the primary grades being taught in the old Foresters' hall on Livingstone avenue, the intermediate grades in the old Baptist church and the high school in the Methodist church. The high school was establisher in the late '90s, the first class graduating in 1899. Paul G. Ward was the first principal of the high school. Until this year the high school was under the direction of the grammar school trustees, but at present it includes the Cabazon district, is known as the Banning Union High school district, and has a special board of trustees.
When the school house was burned, bonds were at once voted for a new structure, which was immediately erected. This building is still in use, with an additional room which was later found necessary; this is a plaster structure, with tile roof, and is of Mission style. During the term closed last May there were one hundred and eighty one children enrolled in the school, and six teachers were employed. The number of teachers has been increased to seven for the coming term.
Contributing Building - New Smyrna Beach Historic District - National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #90000714
Style: Beaux Arts
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"Every good thought you think is contributing its share to the ultimate result of your life."
~ Grenville Kleiser
a memory from a garden in the neighborhood...
Thanks for stopping by
and God Bless,
hugs, Chris
In downtown Beaumont, Texas, on July 15th, 2014, outside "Freddie's Barber/Beauty & Nail Salon" on the east side of Park Street (U.S. Route 90) in the Fertita Building, built 1938, designated a "contributing property" to the Beaumont Commercial District, 78002959 and 07000892 on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names terms:
• Beaumont (7013367)
• Jefferson (county) (2002011)
Art & Architecture Thesaurus terms:
• Art Deco (300021426)
• barber poles (300253916)
• barbershops (300005250)
• black (color) (300130920)
• ceramic tile (300010678)
• doors (300002803)
• electrical boxes (300425032)
• electric conduits (300050645)
• electric meters (300196115)
• gray (color) (300130811)
• historic buildings (300008063)
• historic districts (300000737)
• pink (color) (300124707)
• purple (color) (300130257)
• venetian blinds (300204075)
• white (color) (300129784)
Wikidata items:
• 15 July 2014 (Q17923023)
• 9 AM (Q41618181)
• 1930s in architecture (Q16482516)
• 1938 in architecture (Q2811707)
• Beaumont Historic District (Q4877550)
• Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area (Q199187)
• contributing property (Q76321820)
• Downtown Beaumont (Q5303365)
• East Texas (Q2576428)
• Golden Triangle (Q5579913)
• July 15 (Q2686)
• July 2014 (Q12580527)
• National Register of Historic Places (Q3719)
• Southeast Texas (Q3985389)
• U.S. Route 90 (Q410756)
Library of Congress Subject Headings:
• Buildings—Texas (sh85017805)
• Historic districts—Texas (sh95010327)
EDUCATION LUCK has been contributing to this educational revolution in its own way. Fully alive to the emerging challenge, the Centre has taken the leadership in preparing managers of tomorrow armed with a distinct vision, blended with technology and skills. The centre strives to create all round leaders in management and entrepreneurship by helping its students acquire the necessary skills. We have around 13 + years of experience, and many successful students.
Contributing Building - South Beach Street Historic District - National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #88001597
Contributing Building - DeFuniak Springs Historic District - National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #92001048
Built 1896
Style: Gothic Revival
Contributing Building - Stetson University Campus Historic District - National Register of Historic Places
NRIS 91000244
a Carnegie Library
Built ca 1908
Architect: Henry John Klutho
Selby Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey and current Anglican parish church in the town of Selby, North Yorkshire, England. It is a member of the Major Churches Network in England.
Monastic history
The church is one of the relatively few surviving abbey churches of the medieval period, and, although not a cathedral, is one of the biggest. It was founded by Benedict of Auxerre in 1069 and subsequently built by the de Lacy family.
On 31 May 1256, the abbey was bestowed with the grant of a Mitre by Pope Alexander IV and from this date was a "Mitred Abbey". This privilege fell in abeyance a number of times, but on 11 April 1308, Archbishop William Greenfield confirmed the grant, and Selby remained a "Mitred Abbey" until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Archbishop Walter Giffard visited the monastery in 1275 by commission, and several monks and the Abbot were charged with a list of faults including loose living, (many complaints referred to misconduct with married women). In 1279 Archbishop William de Wickwane made a visitation, and found fault with the Abbot as he did not observe the rule of St Benedict, was not singing mass, preaching or teaching, and seldom attending chapter. Things had not improved much in 1306 when Archbishop William Greenfield visited and similar visitations in later years resulted in similar findings.
The community rebuilt the choir in the early fourteenth century, but in 1340, a fire destroyed the Chapter House, Dormitory, Treasury and part of the church. The damage was repaired and the decorated windows in the south aisle of the nave were installed.
In 1380–1 there was the abbot and twenty-five monks. In 1393 Pope Boniface IX granted an indulgence to pilgrims who contributed to the conservation of the chapel of the Holy Cross in the abbey.
The fifteenth century saw more alterations to the abbey. The perpendicular windows in the north transept and at the west end of the nave were added and the Sedilia in the Sanctuary was added. One of the final additions was the Latham Chapel, dedicated to St Catherine, east of the north transept, in 1465.
In the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535 the abbey was valued at £719 2s. 6¼d (equivalent to £467,021 in 2021). The abbey surrendered on 6 December 1539. The community comprised the Abbot, and 23 monks. The abbot was pensioned off on £100 a year (equivalent to £71,416 in 2021) the prior got £8 and the others between £6 6s. 8d. and £5 each.
Abbots of Selby
Benedict 1069–1097
Hugh de Lacy 1097–1123
Herbert, 1123–1127
Durand, 1127–1137
Interregnum 1137–1139
Walter 1139–1143
Helias Paynel, 1143–1153
German, 1153–1160
Gilbert de Vere, 1160–1184
Interregnum 1184–1189
Roger of London, 1189–1195
Richard I (prior), 1195–1214
Alexander, 1214–1221
Richard, 1221–1223
Richard (sub-prior of Selby), 1223
Hugh de Drayton, 1245–1254
Thomas de Whalley, 1254–1263
David de Cawod, 1263–1269
William de Aslakeby (prior) 1280,-1293
John de Wystow I (sub-prior), 1294–1300
William de Aslaghby (sacrist), 1300–1313
Simon de Scardeburg (prior), 1313–1321
John de Wystow II, 1322–1335
John de Heslyngton (a monk), 1335–1342
Geoffrey de Gaddesby, 1342–1368
John de Shirburn, 1369–1408
William Pigot, 1408–1429
John Cave, 1429–1436
John Ousthorp, 1436–1466
John Sharrow, 1466–1486
Lawrence Selby, 1487–1504
Robert Depyng (monk of Crowland Abbey) 1504–1518
Thomas Rawlinson, 1518–1522
John Barwic, 1522–1526
Robert Selby, 1526–1540
Post monastic history
For a time after the dissolution, the church was unused but in 1618 it became the Parish Church of Selby. During the English Civil War and the Commonwealth period the building suffered with the north transept window being destroyed, and the statues on the brackets in the choir were demolished.
Like York Minster, the church rests on a base of sand and has suffered from subsidence. Many sections collapsed entirely during the seventeenth century, including the central tower in 1690 which destroyed the south transept. The Tower was rebuilt, but not the transept. In the eighteenth century the choir was filled with galleries, and used for services, the nave only used for secular purposes.
The church was restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1871–1873 who restored much of the nave for use, and again in 1889–1890 by his son John Oldrid Scott, who restored the choir. The tower was restored in the first few years of the twentieth century.
The reredos was designed by Robert Lorimer and added in 1901.
Vicars of Selby Abbey
Anthony Ashton 1540 – 1583
Robert Dove 1583 – 1586
Thomas Tomlinson 1586 – 1603
John Bradley 1603 – 1610
Thomas Greenwood 1610 – 1613
John Moor 1613 – 1620
Richard Smith BA 1620 – 1625
John Whitaker BA 1625 – 1642
Paul Hammerton 1642 – 1650
Richard Calvert 1650 – 1658
Thomas Birdsall 1658 – 1666
Arthur Squire MA 1666 – 1698
Shadrach Sherburn BA 1698 – 1701
Henry Allan 1701
Geoffrey Rishton 1701 – 1720
Thomas Hardy 1720 – 1728
William Charnley BA 1728 – 1748
Marmaduke Teasdale BA 1748 – 1778
William Porter MA 1778 – 1796
William Caile 1796 – 1797
Thomas Mounsey 1797 – 1819
Jonathan Muncaster 1819 – 1834
John Leidger Walton MA 1834 – 1850
Francis Whaley Harper MA 1850 – 1889
Archibald George Tweedie MA 1889 – 1904
Maurice Parkin MA 1904 – 1910
John Solloway DD 1910 – 1941
Alfred Edgar Moore Glover MA 1941 – 1945
Frank Read AKC 1945 – 1952
John Aldwyn Pelham Kent MA 1952 – 1978
Anthony Cecil Addison Smith MA 1978 – 1983
Michael William Escritt DipTh 1983 – 1990
Peter Lawrence Dodd MBE 1990 – 1993
James Alexander Robertson 1993 – 1996
Roy Ian John Matthews TD MA 1996 – 1997
Keith Michael Jukes BA 1997 – 2007
Keith David Richards 2007 – 2010
Canon John Weetman[9] 2011 –
The fire of 1906
The organ builders from John Compton had been working until 11.00 pm on Friday 19 October, and shortly after midnight on Saturday the organist Frederick William Sykes spotted flames coming from the organ chamber. The organ builders had been installing a new kinetic gas engine to provide power to the new organ. Initial reports that the new organ equipment was to blame for the fire were later proved inaccurate.
The fire destroyed the roof of the choir and the belfry and peal of eight bells was also destroyed. All of the interior fittings were also destroyed but thanks to the actions of the local fire brigade, the fourteenth-century stained glass in the East window was saved.
A secondary fire broke out in the nave roof on the Sunday, but this was quickly extinguished.
The abbey was rebuilt under the supervision of John Oldrid Scott at a cost of around £50,000 (equivalent to £5,545,000 in 2021) and reopened in 1909. The restoration of the south transept was completed in 1912, funded by William Liversedge.
Later twentieth century
In 1952 the abbey was given Grade I listed status.
Restorations of 2002
In 2002 the abbey underwent an extensive restoration, costing several million pounds. Stage 6, the restoration of the Scriptorium was completed at a cost of £795,000. The £400,000 cost of restoring the South choir Aisle and the "Washington Window" was met in full by British American Tobacco. World Monuments Fund committed more than $800,000 to exterior work, including roof repairs, beginning in 2002.
The Washington Window
A notable feature of the abbey is the fifteenth-century Washington Window, located at the clerestory level of the quire, which features the heraldic arms of the ancestors of George Washington, the first president of the United States. It is believed the shield is in the Abbey thanks to a financial benefaction supporting the work of the monastery at Selby from John Wessington, one of George Washington's ancestors, who was Prior of Durham from 1416 to 1446, and the design is thought to be one of the oldest representations of the Flag of the United States in the world. Selby Abbey is on the 'American Trail' of attractions around the UK with strong American historical connections.
Music
Music at Selby Abbey has a long history going back to its monastic foundation in the 11th century when plainsong was chanted at the daily services by the Benedictine monks. Today, the music at services consists principally of choral music sung by the Abbey's choir, organ music, and congregational hymn singing.
The Choir of Selby Abbey numbers c35 adults and children. While the choir consists principally of dedicated volunteers, the Abbey provides three Choral Scholarships and employs a professional Assistant Organist and Director of Music. The Abbey Choristers receive a full musical education and training. During term-time the choir sings at the weekly Sung Eucharist on Sundays, and at Choral Evensong on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month, in addition to singing at other special services, weddings and concerts.
In 2022 the Abbey Junior Choir was founded to provide singing opportunities for younger children aged five and upwards.
The Abbey hosts many concerts throughout the year performed by choirs, orchestras, brass bands and other musicians and groups. Selby Abbey Trust organises an annual Organ Recital Series featuring performers from across the world.
Organ
The previous organ was installed in 1825 by Renn and Boston, in a gallery on the east side of the choir screen wall. It was rebuilt several times by Booth of Wakefield, Forster and Andrews of Hull and Conacher of Huddersfield. In 1868 the organ was rebuilt and moved to a bay in the quire. The opening recital was given by William Thomas Best. This organ was rebuilt in 1891 by James Jepson Binns of Bramley and moved again, this time to the north side of the quire. A rebuild took place by John Compton in 1906, but the organ was destroyed by the great fire of that year, which nearly destroyed the abbey too.
Following the 1906 fire and as part of the subsequent restoration of the Abbey, the firm of William Hill & Son was commissioned to build the current organ, completed in 1909. With 67 speaking stops and 4 manuals, most of the pipes of this instrument occupy two organ cases designed by John Oldrid Scott and placed either side of the choir stalls in the Chancel. The huge pipes of the "Pedal: 32' Double Open Diapason" sit in the Triforium overlooking the Nave.
The first major restoration of this organ was carried out in 1950 by Hill, Norman and Beard. In the early 1960s, the Italian virtuoso Fernando Germani made several LP recordings at the Abbey of organ music by Reger, Franck and Liszt, bringing the organ to international attention. In 1975, further alterations and additions were made to the organ by John T. Jackson.
By the 2010's the organ was showing its age and becoming increasingly unreliable, so in 2014, Geoffrey Coffin and Principal Pipe Organs of York carried out a major restoration which lasted two years. Paul Hale was the adviser and the project was completed in 2016.
Organists and Directors of Music
Wharton Hooper 1864–1866
Edward Johnson Bellerby 1878–1881
Frederick William Sykes 1881–1919
Henry Oswald Hodgson 1920–1921
Herbert Hill 1921–1922
Walter Hartley 1922–1962
David Patrick Gedge 1962–1966
Mervyn John Byers 1966–1976
Peter Seymour 1976–1978
Anthony Langford 1978–1980
Mervyn John Byers 1980–1987
Geoffrey Pearce 1987–1994
Roger Tebbet 1994–2020
James Lowery (Interim Organist) 2020–2021
Oliver Waterer 2021–
Ian Seddon (Assistant Organist) 2023–
Burials
Thomas Thwaites and wife Alice de la Hay
Bishop of Selby
The Bishop of Selby is a Suffragan Bishop to the Archbishop of York and oversees the Archdeaconry of York, which includes the Deanery of Selby
Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England; it is located 12 miles (19.3 km) south of York on the River Ouse. In the 2021 UK Census, it had a population recorded at 19,760.
The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, the town was the administrative centre of the Selby District.
Selby once had a large shipbuilding industry and was an important port on the Selby Canal, which brought trade from Leeds.
History
Foundation
The town's origins date from the establishment of a Viking 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 of AD 779.
The place name 'Selby' is first attested in a Yorkshire charter c. 1030, where it appears as Seleby. It appears as Selbi c. 1050. The name is thought to be a Scandinavian form of Seletun, meaning 'sallow tree settlement'.
Development
The town of Selby is on the main route north from the Midlands and is the traditional birthplace of King Henry I, fourth son of William the Conqueror, in 1068/69; the connection is supported by William and his wife Matilda's unique joint charter of Selby Abbey, 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 family. King Henry I is reputed to have been born there in c. 1068. A notable feature of the abbey is the 14th-century Washington Window, featuring the heraldic arms of the ancestors of George Washington, the first president of the United States. 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, which he took 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 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 Royalist garrison of Selby was captured by Parliamentarians in the Battle of Selby on 11 April 1644. There are other historical sites, such as the cholera burial ground on the north side of the abbey, the market cross and the local school, Selby High School. 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 he saw Lansdown Crescent in Bath, Somerset.
Since 2000
Selby is expanding. New houses and shops are being built on the outskirts as far as the bypass, which has resulted in the loss of some trade from the town centre. Meanwhile, the riverfront is being revamped with modern housing and fashionable flats.
Rail crash
Main article: Great Heck rail crash
The 2001 Great Heck rail crash is also often referred to as the Selby rail crash. It happened a few miles south of Selby, at the village of Great Heck near the M62 motorway, and Selby was the closest major town to the accident site. On 28 February 2001 a vehicle crashed off the M62 down an embankment onto 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.
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 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. He subsequently murdered an elderly couple, James and Joan Britton, at their home in the village of Strensall, near York. 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.
At the lowest level of governance is Selby Town Council. The town is divided into three electoral wards, north, south, each represented by five councillors, and west, represented by seven 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.
From 1974 to 2023, Selby was administered as part of a two-tier council system by Selby District Council. The town was 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 the town was part of the Selby Barlby county division, which elected two representatives to the county council.
In April 2023, both councils, along with all district councils in North Yorkshire, were replaced by North Yorkshire Council. The unitary authority now provides all the services previously provided separately by the two councils.
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. It was represented by Conservative MP Nigel Adams until he resigned in June 2023, triggering a by-election held in July. The 20 July 2023 by-election was won by Labour candidate Keir Mather.
Geography
Selby lies on the tidal River Ouse in a natural area of Yorkshire known as the Humberhead Levels. The main roads that cross at Selby are the A63 from Leeds to Hull and the A19 from Doncaster to York, though the A19 and A63 have no longer met in Selby itself since the opening of the Selby Bypass in 2004. The River Ouse is navigable 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 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 has also waned. Selby is close to both York and Leeds. Its popularity as a tourist destination, owing to Selby Abbey, has led to a large amount of development and renovation in the town and surrounding area.
The residential areas of Selby have also been subject to expansion and development. A significant development called Staynor Hall continues to 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. The threat in the Barlby area has been alleviated to some extent by work on improved flood barriers following the major flood of November 2000.
Religion
Selby Abbey 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 Church, Portholme Methodist / URC Church, and St James' Church. Edge Community was founded in 2009 for the Flaxley Road community, and The Salvation Army 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. Thorpe Willoughby has St Francis Church.
Selby Churches Together set up and run the Selby and District Food Bank.
Economy
Much of the historical wealth of the town is based on its position on the banks of the tidal River Ouse. Selby used to have a large shipbuilding industry and was an important port on the Selby Canal, which brought trade from Leeds. The Selby Canal links the River Ouse at Selby to the River Aire at Haddlesey. The replacement Greenpeace craft (1989–2011), bearing the name Rainbow Warrior, was built in Selby in 1957 as a fishing boat. Selby's location allowed vessels to be launched into the river. This often required the more unusual technique of launching the vessels side-on into the river owing 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 at Grimsby's National Fishing Heritage Centre. Cochrane launched their last vessel into the Ouse in 1998, a historical occasion which people around the area went to see. After Cochrane had closed the massive cranes still stood over the skyline of Selby until 2001, when very 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, housed in the buildings once used to build the Selby ships.
For a time Selby was the leading coal-mining 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, holds the UK record for coal mined in one week—200,743 tonnes in 1995. The 110 square miles (280 km2) 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, 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 shipbuilding and coal mining remains both in and around Selby, both industries have long since been defunct. Now the main income for the area is derived from arable farming and as a commuter area for Leeds, Wakefield and York.
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. Two of the town's supermarkets, Tesco and Morrisons, are looking to expand their stores, the latter meaning the resiting of the Abbey Primary School.
On 14 September 2005, Selby District Council was conditionally granted outline planning permission for a state of the art science facility to be built on the site of Burn Gliding Club but these plans did not come to fruition.
Transport
Selby is the transport hub for the local area; it has a bus and railway station running services to many places around the area.
Train services from Selby railway station run directly to London King's Cross, Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, York and Hull. Services are operated by several train operating companies; these are London North Eastern Railway, Northern Trains, TransPennine Express and Hull Trains.
Bus services are operated predominantly by Arriva Yorkshire, which runs a range of local services, as well as longer-distance routes to Goole, Leeds, Pontefract, Wakefield and York. Thornes Independent operate two routes to Hensall and Hemingbrough.
In July 2001, construction began on the Selby by-pass, which had been authorised for development in 1993. The by-pass runs from the A19 at Barlby, along the southern perimeter of Selby, joining the A63 at Thorpe Willoughby. The project was delayed owing to technical difficulties with the swing bridge over the River Ouse, but was eventually completed in July 2004.
Culture and sport
Selby Town Hall 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.
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 is also working with local community groups in securing the Abbot's Staith, a 15th-century warehouse currently on English Heritage's At Risk Register. It is expected that the development of the Abbot's Staith could offer opportunities for social, educational, historical and economic solutions for the town while also promoting tourism.
Selby's major sporting team is Selby Town F.C. ('the Robins'), playing in the Northern Counties East Division One at the Flaxley Road Stadium. As a result of a sponsorship deal with 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 1953–54, when they won the Yorkshire Football League and reached the first round of the FA Cup – meeting Bradford Park Avenue and getting their highest ever attendance of 7,000 fans.
A Rugby union club, Selby RUFC, plays at Sandhill Lane Stadium. Sandhill Lane Stadium is currently undergoing construction work to create a new seating stand overlooking the first team's pitch, and a gym and new changing rooms are being added to the members' bar and existing club bar. Selby RUFC have five open-age teams and have veteran and junior set-ups. Selby 1st are currently in Yorkshire League Division One. In the season 2008–09 Selby U10s won the Gullivers Plate at Twickenham, the U16s got to the final of the Yorkshire Bowl and Selby 3rds reached a North Yorkshire final. Selby also has a rugby league club, Selby Warriors, which plays 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. 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 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 organises an annual Road Rally called the Three Swans Rally, based on local roads and forming a major part of local championships.
Media
Local news and television programmes is provided by BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire from the Emley Moor TV transmitter.
The town's local radio stations are BBC Radio York, Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire, Capital Yorkshire, YO1 Radio, and Selby Radio which is a community based radio station.
Selby's longest-established newspaper is the Selby Times, 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 and covers the Selby district, including the town centre and villages such as Sherburn-in-Elmet and as far as Tadcaster.
In 2014, despite the shift to online news, The Goole and Selby Times together were only one of three newspapers in the country actually to increase print sales. The Goole Times (incorporating the Selby Times) saw a rise of more than three quarters to 15,045 compared with 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.
Twin towns
Selby is twinned with:
France Carentan, France
Germany Filderstadt, Germany
Notable people
Harold Brigham, footballer
Nigel Adams, Member of Parliament, Selby and Ainsty (UK Parliament constituency) and Minister of State for Asia
Robert Aske, rebel leader, lawyer
Tommy Cannon, entertainer
Robert of Selby, courtier, chancellor of Sicily
Jack Byers, footballer
Gavin Harding, first person with a learning disability to become mayor in the United Kingdom
Henry I of England, king of England
Arthur Hinsley, Roman Catholic cardinal, archbishop
Jonathan Hutchinson, surgeon, dermatologist
Woods Hutchinson, physician, writer
Thomas Johnson, botanist
Keith Kelly, pop singer
John Sherwood, Olympic athlete
Steve Sherwood, footballer
James Stephenson, actor
Eden Taylor-Draper, actress
Smithson Tennant, chemist, discoverer
Matthew Warchus, theatre and film director
Leigh Wood, footballer
Selby Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey and current Anglican parish church in the town of Selby, North Yorkshire, England. It is a member of the Major Churches Network in England.
Monastic history
The church is one of the relatively few surviving abbey churches of the medieval period, and, although not a cathedral, is one of the biggest. It was founded by Benedict of Auxerre in 1069 and subsequently built by the de Lacy family.
On 31 May 1256, the abbey was bestowed with the grant of a Mitre by Pope Alexander IV and from this date was a "Mitred Abbey". This privilege fell in abeyance a number of times, but on 11 April 1308, Archbishop William Greenfield confirmed the grant, and Selby remained a "Mitred Abbey" until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Archbishop Walter Giffard visited the monastery in 1275 by commission, and several monks and the Abbot were charged with a list of faults including loose living, (many complaints referred to misconduct with married women). In 1279 Archbishop William de Wickwane made a visitation, and found fault with the Abbot as he did not observe the rule of St Benedict, was not singing mass, preaching or teaching, and seldom attending chapter. Things had not improved much in 1306 when Archbishop William Greenfield visited and similar visitations in later years resulted in similar findings.
The community rebuilt the choir in the early fourteenth century, but in 1340, a fire destroyed the Chapter House, Dormitory, Treasury and part of the church. The damage was repaired and the decorated windows in the south aisle of the nave were installed.
In 1380–1 there was the abbot and twenty-five monks. In 1393 Pope Boniface IX granted an indulgence to pilgrims who contributed to the conservation of the chapel of the Holy Cross in the abbey.
The fifteenth century saw more alterations to the abbey. The perpendicular windows in the north transept and at the west end of the nave were added and the Sedilia in the Sanctuary was added. One of the final additions was the Latham Chapel, dedicated to St Catherine, east of the north transept, in 1465.
In the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535 the abbey was valued at £719 2s. 6¼d (equivalent to £467,021 in 2021). The abbey surrendered on 6 December 1539. The community comprised the Abbot, and 23 monks. The abbot was pensioned off on £100 a year (equivalent to £71,416 in 2021) the prior got £8 and the others between £6 6s. 8d. and £5 each.
Abbots of Selby
Benedict 1069–1097
Hugh de Lacy 1097–1123
Herbert, 1123–1127
Durand, 1127–1137
Interregnum 1137–1139
Walter 1139–1143
Helias Paynel, 1143–1153
German, 1153–1160
Gilbert de Vere, 1160–1184
Interregnum 1184–1189
Roger of London, 1189–1195
Richard I (prior), 1195–1214
Alexander, 1214–1221
Richard, 1221–1223
Richard (sub-prior of Selby), 1223
Hugh de Drayton, 1245–1254
Thomas de Whalley, 1254–1263
David de Cawod, 1263–1269
William de Aslakeby (prior) 1280,-1293
John de Wystow I (sub-prior), 1294–1300
William de Aslaghby (sacrist), 1300–1313
Simon de Scardeburg (prior), 1313–1321
John de Wystow II, 1322–1335
John de Heslyngton (a monk), 1335–1342
Geoffrey de Gaddesby, 1342–1368
John de Shirburn, 1369–1408
William Pigot, 1408–1429
John Cave, 1429–1436
John Ousthorp, 1436–1466
John Sharrow, 1466–1486
Lawrence Selby, 1487–1504
Robert Depyng (monk of Crowland Abbey) 1504–1518
Thomas Rawlinson, 1518–1522
John Barwic, 1522–1526
Robert Selby, 1526–1540
Post monastic history
For a time after the dissolution, the church was unused but in 1618 it became the Parish Church of Selby. During the English Civil War and the Commonwealth period the building suffered with the north transept window being destroyed, and the statues on the brackets in the choir were demolished.
Like York Minster, the church rests on a base of sand and has suffered from subsidence. Many sections collapsed entirely during the seventeenth century, including the central tower in 1690 which destroyed the south transept. The Tower was rebuilt, but not the transept. In the eighteenth century the choir was filled with galleries, and used for services, the nave only used for secular purposes.
The church was restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1871–1873 who restored much of the nave for use, and again in 1889–1890 by his son John Oldrid Scott, who restored the choir. The tower was restored in the first few years of the twentieth century.
The reredos was designed by Robert Lorimer and added in 1901.
Vicars of Selby Abbey
Anthony Ashton 1540 – 1583
Robert Dove 1583 – 1586
Thomas Tomlinson 1586 – 1603
John Bradley 1603 – 1610
Thomas Greenwood 1610 – 1613
John Moor 1613 – 1620
Richard Smith BA 1620 – 1625
John Whitaker BA 1625 – 1642
Paul Hammerton 1642 – 1650
Richard Calvert 1650 – 1658
Thomas Birdsall 1658 – 1666
Arthur Squire MA 1666 – 1698
Shadrach Sherburn BA 1698 – 1701
Henry Allan 1701
Geoffrey Rishton 1701 – 1720
Thomas Hardy 1720 – 1728
William Charnley BA 1728 – 1748
Marmaduke Teasdale BA 1748 – 1778
William Porter MA 1778 – 1796
William Caile 1796 – 1797
Thomas Mounsey 1797 – 1819
Jonathan Muncaster 1819 – 1834
John Leidger Walton MA 1834 – 1850
Francis Whaley Harper MA 1850 – 1889
Archibald George Tweedie MA 1889 – 1904
Maurice Parkin MA 1904 – 1910
John Solloway DD 1910 – 1941
Alfred Edgar Moore Glover MA 1941 – 1945
Frank Read AKC 1945 – 1952
John Aldwyn Pelham Kent MA 1952 – 1978
Anthony Cecil Addison Smith MA 1978 – 1983
Michael William Escritt DipTh 1983 – 1990
Peter Lawrence Dodd MBE 1990 – 1993
James Alexander Robertson 1993 – 1996
Roy Ian John Matthews TD MA 1996 – 1997
Keith Michael Jukes BA 1997 – 2007
Keith David Richards 2007 – 2010
Canon John Weetman[9] 2011 –
The fire of 1906
The organ builders from John Compton had been working until 11.00 pm on Friday 19 October, and shortly after midnight on Saturday the organist Frederick William Sykes spotted flames coming from the organ chamber. The organ builders had been installing a new kinetic gas engine to provide power to the new organ. Initial reports that the new organ equipment was to blame for the fire were later proved inaccurate.
The fire destroyed the roof of the choir and the belfry and peal of eight bells was also destroyed. All of the interior fittings were also destroyed but thanks to the actions of the local fire brigade, the fourteenth-century stained glass in the East window was saved.
A secondary fire broke out in the nave roof on the Sunday, but this was quickly extinguished.
The abbey was rebuilt under the supervision of John Oldrid Scott at a cost of around £50,000 (equivalent to £5,545,000 in 2021) and reopened in 1909. The restoration of the south transept was completed in 1912, funded by William Liversedge.
Later twentieth century
In 1952 the abbey was given Grade I listed status.
Restorations of 2002
In 2002 the abbey underwent an extensive restoration, costing several million pounds. Stage 6, the restoration of the Scriptorium was completed at a cost of £795,000. The £400,000 cost of restoring the South choir Aisle and the "Washington Window" was met in full by British American Tobacco. World Monuments Fund committed more than $800,000 to exterior work, including roof repairs, beginning in 2002.
The Washington Window
A notable feature of the abbey is the fifteenth-century Washington Window, located at the clerestory level of the quire, which features the heraldic arms of the ancestors of George Washington, the first president of the United States. It is believed the shield is in the Abbey thanks to a financial benefaction supporting the work of the monastery at Selby from John Wessington, one of George Washington's ancestors, who was Prior of Durham from 1416 to 1446, and the design is thought to be one of the oldest representations of the Flag of the United States in the world. Selby Abbey is on the 'American Trail' of attractions around the UK with strong American historical connections.
Music
Music at Selby Abbey has a long history going back to its monastic foundation in the 11th century when plainsong was chanted at the daily services by the Benedictine monks. Today, the music at services consists principally of choral music sung by the Abbey's choir, organ music, and congregational hymn singing.
The Choir of Selby Abbey numbers c35 adults and children. While the choir consists principally of dedicated volunteers, the Abbey provides three Choral Scholarships and employs a professional Assistant Organist and Director of Music. The Abbey Choristers receive a full musical education and training. During term-time the choir sings at the weekly Sung Eucharist on Sundays, and at Choral Evensong on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month, in addition to singing at other special services, weddings and concerts.
In 2022 the Abbey Junior Choir was founded to provide singing opportunities for younger children aged five and upwards.
The Abbey hosts many concerts throughout the year performed by choirs, orchestras, brass bands and other musicians and groups. Selby Abbey Trust organises an annual Organ Recital Series featuring performers from across the world.
Organ
The previous organ was installed in 1825 by Renn and Boston, in a gallery on the east side of the choir screen wall. It was rebuilt several times by Booth of Wakefield, Forster and Andrews of Hull and Conacher of Huddersfield. In 1868 the organ was rebuilt and moved to a bay in the quire. The opening recital was given by William Thomas Best. This organ was rebuilt in 1891 by James Jepson Binns of Bramley and moved again, this time to the north side of the quire. A rebuild took place by John Compton in 1906, but the organ was destroyed by the great fire of that year, which nearly destroyed the abbey too.
Following the 1906 fire and as part of the subsequent restoration of the Abbey, the firm of William Hill & Son was commissioned to build the current organ, completed in 1909. With 67 speaking stops and 4 manuals, most of the pipes of this instrument occupy two organ cases designed by John Oldrid Scott and placed either side of the choir stalls in the Chancel. The huge pipes of the "Pedal: 32' Double Open Diapason" sit in the Triforium overlooking the Nave.
The first major restoration of this organ was carried out in 1950 by Hill, Norman and Beard. In the early 1960s, the Italian virtuoso Fernando Germani made several LP recordings at the Abbey of organ music by Reger, Franck and Liszt, bringing the organ to international attention. In 1975, further alterations and additions were made to the organ by John T. Jackson.
By the 2010's the organ was showing its age and becoming increasingly unreliable, so in 2014, Geoffrey Coffin and Principal Pipe Organs of York carried out a major restoration which lasted two years. Paul Hale was the adviser and the project was completed in 2016.
Organists and Directors of Music
Wharton Hooper 1864–1866
Edward Johnson Bellerby 1878–1881
Frederick William Sykes 1881–1919
Henry Oswald Hodgson 1920–1921
Herbert Hill 1921–1922
Walter Hartley 1922–1962
David Patrick Gedge 1962–1966
Mervyn John Byers 1966–1976
Peter Seymour 1976–1978
Anthony Langford 1978–1980
Mervyn John Byers 1980–1987
Geoffrey Pearce 1987–1994
Roger Tebbet 1994–2020
James Lowery (Interim Organist) 2020–2021
Oliver Waterer 2021–
Ian Seddon (Assistant Organist) 2023–
Burials
Thomas Thwaites and wife Alice de la Hay
Bishop of Selby
The Bishop of Selby is a Suffragan Bishop to the Archbishop of York and oversees the Archdeaconry of York, which includes the Deanery of Selby
Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England; it is located 12 miles (19.3 km) south of York on the River Ouse. In the 2021 UK Census, it had a population recorded at 19,760.
The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, the town was the administrative centre of the Selby District.
Selby once had a large shipbuilding industry and was an important port on the Selby Canal, which brought trade from Leeds.
History
Foundation
The town's origins date from the establishment of a Viking 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 of AD 779.
The place name 'Selby' is first attested in a Yorkshire charter c. 1030, where it appears as Seleby. It appears as Selbi c. 1050. The name is thought to be a Scandinavian form of Seletun, meaning 'sallow tree settlement'.
Development
The town of Selby is on the main route north from the Midlands and is the traditional birthplace of King Henry I, fourth son of William the Conqueror, in 1068/69; the connection is supported by William and his wife Matilda's unique joint charter of Selby Abbey, 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 family. King Henry I is reputed to have been born there in c. 1068. A notable feature of the abbey is the 14th-century Washington Window, featuring the heraldic arms of the ancestors of George Washington, the first president of the United States. 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, which he took 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 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 Royalist garrison of Selby was captured by Parliamentarians in the Battle of Selby on 11 April 1644. There are other historical sites, such as the cholera burial ground on the north side of the abbey, the market cross and the local school, Selby High School. 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 he saw Lansdown Crescent in Bath, Somerset.
Since 2000
Selby is expanding. New houses and shops are being built on the outskirts as far as the bypass, which has resulted in the loss of some trade from the town centre. Meanwhile, the riverfront is being revamped with modern housing and fashionable flats.
Rail crash
Main article: Great Heck rail crash
The 2001 Great Heck rail crash is also often referred to as the Selby rail crash. It happened a few miles south of Selby, at the village of Great Heck near the M62 motorway, and Selby was the closest major town to the accident site. On 28 February 2001 a vehicle crashed off the M62 down an embankment onto 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.
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 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. He subsequently murdered an elderly couple, James and Joan Britton, at their home in the village of Strensall, near York. 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.
At the lowest level of governance is Selby Town Council. The town is divided into three electoral wards, north, south, each represented by five councillors, and west, represented by seven 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.
From 1974 to 2023, Selby was administered as part of a two-tier council system by Selby District Council. The town was 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 the town was part of the Selby Barlby county division, which elected two representatives to the county council.
In April 2023, both councils, along with all district councils in North Yorkshire, were replaced by North Yorkshire Council. The unitary authority now provides all the services previously provided separately by the two councils.
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. It was represented by Conservative MP Nigel Adams until he resigned in June 2023, triggering a by-election held in July. The 20 July 2023 by-election was won by Labour candidate Keir Mather.
Geography
Selby lies on the tidal River Ouse in a natural area of Yorkshire known as the Humberhead Levels. The main roads that cross at Selby are the A63 from Leeds to Hull and the A19 from Doncaster to York, though the A19 and A63 have no longer met in Selby itself since the opening of the Selby Bypass in 2004. The River Ouse is navigable 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 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 has also waned. Selby is close to both York and Leeds. Its popularity as a tourist destination, owing to Selby Abbey, has led to a large amount of development and renovation in the town and surrounding area.
The residential areas of Selby have also been subject to expansion and development. A significant development called Staynor Hall continues to 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. The threat in the Barlby area has been alleviated to some extent by work on improved flood barriers following the major flood of November 2000.
Religion
Selby Abbey 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 Church, Portholme Methodist / URC Church, and St James' Church. Edge Community was founded in 2009 for the Flaxley Road community, and The Salvation Army 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. Thorpe Willoughby has St Francis Church.
Selby Churches Together set up and run the Selby and District Food Bank.
Economy
Much of the historical wealth of the town is based on its position on the banks of the tidal River Ouse. Selby used to have a large shipbuilding industry and was an important port on the Selby Canal, which brought trade from Leeds. The Selby Canal links the River Ouse at Selby to the River Aire at Haddlesey. The replacement Greenpeace craft (1989–2011), bearing the name Rainbow Warrior, was built in Selby in 1957 as a fishing boat. Selby's location allowed vessels to be launched into the river. This often required the more unusual technique of launching the vessels side-on into the river owing 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 at Grimsby's National Fishing Heritage Centre. Cochrane launched their last vessel into the Ouse in 1998, a historical occasion which people around the area went to see. After Cochrane had closed the massive cranes still stood over the skyline of Selby until 2001, when very 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, housed in the buildings once used to build the Selby ships.
For a time Selby was the leading coal-mining 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, holds the UK record for coal mined in one week—200,743 tonnes in 1995. The 110 square miles (280 km2) 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, 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 shipbuilding and coal mining remains both in and around Selby, both industries have long since been defunct. Now the main income for the area is derived from arable farming and as a commuter area for Leeds, Wakefield and York.
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. Two of the town's supermarkets, Tesco and Morrisons, are looking to expand their stores, the latter meaning the resiting of the Abbey Primary School.
On 14 September 2005, Selby District Council was conditionally granted outline planning permission for a state of the art science facility to be built on the site of Burn Gliding Club but these plans did not come to fruition.
Transport
Selby is the transport hub for the local area; it has a bus and railway station running services to many places around the area.
Train services from Selby railway station run directly to London King's Cross, Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, York and Hull. Services are operated by several train operating companies; these are London North Eastern Railway, Northern Trains, TransPennine Express and Hull Trains.
Bus services are operated predominantly by Arriva Yorkshire, which runs a range of local services, as well as longer-distance routes to Goole, Leeds, Pontefract, Wakefield and York. Thornes Independent operate two routes to Hensall and Hemingbrough.
In July 2001, construction began on the Selby by-pass, which had been authorised for development in 1993. The by-pass runs from the A19 at Barlby, along the southern perimeter of Selby, joining the A63 at Thorpe Willoughby. The project was delayed owing to technical difficulties with the swing bridge over the River Ouse, but was eventually completed in July 2004.
Culture and sport
Selby Town Hall 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.
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 is also working with local community groups in securing the Abbot's Staith, a 15th-century warehouse currently on English Heritage's At Risk Register. It is expected that the development of the Abbot's Staith could offer opportunities for social, educational, historical and economic solutions for the town while also promoting tourism.
Selby's major sporting team is Selby Town F.C. ('the Robins'), playing in the Northern Counties East Division One at the Flaxley Road Stadium. As a result of a sponsorship deal with 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 1953–54, when they won the Yorkshire Football League and reached the first round of the FA Cup – meeting Bradford Park Avenue and getting their highest ever attendance of 7,000 fans.
A Rugby union club, Selby RUFC, plays at Sandhill Lane Stadium. Sandhill Lane Stadium is currently undergoing construction work to create a new seating stand overlooking the first team's pitch, and a gym and new changing rooms are being added to the members' bar and existing club bar. Selby RUFC have five open-age teams and have veteran and junior set-ups. Selby 1st are currently in Yorkshire League Division One. In the season 2008–09 Selby U10s won the Gullivers Plate at Twickenham, the U16s got to the final of the Yorkshire Bowl and Selby 3rds reached a North Yorkshire final. Selby also has a rugby league club, Selby Warriors, which plays 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. 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 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 organises an annual Road Rally called the Three Swans Rally, based on local roads and forming a major part of local championships.
Media
Local news and television programmes is provided by BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire from the Emley Moor TV transmitter.
The town's local radio stations are BBC Radio York, Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire, Capital Yorkshire, YO1 Radio, and Selby Radio which is a community based radio station.
Selby's longest-established newspaper is the Selby Times, 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 and covers the Selby district, including the town centre and villages such as Sherburn-in-Elmet and as far as Tadcaster.
In 2014, despite the shift to online news, The Goole and Selby Times together were only one of three newspapers in the country actually to increase print sales. The Goole Times (incorporating the Selby Times) saw a rise of more than three quarters to 15,045 compared with 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.
Twin towns
Selby is twinned with:
France Carentan, France
Germany Filderstadt, Germany
Notable people
Harold Brigham, footballer
Nigel Adams, Member of Parliament, Selby and Ainsty (UK Parliament constituency) and Minister of State for Asia
Robert Aske, rebel leader, lawyer
Tommy Cannon, entertainer
Robert of Selby, courtier, chancellor of Sicily
Jack Byers, footballer
Gavin Harding, first person with a learning disability to become mayor in the United Kingdom
Henry I of England, king of England
Arthur Hinsley, Roman Catholic cardinal, archbishop
Jonathan Hutchinson, surgeon, dermatologist
Woods Hutchinson, physician, writer
Thomas Johnson, botanist
Keith Kelly, pop singer
John Sherwood, Olympic athlete
Steve Sherwood, footballer
James Stephenson, actor
Eden Taylor-Draper, actress
Smithson Tennant, chemist, discoverer
Matthew Warchus, theatre and film director
Leigh Wood, footballer
While picnicking in the mountains outside of Bend, Oregon we had visitors. They were bold, as gray jays often are, so I thought I'd see how bold they were. I held a piece of food in my hand over my head, and this one landed on my hand took the food and flew off. Others would just snatch it.
Contributing Building - South Beach Street Historic District - National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #88001597
Served as Volusia County Courthouse Annex
Contributing Building - Magnolia Heights Historic District - National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #84000906
Built ca 1910
Style: Queen Anne
Architect: George Franklin Barber
Exhibits at the International Conference on the IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme: Sixty Years and Beyond - Contributing to Development. Vienna, Austria 1 June 2017.
Photo Credit: Dean Calma / IAEA
Contributing Building - Fernandina Beach Historic District - National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #73000593 and #87000195
Built 1876
Exhibits at the International Conference on the IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme: Sixty Years and Beyond - Contributing to Development. Vienna, Austria 1 June 2017.
Photo Credit: Dean Calma / IAEA
Contributing Building - Green Street District - National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #75000596
Built 1912
Style: Georgian
Day 3: Maroya contributing to the discussion at Research Support Services session at R4D Week 2019. Photo by IITA.
Contributing Building - Mount Dora Historic District - National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #09000777
Built 1925
Opened as a hotel in 1947
Contributing Building - Daytona Beach Surfside Historic District - National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #96000851
Contributing Building - Avondale Historic District - National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #89000494
aka Marble House
Built 1927-28
Architects: Mark and Sheftall
Style: Colonial Revival
Built in 1832, this structure is a contributing property to the Milledgeville Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The structure was leased by Baldwin County from 1866 to 1871 for use as the county's courthouse.
Milledgeville, Georgia is a lovely, historic town located in the Piedmont region near the Fall Line. The town served as the state capital from 1804 to 1868, which includes the Civil War period. It is the seat of Baldwin County and is home to the Georgia Military College and Georgia College & State University.
Contributing Building - Winchester Historic District - National Register of Historic Places
NRIS #80004318
Built 1833, Rebuilt 1898
Style: Italianate
IMMIGRANTS CONTRIBUTE: AMERICA, WE SING BACK! community event at the All Souls Unitarian Church at 1500 Harvard Street, NW, Washington DC on Saturday afternoon, 28 September 2013 by Elvert Barnes Photography
Performances
Cuban DAN VERA (South Texas)
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IMMIGRANTS CONTRIBUTE: AMERICA, WE SING BACK! community event at the All Souls Unitarian Church at 1500 Harvard Street, NW, Washington DC on Saturday afternoon, 28 September 2013 by Elvert Barnes Photography
Author and Performance Poet PAGES D. MATAM
Assemblance Before
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