Leeming Bar: Difference between revisions

Historically Leeming Bar was a hamlet in the [[wapentake]] of [[Hallikeld]] and a township in the ecclesiastical parish of Gatenby.<ref>{{cite web |title=Genuki: In 1822, the following places were in the Parish of Burneston:, Yorkshire (North Riding) |url=https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Burneston/more |website=genuki.org.uk |access-date=9 July 2023 |archive-date=9 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709212433/https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Burneston/more |url-status=live }}</ref> An [[Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom|electoral ward]] in the same name exists. This ward stretches north to Kirkby Fleetham with a total population of approximately 1800 (as of 2005) and of 1,966 at the 2011 census.<ref>{{NOMIS2011|id=1237325070|title=Leeming Bar 2011 Census Ward|accessdate=2 March 2018}}</ref> Leeming Bar was in the [[Hambleton District]] until April 2023, when the regional areas of North Yorkshire were subsumed into one unitary authority.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Minting |first1=Stuart |title=Day one of the 'huge new local unitary council' |work=The Yorkshire Post |date=1 April 2023 |page=6|issn=0963-1496}}</ref> Leeming Bar was part of the [[Richmond (Yorks) (UK Parliament constituency)|Richmond (Yorks)]] parliamentary constituency until 2023. It was removed and added to the expanded [[Thirsk and Malton (UK Parliament constituency)|Thirsk and Malton Constituency]], in part due to areas from that constituency being created into a new seat of [[Wetherby and Easingwold (UK Parliament constituency)|Wetherby and Easingwold]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Boundary Commission for England - Revised Proposals for the Yorkshire and Humber Region |url=https://boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/review2023/b65f7782-658b-4c4a-9cba-59c16c807f77/a3-maps/YH_49_Thirsk%20and%20Malton%20CC.pdf |website=boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk |access-date=30 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Gleeson |first1=Janet |title='How stupid' protest over moving Bedale out of Richmond |url=https://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/23633282.anger-bedale-moved-richmond-constituency/ |access-date=30 June 2024 |work=Darlington and Stockton Times |date=9 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Darley |first1=Karen |title=New Conservative Association created to reflect boundary change |url=https://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/news/23791563.new-conservative-association-created-reflect-boundary-change/ |access-date=30 June 2024 |work=Gazette & Herald |date=15 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/?x=445761&y=486520&z=4&bnd1=wmcpreop&bnd2=&labels=off |website=ordnancesurvey.co.uk |access-date=30 June 2024 |quote=On the left of the screen is the "Boundary" tab; click this and activate either civil parishes or Westminster Constituencies (or both), however, only two functions can be active at any one time.}}</ref>

Leeming Bar's name is derived from the fact that it housed a Toll-House with a barrier that travellers were expected to pay at for onward travel beyond the barrier.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lloyd|first1=Chris|title=It's a long way to Londonderry...|url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/13383194.It_s_a_long_way_to_Londonderry___/|work=The Northern Echo|date=10 July 2015|access-date=27 December 2017|archive-date=19 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919175534/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/13383194.It_s_a_long_way_to_Londonderry___/|url-status=live}}</ref> Around 1840, the barrier was moved further south towards Leeming village, as a quirk in the local bye-laws meant that people did not have to pay for travelling within {{convert|150|yard}} of the crossroads on either Dere Street or the Bedale to Northallerton road.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Speight|first1=Harry|title=Romantic Richmondshire|url=https://archive.org/details/romanticrichmon00speigoog|date=1897|publisher=E Stock|location=London|page=[https://archive.org/details/romanticrichmon00speigoog/page/n175 149]|oclc=252008733}}</ref> The original Great North Road through Leeming Bar is known as Leeming Lane, a name it retains all the way between Boroughbridge and Catterick.{{sfn|Smith|1979|p=1}} The Roman Road through Leeming Bar took a slightly different route than today's Leeming Lane, as it took a straight line from the church in Leeming village, crossing [[Bedale Beck]] at point just west of Leeming Bridge, and headed in a straight line to the current crossroads in the village of Leeming Bar. The s-curve that Leeming Lane takes over Bedale Beck is thought to have been done to improvements made to the road when it was turnpiked in the 1740s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gourley |first1=B. |last2=Pinnock |first2=D. |title=Leeming Lane/ Northallerton Road, Leeming Bar. Report on a Geophysical Survey. |journal=On Site Archaeology |date=2012 |page=7 |doi=10.5284/1036972}}</ref>

Located just to east of the [[A1(M) motorway|A1(M)]] motorway<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wilson|first1=Laura|title=Relief as first section of A1(M) missing link opens|url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/15550663.Relief_as_first_section_of_A1_M__missing_link_opens/|accessdate=26 December 2017|work=The Northern Echo|date=21 September 2017|archive-date=27 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227061859/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/15550663.Relief_as_first_section_of_A1_M__missing_link_opens/|url-status=live}}</ref> and near [[RAF Leeming]], it is home to the main depot of the [[Wensleydale Railway]] at [[Leeming Bar railway station]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Breen|first1=Julia|title=Quirky, with a heart of oak|url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/culture/interiors/10430416.Quirky__with_a_heart_of_oak/|accessdate=27 December 2017|work=The Northern Echo|date=20 May 2013|archive-date=28 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054006/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/culture/interiors/10430416.Quirky__with_a_heart_of_oak/|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as the [[Dales & District]] bus company. It was first bypassed in 1961, again in 2012, and lies on the Roman road [[Dere Street]]. It is approximately {{convert|1.5|km|order=flip}} along the old [[A684 road|A684]] from the village of [[Aiskew]] and {{convert|7|mi}} along the same road from the town of [[Northallerton]].<ref>{{cite map|title =Northallerton & Thirsk |map =302 |year =2015 |scale =1:25,000 |series =Explorer |publisher =Ordnance Survey |isbn =9780319245545 }}</ref> The A684 bypass was opened up in August 2016.<ref>{{cite news|title=New £35m bypass opens two months early|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-37020603|accessdate=26 December 2017|work=BBC News|date=11 August 2016|archive-date=19 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619002643/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-37020603|url-status=live}}</ref>

It used to have a [[Church of England|C of E]] church, St Augustine's, which was last used for religious services in 2010.<ref>{{cite news |title=Plaques to move if church is closed |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/8348819.war-memorial-plaques-removed-st-augustines-church-leeming-bar/ |access-date=10 July 2021 |work=The Northern Echo |date=24 August 2010 |archive-date=10 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710221259/https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/8348819.war-memorial-plaques-removed-st-augustines-church-leeming-bar/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The tied C of E [[primary School]] has an enrolment of 50 pupils. In 2023, [[Ofsted]] rated the school as ''Good'', whereas it had been labelled as ''requires improvement'' since 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=Inspection of Aiskew, Leeming Bar Church of England Primary School |url=http://aiskewleemingbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/report-ofsted-2023-jun.pdf |website=aiskewleemingbar.org/ |access-date=9 July 2023 |archive-date=9 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709211538/http://aiskewleemingbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/report-ofsted-2023-jun.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Aiskew, Leeming Bar Church of England Primary School URN: 121472 |url=https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/121472 |website=reports.ofsted.gov.uk |access-date=9 July 2023 |date=8 October 2020 |archive-date=9 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709211639/https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/121472 |url-status=live }}</ref> There are three pubs, two of which, the '' Reubens Inn'' on [[Bedale]] Road,<ref>{{cite news|title=New hotel chief has five-year plan for success|url=http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/9151649.New_hotel_chief_has_five_year_plan_for_success/|accessdate=26 December 2017|work=York Press|date=21 July 2011|archive-date=27 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227121829/http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/9151649.New_hotel_chief_has_five_year_plan_for_success/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the ''Corner House'' are also [[hotels]]. A new [[Co-op Food|Co-op]] store was opened up at the junction of Roman Road and Bedale Road in the village in July 2017.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Copeland|first1=Alexa|title=15 jobs created as groceries store opens|url=http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/15442672.15_jobs_created_as_groceries_store_opens/|accessdate=26 December 2017|work=Darlington and Stockton Times|date=30 July 2017|archive-date=27 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227122005/http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/15442672.15_jobs_created_as_groceries_store_opens/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Leeming Bar service station was set up at the junction of the old A1 road and the A684 road on the western edge of the village in 1961. In 2012, it won an appeal to become an official motorway service station and was sold to [[Moto Hospitality|Moto]] in 2014.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Flanagan|first1=Emily|title=North Yorkshire family-run service station sold to national operator|url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10989505.North_Yorkshire_family_run_service_station_sold_to_national_operator/|work=The Northern Echo|date=5 February 2014|access-date=26 December 2017|archive-date=27 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227061835/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10989505.North_Yorkshire_family_run_service_station_sold_to_national_operator/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Services now lie on the adjacent [[A6055 road|A6055]] local access road that has a junction with the A1(M) just to the north of Leeming Bar (junction 51).

A second service station with access to the A684 and the A1(M) at junction 51 was opened at Coneygarth in December 2014.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Boulton |first1=Merrill |title=The forecourt site saga |magazine=Forecourt Trader |date=April 2015 |page=26 |issn=0957-9117}}</ref> The Coneygarth Truck Stop is run by Exelby Services who closed down their refuelling point in nearby [[Londonderry, North Yorkshire|Londonderry]] to run the new service station.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bridgen|first1=Mike|title=New £4.4m truck stop opens at Exelby Services on the A1M|url=http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/business/11677040.New___4_4m_truck_stop_opens_at_Exelby_Services_on_the_A1M/|accessdate=26 December 2017|work=Darlington and Stockton Times|date=18 December 2014|archive-date=27 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227122003/http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/business/11677040.New___4_4m_truck_stop_opens_at_Exelby_Services_on_the_A1M/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Wood|first1=John|title=Exelby Services celebrates opening new site - Forecourt Trader|url=https://forecourttrader.co.uk/news/archivestory.php/aid/9894/Exelby_Services_celebrates_opening_new_site.html|accessdate=26 December 2017|work=Forecourt Trader|date=13 May 2015|archive-date=27 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227121858/https://forecourttrader.co.uk/news/archivestory.php/aid/9894/Exelby_Services_celebrates_opening_new_site.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The site is just to the north of Leeming Bar village.<ref>{{cite web|title=Exelby Services Coneygarth Leases Road Leeming Bar North Yorkshire DL7 9EG|url=https://planning.hambleton.gov.uk/online-applications/propertyDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=N5TEJUHU00S00|website=planning.hambleton.gov.uk|accessdate=26 December 2017|archive-date=13 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313090131/https://planning.hambleton.gov.uk/online-applications/propertyDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=N5TEJUHU00S00|url-status=live}}</ref> However, both Coneygarth and Leeming Bar services are not officially designated as Motorway Service Areas (MSAs) by the government, which has allowed other newer service areas to be developed elsewhere along the A1(M) corridor in North Yorkshire.<ref>{{cite news |editor-last1=Mitchinson |editor-first1=James |title='Quirk' may allow new M-way services |work=The Yorkshire Post |date=15 December 2021 |page=6|issn=0963-1496}}</ref>

An industrial agricultural business trades alongside the main road in Leeming Bar. John H Gill & Son have been in the village since 1937 when they bought out the foundry of F Mattison & Co. Run by William Mattison, the company made much agricultural machinery at their foundry which was built on railway land at Leeming Bar. However, the company was known mostly for its cast-iron [[milepost]]s, of which about 100 survive across North Yorkshire.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Heywood|first1=Richard|title=The Mattison mileposts of the North Riding|url=http://www.yorkshire-milestones.co.uk/all-about-waymarkers/63-the-mattison-mileposts-of-the-north-riding|website=www.yorkshire-milestones.co.uk|accessdate=24 May 2018|archive-date=24 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524221941/http://www.yorkshire-milestones.co.uk/all-about-waymarkers/63-the-mattison-mileposts-of-the-north-riding|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Aithinson|first1=Gavin|title=Stolen sign found for sale on internet|url=http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/3796950.Stolen_sign_found_for_sale_on_internet/|accessdate=24 May 2018|work=York Press|date=28 October 2008|archive-date=24 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524222720/http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/3796950.Stolen_sign_found_for_sale_on_internet/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Leeming Bar is host to an industrial estate that houses, among other things, the headquarters of [[Froneri]], who make [[Fab (brand)|Fab]] and [[Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles]] ice lollies.<ref>{{cite web |title=Froneri UK, the new name in ice-cream, frozen food and chilled dairy. |url=https://www.froneri.uk.com/ |website=www.froneri.uk.com |access-date=10 July 2021 |archive-date=10 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710220430/https://www.froneri.uk.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Cawingredients also have a soft drink manufacturing plant on the industrial estate covering over {{convert|10,400|m2}}.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Addy |first1=Rod |title=New soft drinks firm opens Leeming Bar site |magazine=Food Manufacture |date=May 2010 |volume=85 |issue=5 |page=5 |issn=0015-6477}}</ref> A household waste recycling site is also on the industrial estate.<ref>{{cite web|title=Leeming Bar household waste recycling centre|url=https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/leeming-bar-household-waste-recycling-centre|website=North Yorkshire County Council|accessdate=27 December 2017|date=12 May 2017|archive-date=28 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228112304/https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/leeming-bar-household-waste-recycling-centre|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Prest|first1=Victoria|title=Opening times to be cut next week at 20 local waste centres|url=http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/14373260.Opening_times_to_be_cut_next_week_at_20_local_waste_centres/|accessdate=27 December 2017|work=York Press|date=21 March 2016|archive-date=28 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228171548/http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/14373260.Opening_times_to_be_cut_next_week_at_20_local_waste_centres/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Vale of Mowbray food factory was also in the village. The factory had suffered two fires in the 21st century; in 2002 a major fire caused an industrial oven to explode and led to the company being prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dooks|first1=Brian|title=Pie maker fined over explosion at factory|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/pie-maker-fined-over-explosion-at-factory-1-2520654|accessdate=26 December 2017|work=The Yorkshire Post|date=2 June 2003|archive-date=27 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227122155/https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/pie-maker-fined-over-explosion-at-factory-1-2520654|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2017, another fire led to 10,000 smoke damaged pork pies being destroyed by the company.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Newton|first1=Grace|title=Thousands of pork pies destroyed in Yorkshire factory fire|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/thousands-of-pork-pies-destroyed-in-yorkshire-factory-fire-1-8912158|accessdate=26 December 2017|work=The Yorkshire Post|date=15 December 2017|archive-date=27 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227122109/https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/thousands-of-pork-pies-destroyed-in-yorkshire-factory-fire-1-8912158|url-status=live}}</ref> The factory was closed down in September 2022.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jacob |first1=Liana |title=Yorkshire factory Vale of Mowbray closed seven months before appearing on BBC Two show |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/vale-of-mowbray-hambleton-yorkshire-pork-pie-factory-closed-its-doors-seven-months-before-its-tv-appearance-on-bbc-two-show-inside-the-factory-presented-by-gregg-wallace-4100682 |access-date=21 May 2023 |work=Yorkshire Post |date=12 April 2023 |archive-date=21 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521212613/https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/vale-of-mowbray-hambleton-yorkshire-pork-pie-factory-closed-its-doors-seven-months-before-its-tv-appearance-on-bbc-two-show-inside-the-factory-presented-by-gregg-wallace-4100682 |url-status=live }}</ref>