Driffield

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.

1 Location
2 Description
3 Traditions
4 Sport
5 Fame
6 External links

[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 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 river 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 recent foot and mouth outbreak in the United Kingdom.

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 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.

[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 an excellent golf club that is currently looking for new members.

[edit] Fame

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.

Martyn Wharrie (Sam Martin) is Driffield's top light entertainer with a singing and acting career spanning three decades.