Oxenhope
| Oxenhope | |
|---|---|
 Oxenhope, West Yorkshire |
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 Oxenhope
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| Oxenhope shown within West Yorkshire | |
| Population | 2,626 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SE032351 |
| Civil parish |
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| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | KEIGHLEY |
| Postcode district | BD22 |
| Dialling code | 01535 |
| Police | West Yorkshire |
| Fire | West Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament | |
Oxenhope is a village and civil parish with a population of 2,476 near Keighley in the metropolitan borough of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, increasing to 2,626 at the 2011 Census.Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Oxenhope railway station is the terminus for the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.
Oxenhope's name derives from the Old English hop which means valley head, so Oxenhope literally means Oxen Valley Head. The industrialisation of the village came about during the cloth and wool trade and by 1850, Oxenhope was host to over 20 mills.
Leeming reservoir was constructed between 1872 and 1873 to supply the many mills in the area. Its construction necessitated the closure and demolition of at least two mills and their associated houses.
The modern village of Oxenhope encompasses what were originally the separate settlements of Uppertown, Lowertown, Leeming and Hawking Stone. The historic hamlets of Marsh and Shaw are also included in the village. The area became known as Oxenhope when the Railway Company named the station serving the area opened the line from Keighley in 1867. Until then, the name Oxenhope referred to a small settlement between the hamlet of Marsh and Haworth.
The street pattern of Oxenhope was much altered when the railway arrived. It had originally been intended that the railway would terminate at Haworth; however the owners of Lowertown Mill in Oxenhope persuaded the railway company to extend the line. It was found impracticable to take the railway as far as Lowertown because of the gradients that would have been required. As a compromise, the railway built a road from its station to Lowertown, appropriately named Station Road. The bridge by which this road crosses Leeming Water is of the same construction as many of the railway's bridges.
The village hosts a number of annual events including a village show, a beer festival (organised by Keighley and Worth Valley Railway) and a music festival at a village pub.
Each summer the village holds an annual Straw Race. The race was inaugurated in 1976 and since then has raised £300,000, for charity, from its participants via sponsorship. Competitors are required to carry a bale of straw (20 kg) 2½ miles (4 km) between five Public Houses in the Oxenhope area and drink a beer in each pub. The last stretch to the Dog & Gun Pub is 1½ miles (2.4 km) uphill, past Leeming Reservoir. Many of the competitors wear fancy dress.
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Wikipedia