Brafferton railway station

Brafferton railway station served Brafferton, North Yorkshire, England, from 1847 to 1964 on the Pilmoor, Boroughbridge and Knaresborough Railway.

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Brafferton, North Yorkshire

Brafferton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Brafferton and Helperby, in the county of North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 257, increasing to 311 at the 2011 Census. On 1 April 2019 the parish was merged with Helperby to form Brafferton and Helperby. The village is situated about ten miles south of Thirsk, on the River Swale. It is contiguous with the village of Helperby, one street has properties in one village on one side and the other opposite. The village takes its name from a ford across the Swale, it being originally Broad-Ford-Town, and now by contraction, Brafferton. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Hambleton, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. St Peter's Church, Brafferton was built in the 15th century, modified in 1826 by the architect James Pritchett and restored in 1878. It is a grade II* listed building. An unusual feature of the church is that the battlemented nave is wider than it is long. On the outside wall of the chancel are carved the arms of the Neville family. Underneath is the Latin inscription: "orate pro animo Radulphi Neville fundatoris hujus Ecclesioe - soi deo honor et gloria!" (Pray for the soul of Ralph Neville, founder of this Church- To God the honour and glory). On the largest bell is inscribed "Radulphus Neville Armiger, I.H.S. 1598". Norman M‘Neile, known as “the blind vicar”, served at St Peter's for 50 years. He was completely blind from the age of 12.

St Peter's Church, Brafferton

St Peter's Church is the parish church of Brafferton and Helperby, a village in North Yorkshire, in England. The oldest surviving parts of the church are the chancel and tower, which date from the 15th century. At the time, the church was dedicated to Saint Augustine, but it was later rededicated to Saint Peter. The east chapels and arcade of the chancel were added in the 16th century by Ralph Nevill. Between 1826 and 1831, the nave and east wall of the chancel were rebuilt by James Pigott Pritchett. The church was restored in 1878, and a vestry was added in 1893. The building was Grade II* listed in 1960. The church is built of sandstone, and the chancel has a slate roof. It consists of a nave wider than it is long, a chancel flanked by chapels, a northeast vestry, and a west tower. The tower has three stages, stepped angle buttresses, a south doorway, a three-light west window, two-light bell openings, a south clock face, and an embattled parapet. The nave, chancel and chapels also have embattled parapets. Inside the church is a font with a 14th-century bowl. The east window and window of the south chapel have stained glass manufactured by Charles Eamer Kempe. The north chapel has a 16th-century coat of arms in its stained glass, and also has a stone slab with a carving of a pastoral staff, which may commemorate a Prior of Newburgh. One of the bells is Mediaeval, and another is dated 1598.

Helperby

Helperby is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Brafferton and Helperby, in North Yorkshire, England, about five miles west of Easingwold. Over the years it has joined onto Brafferton. Helperby has the Millennium Village Hall, a butcher's shop, a doctor's surgery and a mobile bakery and post office (open only on specific days). There are two pubs, one a restaurant with rooms, one a village inn, and a disused Methodist Chapel which is now a house. In 2008 Helperby had a new pavilion at the football and cricket pitch. There is also a war memorial, in memory of war soldiers in World War One There is also an annual beer festival held in September to raise funds for future development of the play area near to the Cricket Club. As of March 2025, the Golden Lion Inn, located in Helperby, is looking for people to fund the re-opening of the pub, by turning it into a community asset. The pub originally closed in September 2024 following the death of the landlord. This initiative is being led by a small community group, overseen by the Brafferton and Helperby Parish Council. The community group will have 6 months to source funds to buy the pub, before it will be re-listed to external buyers. The film The Life and Crimes of William Palmer was filmed in the village in 1998. There is now a Children's play area, located outside the Millennium Village Hall, next to the post office. In 2022 a Wedding Event venue was opened, located in the gardens of Helperby Hall.

Brafferton and Helperby

Brafferton and Helperby is a civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. Up until 2019, both Brafferton and Helperby were in their own civil parishes, but a vote, and then later an order was convened, to amalgamate the two into one parish covering both villages.