Yate

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Yate
latitude= 51.5402
longitude= -2.410989
civil_parish=
population = 21,789
unitary_england= South Gloucestershire
lieutenancy_england= Gloucestershire
DistrictType=
region= South West England
constituency_westminster= Northavon
post_town= BRISTOL
postcode_district = BS37
postcode_area= BS
dial_code= 01454
os_grid_reference= ST7182

:"For the municipality in New Caledonia, see Yaté.":"For the tree species, see Eucalyptus cornuta."

Yate is a town at the southwest extremity of the Cotswold Hills, 12 miles (19 km) northeast of the city of Bristol, England. At the 2001 census its population was 21,789. The much smaller town of Chipping Sodbury (population 5,066) is contiguous with Yate to the east. The majority of the development from a village into a new town was in the 1960s as an overspill/commuter town for Bristol.

The town council is Yate Town Council [ [http://www.yatetowncouncil.gov.uk/ Yate Town Council] ] .

South Gloucestershire Council [ [http://www.southglos.gov.uk/ South Gloucestershire Council] ] is the local council and is responsible for street care and refuse collection in the area.

Location

The town is surrounded by countryside while within easy reach of the city of Bristol by car, bus or train.

Administration

National

Yate is represented in the UK Parliament by the constituency of Northavon - Steve Webb MP, but this will change to Thornbury and Yate in the UK General election of 2009 or 2010.

County

Yate was in Gloucestershire until 1974 when it became part of the newly-formed county of Avon. In 1996 the Avon authority was abolished and the area became part of the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire.

Local

Yate Town Council [ [http://www.yatetowncouncil.gov.uk/ Yate Town Council] Official Website ] provides local services.

History

The first mention of Yate is the existence of a religious house about AD 770; Yate is also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name is derived from the Saxon word "Giete" or "Gete" meaning "a gateway into a forest area".

During the Saxon period and well into medieval times most of this part of south Gloucestershire was covered with forest but through the centuries the land was cleared for farming.

The town's parish church, St Mary's [ [http://www.acny.org.uk/venue.php?V=11803 St Mary, Yate] Diocese of Bristol ] was started in Norman times but was altered during the 15th century and was extensively restored in 1970. St Mary's Primary School [ [http://www.stmarysyate.co.uk/ St.Marys School, Yate] Official Website ] , situated outside the churchyard walls, was built on the site of a former poor house.

It was opening of the railway station in 1844, as part of Bristol and Gloucester Railway, that established Yate, with Station Road becoming the central thoroughfare. It was around this road that the cattle and produce markets were held and where businesses were established.
Yate railway station was closed by the Beeching Axe of January 1965, but was reopened in May 1989; the Brunel-built engine shed is preserved nearby.

In the 1960s Yate was designated as a development area and the building boom began. The creation of a 'new town' included a large retail shopping area, sports and leisure development together with public buildings.

When a secondary school was to be constructed in the late 1970s, it was supposed to be 'Brinsham Green School' (after 'Brinsham Lane' at nearby Yate Rocks), but due to a spelling error it was called 'Brimsham Green School'.

The town further expanded in the 1990s and 2000s with the construction of housing at North Yate. The housing estate carried on with the corrupted name of 'Brimsham'. To locals the area is known as 'Brimsham Park'.

Yate Rail Yard

During World War II, a rail transfer yard was constructed for the United States Army probably as part of Operation Bolero to assist the build up of troops and stores prior to D-Day. On the site, two large storage sheds survived until very recently. At the end of World War II, the site was taken over by the Royal Navy and became known as the Sea Transport Stores Depot (the name persists locally to this day). The site was occupied by the Highways Agency until the sheds were demolished for development.
Oxford Archaeology [ [http://www.oau-oxford.com/ Oxford Archaeology] Official Website ] has been commissioned to undertake an investigation as to the military significance of this site. Also the opinions and view of Bristol Industrial Archaeological Society (BIAS) [ [http://www.b-i-a-s.org.uk Bristol Industrial Archaeological Society (BIAS)] Official Website ] have also been sought.

Design

The start of the major growth in Yate started in the early 1920s with the construction of the Moorlands road estates behind Station road, and close to the Parnall aeroplane factory. In the 1950s the development of the Ridge housing estate took place to the east. The areas between these estates were still being mined for Celestine and therefore could not be built on until the mineral had been extracted.

In the 1960s the area around Stanshawes was exhausted of the mineral and the housing boom started with the major construction taking place in the south. A major part of this development was planned using the Radburn model, a design that created a vehicle free environment by use of green spaces and linking paths at the front of the houses. This model was used until the 1980s when the planners reverted back to traditional street design methods with development of the remainder of North Yate, Brimsham Park and the redevelopment of the Newmans factory site in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Twin towns

*flagicon|Germany Bad Salzdetfurth, Germany

also linked with flagicon|ItalyGenieri, Italy

Industry

Prior to World War II, Yate had an aircraft manufacturing industry (Parnall). [ [http://www.chew76.fsnet.co.uk/parnall/parnall.html History of Parnall Aircraft] . ] During World War II, Parnalls specialized in making gun turrets. A number of people were killed in raids by the Luftwaffe on the factory in February and March of 1941 [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/97/a3604097.shtml The Bombing of Parnalls Aircraft Factory of Yate] BBC WW2 Peoples War] .

Yate has three natural products associated with it - limestone to the east, celestine or spar near the centre of the town, and coal to the west. The need for limestone increased with the growth of roads while the demand for coal grew with the diminishing supply of timber. Celestine, the major strontium mineral, was first dug in the late 1880s and was initially used for the refining of sugar beet. At one time Yate’s celestine accounted for over 70 per cent of the worlds production. It colours flames red so an important use was in pyrotechnics such as fireworks, military and signal flares, and in tracer bullets. The last commercial excavation of celestine from the Yate area was during the Vietnam War. The mining company, Bristol Mineral and Land Co, closed in 1994.

Shopping

Construction of a pedestrianised shopping centre of around 100 shops began in the early to mid 1960s.. [ [http://www.yateshoppingcentre.co.uk/ Yate Shopping centre] ] . The shopping centre was opened by Coronation Street's Elsie Tanner (Patricia Phoenix). An extension to West Walk was constructed in the early 1990s, containing Kwik Save (now McDonalds, The Entertainer and Subway), Argos and other shops.

Centre shops include Burtons (clothes retailer), Woolworths, Tesco, Boots (Chemist), Halfords Metro, Iceland (supermarket), Argos, Superdrug and The Entertainer. Eating places in the Centre are McDonalds, Burger King, Subway and Boswells.

During the 1980s and into the mid 1990s, Yate Shopping Centre hosted Yate's annual festival. On opening day a celebrity launched the festival by releasing balloons and stayed to sign autographs. Celebrities have included - Carole Lee Scott in character as Grotbags (from Rod Hull and Emu's enemy), Timmy Mallet, Keith Chegwin, Ross Kemp (EastEnders' Grant Mitchell), Ken Morley (Coronation Street's Reg Holdsworth), David Neilson (Coronation Street's Roy Cropper), Beverley Callard (Coronation Street's Liz McDonald), Bob Carolgees and Spit the Dog, and the Milky Bar Kid. The festival also brought along a number of news presenters from HTV West including Bruce Hockin, Richard Wyatt and Peter Rowell.

In December 2006 the owners of the shopping centre (Dominion Corporate Trustees) announced plans to enlarge and modernise it. In Phase 1 the main change will be an enlargement of the existing Tesco supermarket, using part of the Centre's car park. To compensate for the loss, the store will be on "stilts" with parking beneath.

Also located near the shopping centre are Lidl, Morrisons and B & Q. There are two Tesco Express stores in Yate: one on Station Road (half way between the shopping centre and Yate Railway Station) and one in Brimsham Park.

A B&Q DIY store was built in the mid to late 1980s (along with two small housing estates), on the site of the old Newmans electric motor factory (which was demolished in the mid 1980s).

Amenities

The town has a skatepark at Peghill. The Common (open space) on Westerleigh Road (variously also know as Yate Common or The German Fields)is used for dog walking, nature watching, kite flying and for circuses and fairs.

The Common has a stretch of disused dual carriageway (locally called "The Road to Nowhere") which has been used for filming in TV programmes such as Casualty. The "Road to Nowhere" was a scheme to create a road from South Yate extending from Rodford Way through to Nibley as a bypass. The scheme was only partially completed in 1974. This was the year when Yate became a part of Avon. Completion of the road would have involved building a bridge over the railway track but finance was never made available.

The town also has several large parks and areas of open space. The largest of these is Kingsgate Park which has a large adventure playground for children.

Future plans

Yate and Chipping Sodbury has been earmarked for 5000 new homes to be built by 2026. While the location of the housing has yet to be decided, the expected areas are to the north of Yate, and towards Chipping Sodbury.

Local sport

Football

Yate Town F.C. [ [http://www.yatetownfc.com/Assets/Home Yate Town F.C] Official Website of Yate F.C.] ,plays in Southern League Premier Division.
There is also a ladies football team, Yate Town Girls/Ladies FC [ [http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/yatetowngirlsyouthfc/ Yate Town Girls/Ladies FC] ] , that plays in local leagues.
A junior team, Yate United F.C. [ [http://www.yateunited.co.uk/ Yate United F.C.] Official website of Yate United F.C.] , provides competitive youth football.

Netball

Chipping Sodbury Netball Club practices weekly at Yate Outdoor Sports Centre. They have several league teams, and train junior girls ranging from the ages of 11-16, and adults of all ages.

Athletics

Yate and District Athletic Club [ [http://www.yateac.org.uk/ Yate and District Athletic Club] Official Website. ] are a track and field club based at Yate Outdoor Sports Centre.

Hockey

Yate Hockey Club [ [http://www.yatehockey.com/ Yate Hockey Club] Official Website. ] run teams from adult through to junior.

Notable inhabitants

*The author of the Harry Potter series of books, J. K. Rowling, was born in Yate, at Chipping Sodbury Hospital, and lived in early childhood at the nearby village of Winterbourne.
*Graffiti artist, Banksy [ [http://www.banksy.co.uk/ Banksy's Website] ] originates from Yate. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6343197.stm On the trail of artist Banksy] BBC News. Retrieved 12 February 2007]
* Locally well-known football pundit Matt Hewlett also resides in Yate
* The actor Alan Medcroft lived his early life in Yate & Chipping Sodbury and still lives nearby.
* Geoff Twentyman, Jr., sports editor of BBC Radio Bristol and a former professional footballer. He is honorary president of Brimsham Green Football Club. [cite web |url=http://www.brimshamgreenfc.co.uk/committee_members.pl |title=Committee members |work=Brimsham Green FC |accessdate=2008-09-05]

Estates in Yate

*Goose Green
*Abbotswood
*Rodford
*Stover
*North Yate
*Brimsham Park

Literary references to Yate

Yate was awarded the tongue-in-cheek honour of being the 45th worst place to live in the UK, according to the "Idler book of Crap Towns" ["Idler book of Crap Towns" Eds. Sam Jordison and Dan Kieran, Box Tree 2003)]

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.yateonline.co.uk/ Yate & Chipping Sodbury Guide] Guide to Yate & Chipping Sodbury
* [http://www.sodburyplayers.org.uk/ Sodbury Players] Local amateur dramatics group in the Yate and Chipping Sodbury area
* [http://www.yateheritage.co.uk Yate & District Heritage Centre] Official website
* [http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/YAE.html Yate Railway Station] Station information
* [http://www.bristol-rail.co.uk/yatestation.php Yate Railway Station] Bristol railway archive
* [http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/localpages/BeatDetails.aspx?BeatID=269 Yate Beat] Avon and Somerset Constabulary.
* [http://www.localfocus.blogspot.com Local Focus] Events and issues in Yate - Local Liberal Democrats web site
* [http://www.yatetownsc.com Yate Town Supporters Club] Yate Town F C Supporters Club and football forum

References