Bridlington

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude = 54.088
longitude = -0.2004
official_name = Bridlington
population = 33,837 (2001 census)
civil_parish = Bridlington
unitary_england = East Riding of Yorkshire
region = Yorkshire and the Humber
lieutenancy_england = East Riding of Yorkshire
constituency_westminster = East Yorkshire
post_town = BRIDLINGTON
postcode_district = YO15/YO16
postcode_area = YO
dial_code = 01262
os_grid_reference = TA115807
london_distance=
static_

static_image_caption=A view of Bridlington
static_image_2 =
static_image_2_caption = Arms of Bridlington Town Council
website= [http://www.bridlington.gov.uk/ www.bridlington.gov.uk]

Bridlington is a town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It has a population of over 33,000 (expanding greatly in the summer months) and is twinned with Millau, France and Bad Salzuflen, Germany. [cite web
url = http://www.twinning.org.uk/uk_twinnings.htm
title = UK Twin Towns
accessdate = 2008-06-13
publisher = Dorset Twinning Association]

Topography

Bridlington is a seaside resort and minor seaport on the North Sea coast. It lies just south of the promontory of Flamborough Head. It is served by Bridlington railway station which is on the Yorkshire Coast Line that runs between Hull and Scarborough.

Bridlington sits on the Holderness Coast, an area which is known to have the highest erosion rates in Europe.cite web
url = http://www.hull.ac.uk/coastalobs/bridlington/erosionandflooding/index.html
title = Erosion & Flooding in the Parish of Bridlington
accessdate = 2008-06-02
work = Coastal Observatory
publisher = University of Hull] Southward the coast becomes low, but northward it is steep and very fine, where the great spur of Flamborough Head projects eastward. The sea front is protected by a sea wall and a wide beach encouraged by wooden groynes which trap the sand. The beaches are part of a large deposit of Smithic Sand which stretches out into the bay in sand banks which are an important habitat for many marine species.

The civil parish is formed by the town of Bridlington and the villages of Bessingby and Sewerby. According to the 2001 UK census, Bridlington parish had a population of 33,837.cite web
url = http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=791076&c=Bridlington&d=16&e=15&g=390468&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1210861094423&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779
title = 2001 Census: Key Statistics: Parish Headcounts: Area: Bridlington CP (Parish)
accessdate = 2008-05-15
work = Neighbourhood Statistics
publisher = Office for National Statistics]

The town is divided into two parts:
* The Old Town, the ancient market town (once known as Burlington) lying about a mile from the coast. The old town contains the historic site of the town’s market and The Priory Church of St Mary, on the site of an Augustinian Priory which was dissolved by Henry VIII when the last prior was executed for taking part in the Pilgrimage of Grace [cite web
url = http://www.bridlingtonpriory.co.uk/
title = The Priory and its Bells: Brief History of the Priory
accessdate = 2008-06-02
work =
publisher = The Priory Church of St Mary, Bridlington] .
*Bridlington Quay, which is the home of the tourist area and the harbour. It has excellent sea-bathing, and the parade and ornamental gardens provide pleasant promenades. The Quay was a only small fishing village until the discovery of a chalybeate spring which saw the emergence of the town as a Seaside resort in the 19th century.cite web
title = History, topography, and directory of East Yorkshire (with Hull).
publisher = T Bulmer & Co
year = 1892
url = http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/ERY/Bridlington/Bridlington92.html
format = html
accessdate = 2008-05-29] The Bridlington Harbour is the key feature of the Quay, which is enclosed by two stone piers. Recently extensive works have been carried out along the sea front and after some struggle with planning permission, a 'London Eye'-style wheel has been built. [cite web
title = Bridlington Eye
url = http://www.aboutbridlington.co.uk/bridlingtoneye.html
format = html
accessdate = 2008-06-02]

History

The origins of the inhabitation of Bridlington area are unknown but can be traced back to ancient times. The nearby Dane's Dyke, a convert|2.5|mi|km|lk=on|sing=on long manmade dyke dates back to the Bronze Age. [cite web
last = UK Attraction
title = Danes’ Dyke at Flamborough
url = http://www.ukattraction.com/yorkshire/danes-head.htm
accessdate = 2008-05-29] Also some writers believe that Bridlington was a site of a Roman station as a Roman Road can be traced into the town and Roman coins have been found in the town.

The first written evidence on the town can be found in the Domesday Book. It records that ‘Bretlinton’ was the head of the Huntow Hundred and was held by Earl Morcar before they passed into the hands of William I of England by the forfeiture. The survey also records the effect of the Harrying of the North as the annual value of the land had decreased from 32 pounds in the time of Edward the Confessor to 8 shillings at the time of the survey and comprised:

"“two villeins, and one socman with one carucate and a half. The rest is waste.”"

The land given to Gilbert de Gant, nephew of the King, in 1027. His eldest son, Walter de Gant, later founded a priory on the land, and endowed it with the manor. The town quickly grew around the priory's site and it became steadily more important. Henry I and several succeeding kings confirmed Walter de Gaunt's gift, Stephen granting in addition the right to have a port. In 1546 Henry IV granted the prior and convent exemption from fifteenths, tenths and subsidies, in return for prayer for himself and his queen in every mass sung at the high altar. After the Dissolution of the monasteries the manor remained with the crown until 1624, when Charles I granted it to Sir John Ramsey, whose brother and heir, Sir George Ramsey, sold it in 1633 to thirteen inhabitants of the town on behalf of all the tenants of the manor. The thirteen lords were assisted by twelve other inhabitants chosen by the freeholders, and when the number of lords was reduced to six, seven others were chosen from the assistants. A chief lord was chosen every year. This system still holds good. It is evident from the fact of thirteen inhabitants being allowed to hold the manor that the town had some kind of incorporation in the 17th century, although its incorporation charter was not granted until 1899, when it was created a municipal borough. In 1200 King John granted the prior of Bridlington a weekly market on Saturday and an annual fair on the vigil, feast and morrow of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Henry VI in 1446 granted the prior three new fairs yearly on the vigil, day and morrow of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, the Deposition of St John, late prior of Bridlington, and the Translation of the same St John. All fairs and markets were sold with the manor to the inhabitants of the town.

The town began a mile away from the sea around the abbey of Bridlington Priory. A small harbour and fishing port, known as Bridlington Quay, was established where the Gypsey Race runs into the sea. In 1643 Queen Henrietta Maria landed at Bridlington with troops to support the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.

Bridlington's first hotel was opened in 1805 and it soon became a popular holiday resort for industrial workers from West Yorkshire. Bridlington's popularity has declined with the industrial north and the popularity of cheap foreign holidays. In its heyday it was a leading resort with a nationally-famous dance venue at The Spa, and many famous entertainers have appeared in the town.

Governance

The MP for Bridlington is Greg Knight (Conservative), who represents the East Yorkshire constituency, which has included the town since 1997. Previously (since 1950) there had been a constituency named Bridlington, but like the present constituency it included a substantial part of the county as well as the town itself; its MPs included Richard Wood, a junior minister in Conservative governments from the 1950s to 1970s, who was the son of the former Foreign Secretary the Earl of Halifax. Before 1950, Bridlington was included in the Buckrose constituency.

Bridlington was designated a municipal borough in 1899. After local government re-organisation in 1974 it was included in the new county of Humberside, which caused much local resentment among residents who objected to being excluded from Yorkshire. The town became the administrative centre of a local government district, initially called the Borough of North Wolds, but Yorkshire loyalists subsequently succeeded in having the district name changed to the Borough of East Yorkshire.Fact|date=October 2007 The district disappeared when the county of Humberside was abolished in the 1990s, the new East Riding of Yorkshire unitary authority absorbing it and the neighbouring county districts, and Bridlington no longer has any formal local government administrative status above Town Council level. It once had nine Labour councillors on the East Riding Unitary Authority, the largest group of Labour councillors in the history of the Labour Party in Bridlington. There has always been a good strong membership of councillors from the Conservatives, while the Liberal Democrats have decreased in numbers.

Education

There are two main high schools in Bridlington: Headlands School and Community Science College and Bridlington School.

Headlands School and Community Science College is a comprehensive school situated on Sewerby Road, Bridlington. It is a specialist school in science and has nearly 1,500 pupils aged 11-18.

Bridlington School is a comprehensive school situated on Bessingby Road, Bridlington. It is a specialist school in sport. The school, a former Grammar school, has a very strong Combined Cadet Force, with all three branches of the armed forces represented, which is increasingly supported by a growing number of non-teaching staff.

Notable people

Notable people born in Bridlington.
* Cecil Burton, cricketer.
* Richard Cresswell, former Sheffield Wednesday football player. [cite web
url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/players/6305/
title = CNN Sports Illustrated
accessdate = 2008-06-03
publisher = CNN ]
*Andrew Hartley Dismore, British politician and lawyer.
*Angela Eagle, Member of Parliament for Wallasey.
* Benjamin Fawcett, English nineteenth century woodblock colour printers.
* Thomas Fenby, British Liberal politician and blacksmith.
* Andy Firefly, British stand-up comedian and actor.
* Henry Freeman, a Whitby fisherman and lifeboatman.
* Ben Hillman, one half of Glasgow pop duo Over The Wall. [cite web
url = http://www.myspace.com/overthewall
title = Over The Wall
accessdate = 2008-10-08]

*May Kendall, English poet, novelist, and satirist.
* William Kent, eminent English architect, landscape architect and furniture designer.
* Scott Langton, fashion designer who founded the 'Artful Dodger' clothing range. [cite web
url = http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=5358072625
title = Artful Dodger Clothing Bebo profile
accessdate = 2008-06-03]
* A.E. Matthews, Actor.
* David Pinkney, British businessman and auto racing driver.
* David Savage, furniture designer and maker.
* Craig Short, football player.
* Jonson Walker, DJ and musician with Crescendo [cite web
url = http://www.bridlingtonfreepress.co.uk/news?articleid=3021622
title = Bridlington Free Press
accessdate = 2008-09-22
publisher = Bridlington Free Press]

Notable people connected with Bridlington
* T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) who worked in the town during his last months on RAF service in the 1930s [cite web
url = http://telawrence.info/telawrenceinfo/ref/memor.shtml
title = Memorials to T. E. Lawrence
accessdate = 2008-06-03
publisher = Society for T.E. Lawrence Studies ]
* Malcolm McDowell, actor, was raised in the town. [cite web
url = http://www.geocities.com/malcolmtribute/bio.html
title = Malcolm McDowell's Biography
accessdate = 2008-06-03]
* St. John of Bridlington, English Saint who was the Prior at Priory of Bridlington.
* John Paul Jones, an American naval hero in the American Revolutionary War who fought the Battle of Flamborough Head in Bridlington Bay.
* David Hockney, one of Britain's most notable living artists resides in Bridlington.

Landmarks

One of Bridlington's districts, Flamborough, is famous for its seven mile long headland, Flamborough Head, and its dramatic views. It features excellent trails for both bikes and the public.Between Bridlington and Flamborough is the village of Sewerby, where the gardens and museum at Sewerby Hall also attract tourists.

Another attraction for visitors to the area is Bempton Cliffs. Bempton Cliffs is an RSPB nature reserve frequented by avid bird watchers and is a popular breeding ground for the Northern Gannet and Atlantic Puffin of which there are thousands along the cliffs.

Notable is the Priory Church in the Old Town, with a good sounding ring of 8 bells (tenor approx 24 cwt) but with a long draft and a large 4 manual organ boasting the widest 'scaled' 32 ft reed (Contra Tuba) in the UK.

Facts

* The town gives its name to the Bridlington Agreement, a concordat between British Trade Unions not to poach each others' members.
* Burlington, New Jersey (and subsequently, Burlington County, New Jersey), is named after Bridlington.
* It is believed that the town of Burlington, Massachusetts is named after it as well.
* Bridlington is served by the Bridlington Free Press, and Yorkshire Coast Radio broadcasts from the town.
* Bridlington has the blue flag award for water quality

Gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.Bridlington.net/ Largest Internet source of Bridlington Information]
* [http://www.realyorkshire.co.uk/ Official Tourism information for Bridlington]
* [http://www.aboutbridlington.co.uk/ Bridlington Information]
* [http://www.eastriding.gov.uk/ Bridlington Tourist Information]
* [http://www.bridlington.gov.uk/ Bridlington Town Council]
* [http://www.bridlingtontoday.co.uk/ Local newspaper]
* [http://www.thornton1.freeserve.co.uk/history.htm Bridlington History 1]
* [http://www2.bridlingtontoday.co.uk/history/ Bridlington History 2]
* [http://www.ba-education.demon.co.uk/for/travel/guide/bridlington.html Guide to Bridlington]
* [http://www.bridlingtonpriory.co.uk/ The Priory - St. Mary's, Bridlington]
* [http://www.joyland.co.uk/ History of Bridlington Amusement Arcades]
* [http://www.ryyc.org.uk/ Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club]
* [http://www.yorkshire-guide.co.uk/bridlington.aspx Visitor's Guide to Bridlington]