WALTON: Wakefield Parish #6 of 30

Welcome back to Wakefield everyone and today I'm taking you away from the Pontefract area which I've been concentrating on of late to show you somewhere much closer to the City of Wakefield and where better to do that than this lovely village some three and a half miles away from the city centre? I'm going to wager there probably isn't a better spot to do so, not yet at least.
Overlooking a valley on a ridge of land that stands above Newmillerdam Country Park is this very historical settlement that was once a key player in the export of coal from the West Yorkshire mines via both the railway lines through the area and by the now disused and dried up Barnsley Canal. The pub in the village has a dining suite that is named after the eleventh lock on the canal, highlighting the importance of the canal to the village.
The village's most famous resident is arguably Squire Waterton who transformed the grounds of the Hall here into the world's first nature reserve. He is commemorated in several ways around the village ranging from the plaque on the wall at the corner of the The Balk, to having his name on both the golf club and the hotel that stands on the lake where his remains were laid after his death.
Out to the parish's East you'll find another nature reserve, this one built on the former land occupied by the colliery, known as Sharlston West, which closed in 1979 with many of its workers being transferred to fellow pits within Yorkshire, mainly to Selby. The area is overlooked by the massive Oakenshaw Viaduct that carries the main London to Leeds railway line.
The Trans Pennine Trail returns to the channel too, it runs right through this village, and if you walk it, you too can enjoy the sights and sounds of the lovely WALTON.
****
My name is Andy. I am armed with a car, a GoPro and an unhealthy amount of time on my hands.
Join me as I try to visit every single parish in the City of Wakefield. There are 30. Here's the SIXTH one - Walton.
#Walton, #Waterton, #BarnsleyCanal, #WaltonHall, #WestYorkshire, #Squire, #Colliery, #Sharlston, #Wakefield, #SandalandWaltonStation, #Parish,
Bustimes:
bustimes.org/l...
Walton Parish Council:
www.waltonpari...
Walton Sports and Social Club:
www.findglocal...
The New Inn:
www.thenewinnw...
Zoopla:
www.zoopla.co....
Walton Manor:
www.carehome.c...
Railway:
overtown.org.u...
Demographics:
www.citypopula...
Waterton Park:
www.watertonpa...
Viaduct:
www.geograph.o...
I have me a Facebook page too!
/ the-village-idiot-2260...
Come and join The Village People! (Subscribers only!)
/ 1037756120085304
Please consider buying me a coffee to support the channel! The more I get the faster I'll get to your parish! www.buymeacoff...