| Selby | |
|---|---|
| OS Grid Reference: | SE614324 ( more maps) |
| Administration | |
| District: | Selby |
| County: | North Yorkshire |
| Region: | Yorkshire |
| Nation: | England |
| Other | |
| Ceremonial County: | North Yorkshire |
| Traditional County: | Yorkshire |
| Post Office and Telephone | |
| Post town: | SELBY |
| Postcode: | YO8 |
| Dialling Code: | 01757 |
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King Henry I, fourth son of William the Conquerer, was born in Selby in either 1068 or 1069.
Selby boasts an abbey which was founded by Benedict in 1069 and subsequently built by the de Lacy family. A notable feature of the abbey is the 14th century Washington Window, featuring the heraldic arms of the ancestors of George Washington, the first president of the United States. The design featuring three red stars above two red bands on a white shield is said to have been the model for the US flag.
Much of the historical wealth of the town is based upon its position upon the banks of the tidal River Ouse. It has had in the past a Shipbuilding industry, as well as a strong Mining industry in the area. That has all now disappeared and the main income for the area is derived from arable farming and the travel-to-work areas of Leeds, Wakefield, York and Goole.
Mining in Selby deserves special mention as it was for a time the leading mine complex in the UK and featured some of the most advanced mining technology in Europe. It was the first new mine in the UK for decades and seen as a rejoinder to widespread concern that the British mining industry was effectively shutting down, particularly following the defeat of the UK miners' strike (1984-1985).
Wistow Colliery, which was part of the Selby Complex, holds the UK record for coal mined in one week — 200,743 tonnes in 1995. The 110 square mile (285 km²) Selby Complex, employing 3,000 miners plus contractors and ancillary staff, closed on Friday 14 May 2004 despite rising demand for coal in the UK. British Coal, the pits' owner, said closure was due to rising costs caused by deteriorating geological conditions and the falling price of coal. In its final years, the company listed a £30 million loss on the plant.
In recent years there have been serious flood problems in Selby and the adjoining village of Barlby. The threat in the Barlby area has been alleviated to some extent by work on improved flood barriers following the major flood of November 2000.
In 2004 the new Selby Bypass opened, taking traffic around the South and East of the town avoiding the town centre. The bypass was delayed due to problems in the construction of a swing bridge to allow large boats to get upstream through Selby towards York.
The town of Selby is also associated with the Selby rail crash, although this happened a few miles south of Selby at a village called Great Heck near the M62 motorway. A vehicle crashed off the M62 down an embankment onto a railway track, where it was struck by an oncoming train.
Selby and its surrounding area came to national prominence once again through another tragedy on 18 July, 2004, this time through four exceptionally violent murders carried out by former binman Mark Hobson. Hobson, 35, killed his girlfriend Claire Sanderson, 27, and her twin sister Diane at a flat in the nearby village of Camblesforth. He subsequently murdered an elderly couple, James and Joan Britton, at their home in the village of Strensall, near York.
Hobson was caught at a petrol station on 25 July, 2004, in the village of Shipton-by-Beningbrough, near York, following a national manhunt. At his subsequent trial, Hobson made English legal history by becoming the first murderer to receive a whole-life tariff on his sentence even though he pleaded guilty to all four murders.