page_title: Barlow, North Yorkshire
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Barlow, North Yorkshire / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Barlow Station. View NW, towards Selby; Selby - Goole branch, closed to passengers 15/6/64, to Goods 7/12/64. Crossing-gates operated from adjacent signalbox.
context_page_description: Barlow is a small village and civil parish located in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, about 16 miles south of York. In the 2011 census, it had around 290 houses and a population of 753.
  The village has very few amenities, but there is a primary school and a licensed social club run by a committee of members. There are three entrances to the village, two of which lead from the A1041 road between Selby and Camblesforth. The other entrance is a single-track road leading from the Selby bypass. The village's two nature reserves offer a network of paths and bridleways for woodland walks but neither allows horse riding. Barlow common also has a private fishing area and information centre.
  Before the 19th century, Barlow was usually known as ‘Berlay’ or ‘Barley’.
context_section_description: Evidence of Barlow was first recorded in 1020, in a survey of the estates of the Archbishop of York. After the Norman Conquest, it was part of an estate centred on Drax manor. The only physical evidence of medieval settlement in Barlow is the earthworks around the present Barlow Hall farm. The furrow fields suggest that the area was in use around the time of the Norman Conquest, as the settlement was recorded in the Domesday Book as "Berlai".
  In 1520, London gentry family the Thompsons purchased the lands and built the Hall and later village church in the 16th century. The population grew during the industrial period and the main layout of Barlow was erected around this time. Much of the present housing was built in the last century.
  The village was the site of an airship production factory in the early part of the 20th century. Established by Whitworth & Co Ltd, it was responsible for the construction of the 25r, R29 and R33 during the First World War. However, in the aftermath of the war, the site became disused and the factory closed being replaced by a munitions depot in 1930. When Drax power station began construction in 1967 the supply depot was discontinued by the Ministry of Defence. The site had been mostly demolished by the late 1970s and all remains of now lie under the ash tip of Barlow Mound.
  In 1912, the NER established the Selby-Goole railway line which ran through the current nature reserve down to the merry-go-rounds at Drax. It enabled the construction of the airship factory and later the ordnance depot. The station closed to passengers in 1964 but the line was still used by the depot; and for construction on Drax power station until 1983. The line was completely dismantled by 1986 and the nearby ballast tip was replaced by Barlow Common. It was declared a local nature reserve in March 2002.
caption: Barlow Railway Station facing west c. 1961
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