Discover Selby, North Yorkshire

Brayton Barff Pumping Station, Selby: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brayton_Barff_Pumping_Station_-_geograph.org.uk_-_661291.jpg
Author: Chris Allen


Selby is a town in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Ouse, about 19 km (12 miles) to the south of York. The town has a population of around 15,000 people. It was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until the restructuring of the subdivisions of Yorkshire that created North Yorkshire.

The history of Selby can be traced back to the Viking period. Human habitation in the area goes back further, to the time to the Romans. There may also have been a settlement here during the Anglo Saxon period, as according to the Anglo Saxon Chronicle of AD 779.

Selby is best remembered as the birthplace of King Henry I of England, who was the fourth son of William the Conqueror. In 1069 Benedict of Auxerre established Selby Abbey. It grew to become one of the biggest abbey churches in the country that is not a cathedral. The Abbey suffered from the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII, when most of its auxiliary buildings were pulled down. The nave of the abbey church was turned into a parish church in 1618.

Due to its riverside location, Selby developed into a shipbuilding center during the 19th and 20th centuries. It was also one of the important coal mining areas of the country. All these have come to pass. The shipyard has been completely demolished by 2009 while the coal-mining Selby Complex was closed in 2004. The economy of the town is today supported mainly by farming as well as being a bedroom community for bigger towns and cities such as Leeds and York.

Selby Abbey nave: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Selby_Abbey_Nave.jpg
Author: Dylan Moore

Visiting Selby

From London, take the A1(M) motorway to Doncaster. From there continue north on the A19 road until reaching Selby.

Places of Interest in Selby

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