Tourist's guide to visit Barwick-in-Elmet

Visit Barwick-in-Elmet – things to do & explore

Overview of Barwick-in-Elmet history & facts by Walkfo

---

Planning a visit to Barwick-in-Elmet?

Barwick-in-Elmet (pronounced Barrick-in-Elmet) is a village in West Yorkshire, 7 miles (11 km) east of Leeds city centre. It is one of only three places in the area to be explicitly associated with the ancient Romano-British kingdom of Elmet, the others being Scholes-in-Elmet and Sherburn-in-Elmet. The village is part of the civil parish of Barwick in Elmet and Scholes and sits in the Harewood ward of Leeds City Council.

Barwick-in-Elmet history

---

Earthworks, including a mound and ditch, comprise part of a large Iron Age fort centred on Wendel Hill, near the village. The site was used later for a Norman motte-and-bailey castle and a Second World War observation post. The land is currently under joint ownership, held as a trust (formed in 1996) for the benefit of the community. An ancient British kingdom named Elmet (Welsh Elfed) included the area. Some scholars believe that the capital of the kingdom was at or close to Barwick. There is reference to an agricultural settlement in the Domesday Book of 1086. From a taxation survey, it is known that in 1379 there were 197 adults living in about 100 households. It is believed that William of Orange spent some time in this area leaving behind claims to his offspring, There are still settlers in the village to this day bearing the associated relevant names “Orange and Wilson (Wills son)” For some time the Manor of Barwick and Scholes was in the ownership of the Gascoigne family of Parlington and Lotherton. In 1720, the first known school in Barwick in Elmet opened. Morwick Hall was built in the mid to late 18th century for Edward Gray, who was Lord Mayor of Leeds in 1749 and 1768. By 1821, the parish had a population of 1,481. The Cross Gates to Wetherby railway line opened in 1874, with a station in nearby Scholes, enabling residents to commute to Leeds city centre. This service remained running until 1965, when the line closed under the Beeching Axe. Throughout the 20th century, the village grew with many modern houses being built in and around the village by both private developers and the local corporations. During this period many of the older cottages in the village centre were converted into shops and other small business premises. For much of its history, the village supported a mainly agricultural community. From the late 17th century until the early 20th century many residents were employed in the local mining industry in Garforth, Cross Gates and Whitkirk. Today, whilst still having a rural agricultural feel, the village supports many trades as well as housing for people who work in Leeds and York.

Barwick-in-Elmet etymology

The name Barwick comes from the Old English words bere (‘barley’) and wīc (‘settlement, specialised farm’), thus meaning ‘a barley farm’ or ‘an outlying grange or part on an estate reserved for the lord’s use, producing barley’. The name is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Bereuuith and Bereuuit. The appellation ‘in Elmet’ serves to distinguish the settlement from the various others of the same name. The first attested appellation of this kind for Barwick-in-Elmet is in fact the Latin Berewyke juxta Abberford (‘Barwick-by-Aberford’) from 1301. The combination Berewyke in Elmet is first attested in 1329.

You can visit Barwick-in-Elmet, COUNTY/BOROUGH & use Walkfo to discover the best walking places with our free digital tour guide app created especially for Barwick-in-Elmet. Walkfo Barwick-in-Elmet has 300 locations with history, culture & travel facts, that you can explore the same way you can a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Barwick-in-Elmet, being in the moment, without digital distraction and no limitations to a specific walking route – you choose where you want to go, when you want to go and Walkfo Barwick-in-Elmet will keep up.

When you visit Barwick-in-Elmet

---

When you visit Barwick-in-Elmet, Walkfo is your digital tour guide while exploring by foot, bike or bus. With numerous walks, hikes, tourist locations & travel destinations available in Barwick-in-Elmet, our travel AI guide helps you get the best from your visit to Barwick-in-Elmet & the surrounding areas. Our explore Barwick-in-Elmet app for iPhone & Android, allows you to experience the hidden history, culture and amazing facts throughout Barwick-in-Elmet whilst out walking. The digital tour guide creates interactive audio stories driven by where you walk, so you can exploration Barwick-in-Elmet’s National Heritage sites, tourist attractions, historic locations or city streets freely, without the restrictions of a predefined walk & walk map.

“The Walkfo AI has curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 0 audio facts in Barwick-in-Elmet alone that form an interactive Barwick-in-Elmet walking map for you to explore.”

Best Barwick-in-Elmet places to visit

---

Barwick-in-Elmet has hundreds of places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are five of Barwick-in-Elmet’s best destinations to visit when exploring the area. We have condensed the information with much more detail available within Walkfo when you visit the destinations.

b

Visit Barwick-in-Elmet plaques

Experience Barwick-in-Elmet audio walks & tours

Visiting Barwick-in-Elmet with Walkfo’s things to do interactive map
The “Barwick-in-Elmet things to do map” below is a preview of the places you can visit in Barwick-in-Elmet and surrounding areas with our digital audio tour guide app. Each spot has content for a plaque, a building, a street or general area, providing history, culture or tourism information the you can explore.

Interactive ‘Explore Barwick-in-Elmet Map’     This Barwick-in-Elmet tourism map shows points of interest within a 4km radius of Barwick-in-Elmet centre

Walkfo App     Walkfo

Walkfo is free to download & use (for a limited time period), so if you are looking to explore Barwick-in-Elmet, go to your App Store to search for “Walkfo” or follow a links below and install on your mobile phone. Walkfo is designed for use with headphones or AirPods, so you can walk & explore whilst learning about the things around you without digital distraction.

  Apple App Store

  Google Play Store

Things to do & visit in Barwick-in-Elmet and surrounding areas

---

Getting to / around Barwick-in-Elmet – transport links, stations, streets & traffic map

---

Getting around in Barwick-in-Elmet using public transportation may include roads, streets, trains, undergrounds, buses or trams. Walkfo has the following important Barwick-in-Elmet public transport locations with historic / cultural / factual content when you visit:

Barwick-in-Elmet Notable Public Transport Stations		Barwick-in-Elmet Notable Streets & Roads

[transportsummary]

Attention local Barwick-in-Elmet historians, tour guides & Barwick-in-Elmet tourism agents