Our Ancient Monument!

This is an artists impression of how the mound called Cheeney Basin Kippax would have looked in the 11 century. Our Church is around 1000 years old and bears the chevron stonework on the tower indicating a Anglo/Saxon influence. It can be seen  here as being there when the castle was built. Now there is nothing more than the mound  on the left the rest of the land was incorporated into the church yard. The "Roman Ridge" runs alongside Kippax  coming up from Castleford because Around ad43, a road known as Ermine Street (later the Great North Road) ran  London to York, but the Romans had to cross the Humber estuary to get to the other side of the road. The estuary was two miles wide, and the river had raging currents, and was subject to strong winds, making any crossing very difficult. Also, the Romans were not keen sailors, so this route north was not appropriate. So the Romans built another road, locally known as Roman Ridge and often considered a branch of Dere Street or Watling Street, with numerous forts strategically positioned along it. Lagentium or Castleford, was one of these forts. (just a couple of miles down the road from Kippax.)

Around ad180 Lagentium was abandoned, as the Roman Empire withdrew its legions. The Brigantes returned to power and reoccupied Lagentium around ad250, and they continued with the farming way of life in the area that they had had for centuries. 
After the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the land was split up and given to the King's knights.  
The land in Castleford, Pontefract, Leeds, Wakefield and Morley was given to Ilbert de Lacey. Castleford continued to be a farming village, and remained as one until the industrial revolution.

Once "king" coal was discovered in the area, Kippax, Castleford and surrounding villages became coal mining villages.
We still have many old buildings that were once farms in the village, the barns have been turned into businesses, at the far end of the village just by the Roman Ridge there is what remains of a windmill on the farm there
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Today is the Winter Solstice so we can now look forward to spring.