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The 1892 Bulmer's Directory of Hull and
the East Riding states that the Manor of Leven was given to
the church of St John of Beverley by Edward the Confessor, and
is listed in the Domesday Book as being amongst its possessions.
After the dissolution of the monasteries
in 1547, ownership of the land reverted to the Crown, to be
bought by Sir Marmaduke Constable in 1557. Around 1612 it
appears that Sir Thomas Gresham owned some of the land, having
received it as a gift from Queen Elizabeth I.
Police Station
Erected in 1852, the police station on
High Stile consisted of three cells, a magistrates room,
witness and ante-rooms. it was staffed by an inspector, a
sergeant and three constables. It also served as Petty
Sessional Division of North Holderness, and magistrates were
in attendance every alternate Wednesday. It is now a listed
building and currently houses the Leven surgery.
Windmills
There have been numerous windmills in the
village over the years, though little is known about any of
them. What is known, and available images can be found (here).
Ropewalks
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Rope-making
was once a village industry in Leven, as it was in so
many villages throughout England, but as mechanised
industry and
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synthetic fibres took over, demand fell
for the hand spun product and the ropewalks eventually closed.
Little is known of the villages' two ropewalks, though the
1851 map of the village does show their positions, one near to
the Hare & Hounds on West Street, the other, near to what
is now Balk Close on East Street. (marked RW on 1851
map)
1851
Map of Leven
Although rope making machines had been
invented around 1792, they were not widely used until the late
19th century, instead, rope continued to be made by hand using
a 'ropewalk', where yarns of hemp were stretched between two
revolving sets of hooks up to 300 yards apart, the hooks
twisting the yarn together to form the rope. During the
process, the rope maker walked backwards along the strands of
hemp raking the fibres into position with a tool called a
'top'. Old records show that ropes made in the village were
used in the Beverley shipyards.
St Faiths Church
appears to have been built on, or close
to the site of an earlier wooden church of the same name. The
church was built on an elevated section of low lying marshland
west of the village, and seems to have lasted until 1843, when
all but the chancel was pulled down, this being demolished in
1866 because it was unsafe. (more)
The graveyard continued to be used until
1869 when the new graveyard at Holy Trinity Church was
consecrated.
Leven War Memorial
Erected by villagers in memory of those
who gave their lives in both World wars (more)
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White Cross
Situated on the outskirts of the village,
it used to stand in the middle of a roundabout where roads
from Beverley, Hornsea
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and Hull merged. The base of the cross is
a Grade II listed structure, but the current shaft is a 20th
century replacement. The original cross is believed to reside
in Holy Trinity Church, having been found buried in St Faith's
Churchyard around 1836.
White Cross Cottage
is believed to have been a turnpike
house, where tolls were collected from travellers. It is
situated close to White Cross. It is a Grade II listed
building and is now a private residence.
Babes in the Wood
During World War II, refugees and
displaced foreign nationals were housed in temporary camps up
and down the country. One of these camps was sited in the
woods near to White Cross. However, before it became a refugee
camp it had been a camp for military personnel, followed by a
POW camp. It is believed that Lord Haw Haw mentioned the camp
in one of his wartime propaganda broadcasts, saying they knew
about the 'Babes in the Wood'.
Blacksmiths
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There were three known smithies in
and around the village in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. |
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One of these was in South Parade, another
on West Street, and an earlier one is known to have been sited
near to Heigholme Hall in the Little Leven area.
Leven Canal
was opened in 1804, having been cut by
the order of Mrs Bethel, Lady of the Manor. The 3 1/4 mile
long canal started at the River Hull and was constructed to
allow barges to reach the granaries and warehouses at Canal
Head in the village. (more)
Other village
industries in the late 18 and early 1900's, all now sadly
gone, included a brick & tile maker, chandler, cooper,
basket maker, tailor, glazier and tanner.
Leven Bypass
In late 1987, after detailed studies, the
County Council tabled three schemes for a bypass for the
village, aimed at diverting the flow of coastal traffic. The
project finally went ahead in 1993 and the bypass was opened
on 25th May 1994.
It is interesting to note that although
the bypass has been a huge success for the village, diverting
en-mass coastal traffic to the east, thereby reducing traffic
accidents, noise and pollution, and improving the overall
village environment, drivers heading for Brandesburton still
tend to use the old road through the village rather than the
bypass. The reason for this is unclear, but may have something
to do with the fact that by using the bypass, drivers have to
enter Brandesburton from the northern end, causing the need to
'double-back' into the village, as no provision was made in
the bypass scheme for an access road to the southern end of
Brandesburton.
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