Altofts: what to know before moving day
Church Road runs through the village. Along it are Altofts Methodist Church, opened in 1990 when three Methodist congregations joined, the Hebron church, Martin Frobisher Infant School, the war memorial and two of the village's four pubs, the Robin Hood and the Horse and Jockey, the oldest of them. Lee Brig has the infant and nursery school and a chemist, and The Brig community centre, a former working men's club, is on St Mary's Road near the parish church of St Mary Magdalene.
Lower Altofts, at the bottom of the village towards the river, once had Silkstone Row, said to be the longest unbroken row of three-storey terraces in Europe, until it was demolished in 1978; two shorter rows remain on Pope Street. The pit those houses served, West Riding Colliery, is where W. E. Garforth ran the first British coal-dust experiments in 1908 and 1909. Estates near Church Road have streets named after battles, such as Agincourt Drive, Bannockburn Way, Bosworth Avenue and Hastings Court.
How the van gets to Altofts
From M62 junction 31 the A655 leads to Normanton, and Altofts lies just beyond the town to the north-west. Its through roads are Church Road, High Green Road, Birkwood Road and Lee Brig. Kings Lock of 1839, on the Calder Cut of the Navigation, is down near Lower Altofts.
The drive from Bradford is roughly 35 to 45 minutes. That is an estimate from route data, not a timed run, and traffic changes it.
Also covered around Altofts
Lower Altofts.
Services for Altofts
Each service below links to its Normanton page, which covers how the job works in and around Normanton.
Altofts: questions before you book
What happened to Altofts and Whitwood station?
It closed. The station opened in 1870 as Altofts and Whitwood, was renamed Altofts in 1970 and closed in May 1990. Much of the village is in fact closer to Normanton station, which has trains to Leeds, Castleford, Wakefield and Sheffield Meadowhall.
Why is Altofts in a different constituency from Normanton?
It shares a civil parish, Normanton and Altofts, and a WF6 postcode, but it has its own ward on Wakefield Council, Altofts and Whitwood, and it is in the Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley constituency rather than Normanton's.
Nearby areas
Where the local details on this page come from
Checked on 28 September 2026 against:
- Postcode lookup (postcodes.io, ONS data): WF6 2NN is in Altofts & Whitwood ward, parish of Normanton and Altofts, Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley constituency, Wakefield district
- Postcode lookup (postcodes.io, ONS data): WF6 1AL in Normanton is in the Normanton and Hemsworth constituency
- Altofts (Wikipedia): one mile north-west of Normanton, between Wakefield and Castleford, near the River Calder and Aire and Calder Navigation; urban district from 1894, merged with Normanton 1938; West Riding Colliery and Garforth's coal-dust experiments 1908-09; four pubs (Horse and Jockey the oldest, Robin Hood, Miners Arms, Poplar); The Brig; Lower Altofts, Silkstone Row demolished 1978, Pope Street; Methodist church 1990 on Church Road, Hebron; St Mary Magdalene; schools
- Altofts railway station (Wikipedia): opened 1870 as Altofts and Whitwood, closed 14 May 1990; much of the village is closer to Normanton station
- Wakefield Europort (Wikipedia): West Riding Colliery and its terraced housing, Providence Row and Silkstone Row, cleared in the 1970s; the site is surrounded by Altofts, Whitwood and Normanton
- Normanton, West Yorkshire (Wikipedia): Normanton station with trains to Leeds, Castleford, Wakefield and Sheffield Meadowhall
- Listed buildings in Normanton (Wikipedia, from the National Heritage List): Kings Lock, 1839, on the Calder Cut of the Aire and Calder Navigation
- OpenStreetMap map view (checked 2026-09-28): Church Road, Lee Brig, High Green Road, Birkwood Road, St Mary's Road, Pope Street area, Agincourt Drive, Bannockburn Way, Bosworth Avenue, Hastings Court, Altofts Methodist Church, Martin Frobisher Infant School, war memorial, The Robin Hood, The Horse and Jockey, Lee Brigg Infant and Nursery School, M & A Dispensing Chemists, The Brig WMC, Church of St Mary Magdalene, Hebron Christian Fellowship, Lower Altofts, Aire and Calder Navigation