Crofton, West Yorkshire - Crofton Today

Crofton Today

Today, Crofton is seen as a commuting village, with many of the inhabitants leaving to nearby cities such as Leeds and Wakefield to work. The village has two post offices, one in New Crofton and one on the main high street, 2 fish and chip shops - one in New Crofton, mini supermarkets and a carpet store . The village also boasts 9 pubs: the Crofton Arms & the Cock and Crown both on the A638 road, the Weavers Green, The Royal Oak, The Lord of the Manor, The Slipper, Ralphie's Bar, The Working Men's Club, and the Crofton Community Centre formerly known as the Nostell Miners Welfare. The Crofton Arms has been closed down for a short period of time.

Crofton made national tabloid headlines when the famous motel in the village 'The Redbeck,' stayed open for 21 years without ever closing, working its way through renovations, leaks and power cuts. The redbeck is a diner and a popular long haul truck stop on the outskirts of Crofton located on the A638.

The main supermarket in Crofton is now the Sainsbury's mini store located on the High Street, and other shops on High Street include Lloyd's Pharmacy, The Post Office, a deli, fish and chip, and carpet shop.

Crofton has had quite a makeover in the last few years, mainly the old Nostell pit and surrounding area has been transformed into a nature park with a small pond and very good walking areas which many locals use. The walk comprises around 3–4 miles of ash path from start to finish with some being concreted (remnants of the old opencast mining area). If you feel adventurous you can follow on the path right to the pennine trail and through Walton forest, this is a very good bike track and is used every day. Local residents need to take care on this path this year, the tick population has exploded and farmers are finding it hard to control the pests on their cattle. Dog walkers are especially vulnerable.