Catterick Parish Council
Catterick Village is a large village with a population of around 3155 (2011 census) situated in the County of North Yorkshire and the District of Richmondshire. It lies 4.5 miles south east of Richmond, 8.5miles north west of the county town of Northallerton and just west of the river Swale on the route of the old Roman Road, Dere Street. It is the site of the Roman fortification of Cataractonium set up to protect the crossing of Dere Street over the river Swale.
Just north of the church of St Annes is Pallet Hill, where the site of the earthworks remain of a motte and bailey castle built in the mid 12th century. This is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Another Scheduled Ancient Monument lies just south of the village on Bainesse farm and is the site of a small Roman roadside settlement and cemetery. Later the village grew as a coaching town as travellers stopped overnight on their journeys up and down the Great North Road which ran through the village. The old Angel Hotel, which has now been converted to apartments, was the old coaching inn. In 1959 the A1 bypass was built at a cost of £1m and more recently in 2018 this was upgraded to motorway standard at a cost of £400m.
The Village has close links with the military – Marne Barracks bordering the village to the south. Originally known as RAF Catterick, the Army took over the base and renamed it in 1993.
The picturesque heart of the village is the Beck which runs along the edge of the Low Green area. The Green is used for village celebrations such as the Queen’s Jubilees and the annual St Anne’s church fete. The church is situated in the highest part of the village, the clock chimes ringing out over the village. The sound of the church bells can also be heard as the bell-ringers practise their peels for church services and weddings. Just along from the Church is another smaller green area known as High Green. The Parish cemetery is situated just off from here.
During the summer the beck is a hive of happy activity as the children fish and paddle in the water. Numerous benches along the beck side allow for family picnics. Two public houses, the Oak Tree (closed at the moment) and Bay Horse, overlook the Low Green and the beck.
A number of take away food business can be found in the village. These include a fish and chip shop, pizza and Chinese, as well as the local cafe.
There is a primary school, Michael Syddall Church of England Aided Primary School, which accepts children from 4-11 years. Originally funded by money left in trust by the Rev. Michael Syddall in 1668. It moved to its new premises in 1974. There is also a pre school, run by a management committee, which can be found in the grounds of the primary school.
On the High Street is the Booth Memorial Institute built in 1898 by the widow of Charles William Booth. This is regularly used by groups and organisations for meetings etc.
Other services in the village include the Health Centre, pharmacy, garage and petrol station and the Co-op.
There are a number of open spaces in the village for outdoor activity, including two children’s play parks run by the Parish Council, the Sports fields at the North end of the village, run by a management committee of the Catterick Village Spots Association who also look after the Sports Pavilion found at the sports fields. This can be hired for meetings and parties. Pleasant walks can be taken along the river Swale and around the old quarry lakes.