All about Beverley, East Yorkshire

Good content should answer people’s questions and should show the writer to be knowledgeable about the specialist topic. What better for me to write about than the place I know best? Beverley in East Yorkshire is where I live and work. I am originally from Hull and I have a long relationship with the city’s nearest neighbour. I moved to the outskirts of Beverley in 2002, and then into Beverley itself in 2017. Have you got any questions about Beverley?

First of all, if you’re looking for Social Media Marketing in Beverley, get in touch with my social media management company Social Bods!

And now we have that out of the way……

Where is Beverley UK? Is Beverley a city?

Beverley is a market town of around 29,000 people about 10 miles north of the city of Hull in East Yorkshire, and around 30 miles south east of the city of York. Beverley is in the East Riding of Yorkshire, (formerly Humberside). Beverley is a market town, not a city, and is twinned with Nogent-sur-Oise in France, Lemgo in Germany, Beverly in Massachusetts (which is named after the town) and Kulim in Malaysia.

Beverley is very pretty, helped along by its numerous distinctive historic buildings, including the North Bar, Beverley Minster, and St Mary’s Church.

Is it Beverley or Beverly?

The town in East Yorkshire is spelt with an E before the final Y.

What’s Beverley like to live in?

Beverley is a good place to live. The schools are all good to outstanding and it’s generally considered a good albeit relatively expensive place to bring up a family. The population of Beverley tends to be older, higher-income people. Beverley is considered to be a bit posh, but don’t let that fool you, There are parts of Beverley that can be compared to some deprived areas of the neighbouring city of Hull, though it’s generally confined to one much smaller area.

Most areas in Beverley are reasonably good to live in. Most areas are within easy distance of the well-appointed town centre. There is a good mix of supermarkets, shops, and leisure facilities.

Cheaper areas to live can be found south and east of the railway line, but if you’ve got a healthy budget, the pricier properties can be found to the north, particularly up towards Molescroft, and to the west, close to the famous Westwood. There is a mix of old and new housing of all sizes in pretty much all parts of Beverley.

Beverley people tend to be friendly and helpful as is the way with Northern towns, and crime is relatively low, though complaints about dog poo and parking are common.

Beverley often appears on lists of the best places to live, like here in The Sunday Times – https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/best-places-to-live-north-northeast-england-sunday-times-0br8whhhl 

Where to live in Beverley

Here is my very subjective opinion on some of the main residential areas in Beverley.

Beverley Parklands – to the south of Beverley on the outskirts. This is mainly newer housing and is popular with younger families and older couples. It’s close to the main roads going to Hull and to the new Lidl supermarket. It’s about a 30 minute walk to the town centre. Well-kept and quiet generally.

Grovehill/Swinemoor estate – To the east of the railway lines! It’s got a bad reputation and crime here is anecdotally at least, higher than the rest of Beverley. Saying that, there are some good patches with nice people, and it’s about a 20 minute walk into Beverley town centre. Mostly council or ex-council houses, it also has its own parade of shops, which is handy. Swinemoor Primary School has a very good reputation.

Model Farm – I love Model Farm. It’s about a 30 minute walk to the north-east of the centre and also has its own parade of shops and takeaways. Mostly private housing built in the 1970s/80s, a lot of it consists of 3 bedroomed semis. Popular with older families.

Victoria Road – Most of the Victoria Road area is new housing built in the 1990s or later. Keldmarsh Primary School is good and popular. Morrison’s supermarket, B&M, and McDonald’s are nearby. I have friends who live here and love it. ‘The Herbs’ part of this area is very popular for families. Very handy for getting on to the A1079 to Hull or York, and the bypass down to the Humber Bridge. A few smaller shops including a micro pub and a Co-op. There are lots of houses being built here right now between the existing homes and the new southern relief road. This area is good for access to Beverley Grammar School but check your actual street is in the catchment first – catchment areas in Beverley are patchy to say the least.

Beckside and Flemingate – the beckside area is beautiful but it can get a little smelly in the summer, and there’s always a risk of flooding. The ducks are welcome neighbours! A bit closer to the town centre than Beverley Parklands and a bit more expensive. Three storey townhouses with tiny gardens are common, but the views over the beck are a big draw. Not much going on at this end of town though the Co-op petrol station and mini supermarket is handy, and it’s a short walk to the Flemingate development.

Molescroft – There are two main parts to Molescroft – the older parts towards the ‘village’ centre of St Leonards Church and the pub, and the newer estate off Grange Road. Both are called Molescroft but are very different. Old Molescroft has older housing stock and is very expensive. This is close to Longcroft School, and one of Beverley’s best parks Molescroft Pavilion is close by. Newer Molescroft has a mix of large and small houses. Not quite as expensive as the older parts but still probably pricier than the Beverley average. This part is newer estate with plenty of private parking and smaller play areas. It’s all pretty nice though to be fair and there are few areas in Molescroft that have persistent problems. The shops are also awesome and include a very good post office, a general store, a bakery, a hairdressers and a couple of good takeaways. It’s around a 30 minute walk into the town centre. Molescroft School and St Mary’s school are very popular.

There are plenty more places to live in Beverley than those I’ve highlighted but they don’t really seem to have a name – simply ‘Beverley’ really. But like all towns, there are places which some people like to live where others would not. There are few places you would live in Beverley where you’d get any major problems, and property values are persistently high compared to Hull. There is excellent value to be found in the outlying villages too, so have a look around and see what you think!

Schools in Beverley

Most primary schools in Beverley are at least ‘good’ as per Ofsted, if not outstanding. To be honest, most schools in Beverley itself are as much of a muchness. Some schools are more in demand than others and you will have problems getting into Molescroft Primary for example if you’re not in the catchment area.

Some of the village schools can be undersubscribed and are popular with Beverley families looking for an alternative – check out the schools at Walkington, Tickton, Woodmansey, Leconfield, and Cherry Burton too! All are within a few minutes’ drive of Beverley.

The catchment areas for the secondary schools are patchy. If you’re fussy about high schools, check before you buy! The areas closest to the schools are not necessarily part of the catchment – you’ve sometimes got more chance of getting into the ‘good’ secondary schools living in one of the villages on the outskirts than living on the school’s doorstep. The schools which are considered the best (and usually have the results to back this up) are Beverley High School (girls’ school) and Beverley Grammar School (for boys). The mixed comprehensive is Longcroft School which isn’t considered as good, though to be fair, it’s better than a lot of the Hull schools, is improving rapidly, and is a far cry from the now-bulldozed school I went to. Buses for the region’s two independent secondary schools pass through Beverley daily.

For tertiary education, all the schools in Beverley have good sixth form provision, and there is also the option of East Riding College, a more technical college which do courses like hairdressing, and travel and tourism. Hull’s two popular sixth form colleges – Wyke and Wilberforce – both have buses that collect from Beverley, as does Bishop Burton College, a well-renowned specialist agricultural college.

Travel and transport in Beverley

Some parts of Beverley have a parking issue comparable with similar popular market towns but this has been partially solved recently with the introduction of a CPZ. Not a lot of houses, particularly those close to the town centre, have private parking. Beverley gets brought to a standstill frequently by trains – there are four level crossings to compete with and, at the peak, around 3 trains an hour – so if you can walk anywhere in Beverley, then you should. If you need to get from one end of Beverley to the other during daytime, then going round on one of the new roads could be a good choice – the town centre can get gridlocked on busy days.

Beverley has a train station on the line between Hull and Scarborough. The stations are Cottingham and Hull to the south with Arram, Hutton Cranswick, Driffield, Nafferton, and Bridlington to the north. Selected services go on to Bempton, Hunmamby, Filey, Seamer and Scarborough in North Yorkshire. Trains are reasonably frequent and run seven days a week, though seaside services are somewhat reduced in the off-season.

Buses go from the bus station on Sow Hill in the town centre and you can get buses to Hull via Woodmansey and Dunswell, to Driffield and Bridlington via Leconfield, Hornsea, Willerby, Cottingham, and to York amongst others.

There are numerous town centre car parks and they’re all similar in price. The car parks are well signposted and all within a short walk of the centre. The trick, especially on market day, is finding a space. The Tesco car park is free for three hours but it can be tough to get a space in it some days. There is on-road parking available but it’s mostly restricted to one or two hours at the most.

Beverley Racecourse

One of Beverley’s top attractions is Beverley Racecourse, which is to the west of the town and overlooks Beverley Westwood. It is walkable from the town centre but there is parking if you need it. See Beverley Racecourse website for more information on race dates. For Beverley hotels near racecourse – well, there aren’t many up that way but like I say, the racecourse is within walking distance of the town centre where you will find several hotels and B&Bs.

Where to stay in Beverley

There are a few places to stay in Beverley but it’s mostly lots of independent hotels and B&Bs. There is only one major chain in Beverley – a Premier Inn on the Flemingate development. The next biggest hotel is the Beverley Arms, which has a long history and has recently been refurbished. This is on the same side of town as Beverley Racecourse. You should check out the B&Bs and smaller hotels for accommodation – most have a good reputation. Mostly! Please do check out TripAdvisor reviews before booking one particular hotel that I can think of at least. I won’t name it here but I will say that if a hotel has bad reviews, there’s usually at least one good reason.

Also check out the Beverley Friary, which is a YHA, also known as Beverley youth hostel. I love YHA and if it’s anything like the YHAs in other locations, you would do worse than to book in here. You can check out my blog for a review of a YHA in North Yorkshire, and a YHA in London.

Shops in Beverley

Beverley seems to be weathering the storm that has impacted lots of high streets across the UK. There rarely seems to be an empty unit anywhere in the town centre. In fact, the sight of an empty one arouses a mix of curiosity and excitement over what new shops are looking to trade here. I think that Beverley truly has it all in terms of shops. The only thing I really traipse into Hull for now is when we need a job lot of shoes for the kids (if we only need one pair then the Clarks is ok, or there is a newish independent shoe shop on the back of Butcher Row near the car park), or sporting equipment, though I will gladly be dropping our usual sports outlet as soon as anything suitable pops up.

There is a nice mix of independents and high street chains. The town centre is also the main entertainment centre, so it’s fairly lively all day long, though never as much as when it is market day, which is a Saturday, with a smaller market provision on a Wednesday. 

The shops are all within walking distance of the main pedestrian route of Toll Gavel, apart from the Flemingate development which is about a 5-10 minute walk from its northern point – Wednesday Market. On Flemingate, there is a mix of restaurants and shops, the East Riding College complex, and Parkway, Beverley’s only cinema. There is also parking here and it’s generally cheaper than the town centre car parks – around £1 for 3 hours. Flemingate has shops such as H&M, Poundland, Superdrug, Wilko’s and Card Factory. The town centre is home to The White Company, Lakeland, Boyes, Dorothy Perkins, and Boots. And so many charity shops! As a family who love raking through charity shops, Beverley is great!

Beverley Market

The Saturday market is, appropriately, on Saturday Market, which is a central plaza with the Market Cross (it is NOT a bandstand) and car park turned over to the market one day a week. The market has a wide range of stalls including fruit & veg, speciality foods (olives etc), a meat wagon, clothing stalls and a pet supplies stall. We come here most Saturdays as it seems does half of Beverley. It can get very busy.

Beverley Community Hospital

One of the facilities that makes living in Beverley so much easier is the Beverley Community Hospital. It is located on Swinemoor Lane to the north-east outskirts having been relocated from the old Beverley Westwood Hospital site. There is free parking for users. We mainly use it for Beverley urgent treatment centre for minor injuries and to see a GP out of hours. There is an X-ray facility though it’s not open all hours. You might need to call 111 first to get booked in, particularly after 7pm on a night. For minor injuries during the day, it’s great and saves a trip up to Hull A&E. They can make referrals to the facilities at Hull Royal Infirmary if they need to.

What to do in Beverley

Beverley has lots of things to do. There is a multi-screen cinema Parkway on the Flemingate development. If you’re a theatre fan then you need to check out East Riding Theatre on Lord Roberts Road.

If you’re a fitness fanatic, then aside the usual gym chains dotted around, there is also the council-owned Beverley Leisure Centre which has a very good gym and classes, and also a public swimming pool, a sports hall, and outdoor pitches for hire. There is Beverley Parkrun every Saturday on Beverley Westwood which starts at 9am. Beverley has a golf course on the Westwood which is popular.

Or you can have a stroll on Beverley Westwood and meet some of the locals!

The Treasure House is home to the public library and also Beverley Art Gallery and a free public museum all about life in the East Riding. Beverley Guildhall is also worth a look and is open to the public one day a week. There are some smaller independent galleries/art shops in Beverley too.

There is a town trail based on the old town guilds and it’s pretty good. The website doesn’t exist anymore but you can read more about the trail on my blog at – Beverley Town Trail and there is a map you can download from somewhere I’m sure.

 A new addition to Beverley is Beverley Escape Room. I haven’t been yet but would like to do so at some point. More information at https://escaperoomsbeverley.co.uk/

For smaller kids, there is Mega Fun on the industrial estate. Here is soft play seven days a week and gymnastics classes in Jack in the Box. For older kids, try Inflatanation on Flemingate.

And if you just want to sit and have a quiet drink then Beverley has sooooo many pubs and coffee shops. Too many to list. They include the requisite 2-for-1 places – which are The Hayride to the north of the town, or The Warton Arms which is just outside in Woodmansey. Also more gastro-pub type places like Molescroft Inn, or cosy food pubs like Green Dragon or King’s Head. Honestly, so many food places you will be spoilt for choice.

Beverley Post Offices

There are two main post office counters in Beverley. The town centre one is in the WH Smith on Toll Gavel. The other one, which is better if you need to park, is in the parade of shops on Woodhall Way, Molescroft. There is also a third counter in Grovehill News on Grovehill Road but check first as I heard rumours it wasn’t open due to illness recently.

The sorting office – where you might need to collect your undelivered parcels – is on Grovehill Industrial Estate. It is open most days but public times are restricted. These are shown on your parcel collection slip. You can park here.

Beverley Minster

Beverley is practically a cathedral town except we don’t have a cathedral – we have a minster, and a fine one it is too. Beverley Minster was built around the 14^th and 15^th centuries – it took a while to build it – and there has been restoration and rebuilding work ongoing ever since. It’s a spectacular building and attracts many visitors. It is also a working church and visiting times work around service times. Check out their website at https://beverleyminster.org.uk/ for more details.

There is also another church in Beverley worth a visit – St Mary’s on Hengate. They also have events on throughout the year and welcome visitors – check out https://stmarysbeverley.org/ for more information.

Events in Beverley

Beverley has a rota of popular events, including……..

• The annual bonfire on the Westwood run by Beverley Lions, which is usually on Bonfire Night itself – see http://www.beverleylions.org.uk/?page_id=149 for more information.
• Beverley Festival of Christmas (or Beverley Xmas Market) – this is a Christmas themed extravaganza which attracts around 60,000 people on one day. It is usually the first Sunday in December, but this can change. Check out this website for more information – https://www.visithullandeastyorkshire.com/beverley/beverley-festival-of-christmas.aspx
• Beverley Xmas lights switch on. In recent years, Flemingate has been the place to be for a Christmas lights switch on – the town centre does have Christmas lights but I don’t think there’s been an official switch on for a couple of years. The Flemingate Christmas lights switch on is usually towards the end of November and in 2019 was on a Friday. Find out more on the Flemingate website

What else would you like to know about Beverley? Please leave me a comment and I’ll see if I can add it to the article.