Tadcaster

Coordinates: 53°53′07″N 1°15′43″W / 53.8852°N 1.2620°W / 53.8852; -1.2620

Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. It is approximately 3 miles (5 km) east of the Great North Road, 12 miles (19 km) north-east of Leeds, and 10 miles (16 km) south-west of York.

It is the last town the River Wharfe passes before it joins the River Ouse about 10 miles (16 km) downstream. It is in the shire county of North Yorkshire, although historically split between the Ainsty of York and the West Riding of Yorkshire.

The town is twinned with Saint Chély d'Apcher in France.

History

Roman

The Romans built a settlement and named it Calcaria from the Latin word for lime, reflecting the importance of the area's limestone geology as a natural resource for quarrying, an industry which continues and has contributed to many notable buildings including York Minster. Calcaria was an important staging post that grew at the crossing of the River Wharfe on the road to Eboracum (York).