For the free software telephony server, see YATE.

For the municipality in New Caledonia, see Yaté.

Yate (population 28,900, est. 2001), 19 km (12 miles) northeast of The City & County of Bristol, UK, is a town situated at the southern end of the escarpment of the Cotswold Hills. The much smaller town of Chipping Sodbury is continuous with Yate to the east. The first known mention of Yate was the existence of a religious house about 770 AD; Yate was also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.

The majority of the development from a village into a new town was conceived in the 1960s as an overspill/commuter town for Bristol. Yate was in Gloucestershire until 1974 when it became part of the newly-formed county of Avon. In 1996 the Avon authority was abolished and the area became part of the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire.

Prior to WW2, Yate had an aircraft manufacturing industry (Parnall). During WW2, Parnalls specialized in making gun turrets. A number of people were killed in raids by the Luftwaffe on the factory in February and March of 1941.

The town is surrounded by countryside while within easy reach of the city of Bristol by car, bus or train. The rail station was closed by Beeching in 1965, but it has now been reopened; the Brunel-built engine shed is preserved nearby. The Welsh border at Chepstow is only 27 km (17 miles) or 25 minutes drive from Yate.

Development in the 1960s and 1970s included a pedestrianised shopping centre of around 100 shops, including Burtons and Woolworths. Morrisons, Tesco, Lidl and Iceland supermarkets are nearby, and a B&Q DIY centre. Numerous trading estates ring the town. The town experienced further expansion in the 1990s-2000s with the construction of new housing developments at North Yate.

In 2003/2004 it was announced that Yate's shopping centre would undergo a major redevelopment with new shops, cafes and the enlargement of Tesco. Since the Tesco development would lose some of the existing car parking space Tesco have paid to have a disused car park resurfaced, with security cameras and lighting. The enlargement has not started.

It has a skatepark at Peghill. The Common on Westerleigh Road is a popular spot for dog walking, nature watching, and for visits of circuses and fairs.

The author of the Harry Potter series of books J. K. Rowling spent her early childhood in Yate.

Suburbs of Yate

• Goose Green
• Westerleigh
• The Birds
• Abbotswood
• Rodford
• Stover
• North Yate
• Brimsham Park

External links

• The Yate and Chipping Sodbury Guide A Guide to Yate and Chipping Sodbury. Includes accommodation, business directory, history and local events.
• BS37.COM- Shopping Guide to Sodbury and Yate- Shoppers Guide to Yate and Sodbury
• Yate Rotary Club's Beer Festival Website South Cotswolds Annual Beer Festival June 2006
• History The History of Yate
• Chipping Sodbury Cricket Club nr Yate - Provides cricket for the inhabitants of Yate
• Sodbury Players - local amateur dramatics group in the Yate and Chipping Sodbury Area
• Whats on in Yate - Events happening in Yate and the surrounding areas

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