Loftus, North Yorkshire

Loftus is a market town and civil parish in the Redcar and Cleveland borough of North Yorkshire, England. The town is located north of the North York Moors and sits between Whitby and Skelton-in-Cleveland. The parish includes the villages of Carlin How, Easington, Liverton, Liverton Mines and Skinningrove. It is near Brotton and Saltburn.

The town was formerly known as Lofthouse.

The town's built-up area, including Liverton Mines, had a population of 4,824 in the 2011 census, with the entire town's parish population being 7,988.

The Loftus area has been inhabited since at least the 7th century. A manor in the area was owned by Siward, Earl of Northumbria, who died in 1055. Loftus is recorded as "Lcotvsv" in the Domesday Book, from Laghthus meaning low houses.

The only known Anglo-Saxon royal burial site in north-east England is near Loftus.

Artefacts were discovered there from excavations which took place between 2005 and 2007. Finds include pieces associated with a rare bed burial in which a decorated female body is laid out on a decorated wooden bed accompanied by fine gold jewellery. The finds include a gold pendant, which would have belonged to a princess. as well as glass beads, pottery, iron knives, belt buckles and other objects. The finds, which date back nearly 1400 years were discovered by members of the Teesside Archeological Society, led by Dr Steve Sherlock, in a 109-grave site at Street House, Loftus. They are presently on show at the Kirkleatham Old Hall Museum.

The Oddfellows Hall, in Loftus, was built in 1874, as the offices and meeting place of the local Oddfellows society. Oddfellows were friendly or mutual societies, set up and organised by people from different guilds representing various trades. Other societies existed for single trades, but when there were not enough people from one trade, especially in smaller towns, societies would be formed from an "odd" mixture of people, so giving the name "Oddfellows". The Loftus Oddfellows would raise money for their members. The Oddfellows Hall was unused from the early 1990s. Tees Valley Housing Association has now taken over ownership of the building and converted it from a large meeting hall into eight self-contained flats.

Loftus has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb).