Wikipedia

Huntington, North Yorkshire

Huntington is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Huntington & New Earswick ward and lies on the River Foss, to the north of York and the south of Strensall.

Huntington
Monks Cross Shopping Centre, Huntington
Huntington is located in North Yorkshire
Huntington
Huntington
Location within North Yorkshire
Population12,108 (ward. 2011 census)
OS grid referenceSE556540
Civil parish
  • Huntington
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townYORK
Postcode districtYO31, YO32
Dialling code01904
PoliceNorth Yorkshire
FireNorth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
53°59′33″N 1°02′35″W / 53.992629°N 1.043024°W / 53.992629; -1.043024

The village was historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. It was then a part of the district of Ryedale in North Yorkshire from 1974 until 1996. Since 1996 it has been part of the City of York unitary authority.[1]

According to the 2001 census Huntington had a population of 9,277, increasing to 12,108 at the 2011 census.[2]

Huntington is made up of mainly low-lying land, with the highest point in the village being only 64 feet above sea level. It covers some 4,800 acres (19 km2) and measures some 4 miles (6 km) from north to south and 3 miles (5 km) east to west.

History

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All Saints Church

There has been a parish church (All Saints) in this village since 1086. Huntington originally included three villages within the parish boundaries: Towthorpe, Earswick and Huntington. Huntington itself also comprised the small township of West Huntington, including West Huntington Hall. The village is unique in that the main settlement and church are separated by a river, the Foss. During the Middle Ages, the part of Huntington to the east of the Foss was part of the Forest of Galtres, a hunting royal forest that covered large areas of land to the north-east of York and is still referred to in many local place names. The Act of Dis-Afforestation of 1629 put an end to this.[3]

Huntington remained a very small settlement until the second half of the 19th century, with no more than approximately 630 inhabitants by 1901. The expansion of Huntington started slowly around 1870–1880, with the construction of nearby New Earswick and the opening of Queen Elizabeth Barracks in nearby Strensall. The rehousing schemes during the 1930s speeded up the growth of the village and turned Huntington into a suburban area of the York. The village suffered only a little damage during the Second World War and saw a further housing expansion along Huntington and Strensall Road in the post-war years. The northwards expansion was halted by the construction of the York ring road. Most of the land associated with West Huntington has now become the separate parish of New Earswick. Huntington's old village, including All Saints' Church and the nearby West Huntington Hall, was made a conservation area in 1991.[4] The urbanisation of the village is now almost complete, and current housing development is mainly driven by evolutions in the UK property market, the shortage of housing in York and the attraction of the local secondary school, Huntington School.

Huntington was served by Earswick railway station on the York to Beverley Line between 1847 and 1965.[5]

Economy

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Local amenities

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Monks Cross Shopping, Huntington

The village has a post office, newsagent, grocer, butcher, pharmacy and two pubs – the Hogshead and The Blacksmiths Arms. In addition, there are a few light industrial enterprises, including several motor garages. A few community/parish halls provide venues for a good range of local community groups. Monks Cross Shopping includes several national chain stores and three supermarkets.

Commerce and industry

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A recent expansion is the retail park Vangarde Shopping Park which include three new major shops and many cafes and restaurants The adjacent industrial estate provides employment through several financial and service sector companies and is the UK headquarters and main manufacturing site of Portakabin Ltd., part of the Shepherd Building Group.

Public transport

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With the demise of the former railway station under the Beeching Axe in the 1960s, Huntington has since been served by local buses. The main bus operator is First York. As of September 2015, Huntington is served (in at least some capacity) by the following local bus routes:

  • 5/5A (Orange Line) Strensall – City – Acomb[6]
  • 9 (Silver Line) Monks Cross Park & Ride – City[6]
  • 12 (Pink Line) Foxwood – City – Monks Cross[6]
  • 13 (Brown Line) Copmanthorpe - City - Haxby (Mon – Sat only)[7]
  • 14 Foxwood – City – Haxby[6]
  • 16A Acomb – Hamilton Drive – City – Elmfield Ave (Sun only)[7]
  • 20 Acomb – Clifton Moor – Monks Cross – University[7]
  • 99 Monks Cross P&R – Monks Cross Shops[7]
  • 180/181 York – Sheriff Hutton – Castle Howard[7]

Churches

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The River Foss at Huntington

All Saints' Church is in the countryside between Huntington and New Earswick, on Church Lane, off the Old Village in Huntington. It is beside the River Foss, which runs between the two villages. It is a popular location for life ceremonies, especially weddings and baptisms and has an attractive and well-maintained churchyard. There is a large car park nearby, which is used all week by Huntington residents for walks along the river, exercising dogs, horses etc.

St Andrew's Church is home to a lively Christian community whose building sits on Huntington Road, near the Link Road, which connects Huntington to New Earswick. It is close to Huntington Secondary School and is just opposite the New Earswick bowls club and the Hogshead (formerly, the Flag & Whistle) pub. The building includes a hall used for numerous youth and community groups during the week as well as the Ladybirds Nursery School and a school of dance. There is also large scout hut to the rear and together with an active church community the site is in use seven days a week including most evenings. The church has recently been refurbished in order to serve the community better, including creating a new kitchen, office space and improved access to the hall and church buildings.

Both All Saints' and St Andrew's are founder members of Churches Together in Huntington and New Earswick, together with Huntington Methodist Church, New Earswick Methodist Church, St Paulinus' Catholic Church and the New Earswick Religious Society of Friends ('Quakers').

Education

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Huntington Primary Academy is a large local primary school with approximately 400 pupils. Whilst most children of the village attend the school, Huntington Primary also attracts a relatively large proportion of children from neighbouring villages. Yearsley Grove Primary is another primary school in the area, with around 400 pupils as well.

Huntington School is a mixed comprehensive secondary school. The school is a technology college with approximately 1,500 pupils. The current headteacher of the school is Matt Smith, replacing John Tomsett.

Sport

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York Community Stadium in 2020

Huntington was the location of Huntington Stadium, a multi-purpose facility which acted primarily as the home of York City Knights. Next to the stadium lied York WaterWorld. Both were mothballed in 2014 in preparation for works on the York Community Stadium.[8][9] The project would see WaterWorld demolished and Huntington Stadium rebuilt to higher specifications. The new community stadium is home to both York City Knights and York City F.C., the latter relocating from Bootham Crescent, which is to be demolished to make way for a housing development.[10]

A new regional standard athletics track was constructed at the University of York as part of the project to replace the track at Huntington. City of York Athletics Club relocated from Huntington to the university as a result.[11][12] The old stadium's main playing area was completely surrounded by an athletics track and there was also a small area which was used for hammer throwing, shot put and discus. The stadium was equipped with floodlights. There was an all-seater main stand plus a full-length standing-only covered stand on the opposite side.

A community archaeology project was undertaken by York Archaeological Trust in 2015 to record the site of a Roman Marching Camp Site. The work of the local community project "Dig York Stadium" produced a historical record.[13]

After the York Dig had concluded on 19 June 2015[14] demolition of Huntington Stadium began. The project faced delays in 2016 following a legal challenge to a planning application[15][16] and further delays due to being unable to put on required test events in 2020, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.[17][18][19] Nonetheless the LNER Community Stadium complex opened in 2021, and was a host stadium for the 2021 Women's Rugby League World Cup.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "History of Huntington, in York and North Riding | Map and description". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  2. ^ "City of York ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  3. ^ Robinson, F: A History of Huntington Parish Church, pp. 1–5, 1983.
  4. ^ "SYO1685 - Huntington Conservation Area - York Historic Environment Record". York Historic Environment Record. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  5. ^ Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. 87, 125. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
  6. ^ a b c d "York Bus Route Map" (PDF). iTravelYork. City of York Council. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Timetables". iTravelYork. City of York Council. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Q&A: Why do York City's owners want to take over York City Knights?". YorkMix. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  9. ^ "York Waterworld to close for good at the end of November". York Mix. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  10. ^ "The Ground situation". York City Supporters' Trust. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  11. ^ "New Stadium 2014!". City of York Athletic Club. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  12. ^ "The Project". York Community Stadium. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  13. ^ "Dig York Stadium". Dig York Stadium. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  14. ^ "Dig York Stadium". Dig York Stadium. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  15. ^ "York Stadium: Football & rugby clubs say new delay will cause uncertainty". York Press. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  16. ^ "New bombshell for York stadium plan - Vue Cinemas lodge legal challenge". York Press. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  17. ^ Walton, Simon (13 January 2020). "Two test events cancelled at York's new LNER Community Stadium". York Press. York. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  18. ^ Laversuch, Chloe (6 March 2020). "No fresh dates set for test events at LNER Community Stadium". York Press. York. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  19. ^ Laversuch, Chloe (27 July 2020). "Still no opening date for York Community Stadium – as test events delayed indefinitely". YorkMix. York. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  20. ^ "LNER COMMUNITY STADIUM". Better. GLL (Greenwich Leisure Limited). Retrieved 18 June 2021. The stadium will also welcome the world in 2021 after York was announced as a host for the Rugby League World Cup 2021.
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