Elvington, City of York

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bridge over River Derwent (1985)

Elvington is a village approximately 7 miles south-east of York on the B1228 York-Howden road. The River Derwent forms part of the parish boundary and an ancient stone bridge connects Elvington with Sutton upon Derwent. Elvington was part of the East Riding of Yorkshire until local government boundary changes in 1974 when it became part of the Selby district in North Yorkshire and subsequently in 1996 became part of the City of York unitary authority.

According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,212.

It is mentioned in the Domesday Book and contains the Elizabethan Elvington Hall. It was made a Conservation Area in 1990.

The Grey Horse Inn is the public house located in the centre of the village. The village also has a church, shop, primary school, and sports field. There are a number of organised clubs and societies operating within the village, including drama, Scouts, various sewing groups and a toddler group and playgroup.

There is a bus service (number 195) operated by EYMS to York, running two or three buses each day. Between 1913 and 1926 Elvington was served by a passenger service on the Derwent Valley Light Railway. The line was open for freight traffic until 1973.

Elvington is home of one of the most unusual homes in Britiain. In 2006 a fifty year old derelict bowling alley was converted into a private home whilst still incorporating a 55 foot long bowling lane. The original bowling alley was built in the 1950s for US troops stationed at RAF Elvington and it was a regular meeting place for members of Strategic Air Command.^[1]

[edit] Airfield

Main article: RAF Elvington

The Yorkshire Air Museum is based at Elvington Airfield, a former World War 2 bomber station. The main runway was expanded in the Cold War era to become one of the longest in Europe, this was to enable it to accept large American bombers such as the B52.The Yorkshire Airshow, the largest airshow in the north of England is held during August at Elvington Airfield.

By the 1970s the airfield was the outdoor location for a series of Selwyn Froggit, a situation comedy on British Television.

The airfield has a large race track, which is frequently used for drag racing and other motorsport events. On the 20 September 2006, the airfield also played host to Television's Richard Hammond and his near fatal attempt to break the land speed record.