| Huntington | |
All Saints church, Huntington |
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Huntington
Huntington shown within North Yorkshire |
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| Population | 9,277 |
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| OS grid reference | SE556540 |
| Parish | Huntington |
| Unitary authority | City of York |
| Ceremonial county | North Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | YORK |
| Postcode district | YO32 9 |
| Dialling code | 01904 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament | York Outer |
| List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire | |
Huntington is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of City of York in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Foss, north of York and south of Strensall. Prior to 1996 it was part of the Ryedale district.
According to the 2001 census Huntington had a population of 9,277.
Huntington is made up out 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.
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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 somewhat unusual 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 royal 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.[1]
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 City of 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 years after the war. 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. 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.[2]
The "Flag & Whistle" pub along with the "Blacksmiths Arms" make up the local watering holes. The village also has numerous local shops including a post office, newsagent's, grocer's, butcher's and pharmacy. 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.
The Monks Cross shopping centre is home to several national chain stores and three supermarkets. 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.
All Saints' church is set in the countryside between Huntington and New Earswick. Its location is on Church Lane, off the Old Village in Huntington. It sits beside the river Foss which runs between the two villages. It is a popular location for life ceremonies, especially weddings, and has an attractive and well-maintained churchyard. There is a large carpark nearby which is in constant use all week by Huntington residents (for walks along the river, exercising dogs, horses, etc.)
St. Andrew's church is set on the main Huntington Road surrounded by trees, and by the Link Road connecting Huntington to New Earswick. It is close to Huntington Secondary school, just opposite the Bowls Club and the Flag & Whistle Pub. The site 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. A large scout hut to the rear is used most evenings.
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 ('the Quakers').
Huntington Primary School is a large local primary school with approximately 500 pupils. Whilst most children of the village attend the school, Huntington Primary also attracts a relatively large proportion of children from neighbouring villages.
Huntington School is a very successful mixed comprehensive secondary school. The school is a technology college with approximately 1,600 pupils. The school has a particularly successful sixth form, which was ranked 19th in the country for its results in 2005. The current head teacher is Mr. John Tomsett.