Huntington, City of York
| Huntington | |
 All Saints' Church, Huntington |
|
  Huntington |
|
| Population | 9,277 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SE556540 |
| Civil 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 |
Coordinates: 53°59′33″N 1°02′35″W / 53.992629°N 1.043024°W
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. Before 1996 it was part of the Ryedale district.
According to the 2001 census Huntington had a population of 9,277.
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
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 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 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. 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]
Economy
Local amenities
The Flag & Whistle pub along with the Blacksmith's Arms make up the local watering holes. The village also has numerous 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.
Commerce and industry
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.
The parish churches
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 car park 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, and near the Link Road which connects 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 ('Quakers').
Education
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 headteacher is Mr. John Tomsett.
Sport
Huntington is the location of Huntington Stadium, a multi-purpose facility which acts primarily as the home of York RLFC. The main playing area is completely surrounded by an athletics track and there is also a small area which is used for hammer throwing, shot put and discus. The stadium is equipped with floodlights. There is an all-seater main stand plus a full-length standing-only covered stand on the opposite side.
References
- ↑ Robinson, F: A History of Huntington Parish Church, pp. 1–5, 1983.
- ↑ Butt, R. V. J. (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. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.