Towthorpe, North Yorkshire

Towthorpe ( TAU-thorp) is a hamlet in Strensall with Towthorpe civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It lies between Huntington and Strensall about 5 miles (8 km) north of York. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,967. The data for the 2011 census is included in the civil parish of Strensall with Towthorpe, which had a population of 6,047. The hamlet 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. Towthorpe was formerly a township in the parish of Huntington, in 1866 Towthorpe became a separate civil parish, on 1 April 2009 the parish was abolished and merged with Strensall to form "Strensall with Towthorpe". The name Towthorpe derives from the Old Norse Tofiþorp meaning 'Tofi's secondary settlement'. Part of the Strensall training area and adjacent Queen Elizabeth Barracks are located to the north-east of the hamlet. The training area was formerly Strensall and Towthorpe Common.

Nearby Places View Menu

Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Strensall

Queen Elizabeth Barracks is a British Army installation in Strensall, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in the 1880s, and since 2016, it has been under threat of closure, but was reprieved in 2024.

Government Landmark

Haxby railway station

Haxby railway station was a minor railway station serving the town of Haxby in the City of York, England. Located on the York to Scarborough Line it was opened on 5 July 1845 by the York and North Midland Railway. The Y&NMR became part of the North Eastern Railway in 1854 which in turn became part of the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923. It closed on 22 September 1930. Bradshaws timetable for summer 1927 showed 15 trains in each direction on a weekday with two services on a Sunday. Trains operated between York and Flaxton railway station and a number of these were operated by a bus mounted on rail wheels. The initial rail bus was first put into service in 1922 and was based on the road buses operated by the North Eastern Railway (NER) in the Durham area. An additional driving position was fitted to the back and additional doors were fitted in the centre of the bus. The bus could seat 26 passengers and was initially numbered 110. This conflicted with another NER carriage number and was subsequently renumbered to Y130. In July 1923 Y130 was moved to Selby and a new rail motor (number 2130) started work. This was a slightly bigger vehicle seating 30 passengers, being 38-foot (12 m) long and weighing 17.5 tonnes (17.2 long tons; 19.3 short tons). It was renumbered 22105 in August 1926 and worked the service until increasing bus competition killed off the station (although freight services lasted until 1964). 22105 moved to Hull and was withdrawn in 1934. These two vehicles were predecessors of the many Diesel Multiple Units that proliferate on Britain's railways. The York to Scarborough line generally sees an hourly service operated by TransPennine Express services formed of Class 185 Diesel Multiple Unit trains. A number of steam specials use the line during the year.

Landmark Train

Earswick

Earswick is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It lies between Huntington and Strensall about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of York. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 819, increasing to 876 at the 2011 Census. 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. The name Earswick derives from the Old English Aethelricswīc meaning 'Aethelric's trading settlement'.

Landmark Neighbourhood

Strensall Common

Strensall Common is 1,430 acres (578.75 ha) of common land to the east of the village of Strensall, in the City of York, England. The land is recognised as an SSSI and a Special Area of Conservation, with much of it being owned and maintained by the Ministry of Defence, which has a rifle range on its southern edge. Strensall Common is the only known site in England where the moth epione vespertaria has been recorded. The common was also noted historically as being a collection site for the thread of the araneus diadematus spider. The thread was used as a graticule in optical instruments.

Hiking National Park