Elvington, City of York

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Elvington
latitude= 53.920061
longitude= -0.934786
population = 1,212
unitary_england= York
region= Yorkshire and the Humber
lieutenancy_england= North Yorkshire
constituency_westminster= York Outer
post_town= YORK
postcode_district = YO41
postcode_area= YO
dial_code= 01904
os_grid_reference= SE699476

Elvington is a village approximately 7 miles south-east of York, England, on the B1228 York-Howden road. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,212. 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. In 1996 it became part of the City of York unitary authority.

History

The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book, which states that in 1066 Ulfketill had six carucates of land taxable, where three ploughs were possible. There is in 1086 a further mention of the church, which is Norman in origin and exists in part today. [ [http://www.elvington-york.co.uk/index.php?id=15 Elvington-York.co.uk] ]
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, was in control of the manor until his death. In the village there is Elvington Hall, built during Elizabethan times; famous writer Laurence Sterne lived there for a period of his childhood; Roger Jacques and Simone Sterne, his grandparents, controlled the manor prior to 1700. [ [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22997 British-History.ac.uk] ]

1900s onwards

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.

During 1942, the airfield RAF Elvington was built; it was used in World War II. The airfield was vacated in 1958 and by May 1986 parts of it were turned into the Yorkshire Air Museum, open to the general public. The airfield still had the status of a relief landing ground until September 1992. It is now used for motorsports and an airshow.

Today

Elvington was made a Conservation Area in 1990. There is a bus service (number 195) operated by EYMS to York, running two or three buses each day.

The [http://www.thegreyhorse.com "Grey Horse Inn"] is a 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.

Elvington has one of the most unusual homes in Britain. In 2006, a 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 U.S. troops stationed at RAF Elvington and it was a regular meeting place for members of Strategic Air Command. [cite book | last = "Yorkshire Life" | first = | authorlink = | author = Dixon, Heather | title = Right Up Your Alley | month = July | year = 2006 | publisher = Archant Life | id = ]

Airfield

The Yorkshire Air Museum is based at Elvington Airfield, a former World War II bomber station. The main runway was expanded in the Cold War era to become one of the longest in Europe, which enabled it to accept large American bombers such as the B52. The Yorkshire Airshow, the largest airshow in the north of England, was held here annually (now bi-annually) during August.

The airfield has a large race track, which is frequently used for drag racing and other motorsport events. In November 1966, Italian motor scooter rider Alberto Ancillotti on his Lambretta bike established the 106 mph terminal speed record at this venue. [ [http://www.mmlambretta.com/ancillotti/index.html MMLambretta.com] ] [ [http://www.racinglambrettas.com/howthetdidit/ancillotti%20interview.html RacingLambrettas.com] ] [ [http://www.ancillotti.com/story_corpo.htm Ancilotti.com] ]

In the 1970s the airfield was the outdoor location for a series of "Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt!", a situation comedy on British television. On 20 September 2006, the airfield also played host to television's Richard Hammond and his near-fatal attempt to break the land speed record.

References

External links

* [http://www.elvington-york.co.uk Elvington Village website]
* [http://www.elvington.org/ Yorkshire Airshow]
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22997 Elvington in British History Online]
* [http://www.art-from-the-start.co.uk/designportfolio_6.asp Bowling alley conversion]
* [http://www.elvingtonharriers.co.uk Elvington Harriers Football Club]
* [http://www.elvingtonhistory.org.uk Elvington Village History]