Aldwark is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the county of

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, England. It is situated on the

River Ure The River Ure in North Yorkshire, England, is about long from its source to the point where it becomes the River Ouse. It is the principal river of Wensleydale, which is the only major dale now named after a village rather than its river. ...

, about 14 miles from

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

. The village lies within a conservation area. At the 2001 census it had a population of 116, increasing to 308 at the 2011 census (and including Flawith and Youlton).

History

The name derives from the Old Saxon, ''ald weorc'', meaning ''Old Fort'' and probably refers to the Roman fort guarding the ferry crossing on the old Roman road to

that passed through here. The village is mentioned in the ''

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

'' as ''Adewera'' and belonged to Ligulf in the Bulford Hundred. It was handed over to Count Robert of Mortain by 1086.

Governance

The village lies within the Thirsk and Malton Parliamentary constituency. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Hambleton, it is now administered by the unitary

North Yorkshire Council North Yorkshire Council, known between 1974 and 2023 as North Yorkshire County Council, is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire, England. Since 2023 the council has been a unitary authority, being a county coun ...

. The parish council has been combined with those of Flawith and

Youlton Youlton is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately south-west of Easingwold and from York. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was fewer than 100. Details are inclu ...

to form Aldwark Area Parish. There are five councillors, three of whom represent Aldwark.

Demography

According to the 2001 census, the population was 116 in 50 households. Of these, 31 were detached dwellings and 18 of them were owner occupied. Of the total population, 102 were over 16 years old and 69 were in employment. At the 2011 census, the population had risen to 308 in 126 dwellings. Of these, 30.5% were aged 45–59.

Geography

The village is located on the east bank of the

and about 2,236 acres in size. The Ure changes its name to the River Ouse further downstream from Aldwark. The soil is primarily

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

Aldwark Bridge Aldwark Bridge is a historic bridge over the River Ure in North Yorkshire, in England. Until the mid-18th century, a ferry connected the two banks of the river at Aldwark, Hambleton, Aldwark. The ferryman in 1768 was John Thomson, and that yea ...

is a

toll bridge A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or '' toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road ...

over the river leading to

Great Ouseburn Great Ouseburn is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated south-east of Boroughbridge. The village of Aldwark, Hambleton, Aldwark is to the north-east. It had a population of 598 according to the 20 ...

. It costs 40p for cars; more for larger vehicles. It is reputed to have been damaged by an iceberg in the 19th century. The village has two areas of woodland: Aldwark Wood and Aldwark Bridge Wood to the south of the village. There is a river monitoring station at Aldwark Bridge. River levels normally range between and , with the record high level being .

Village amenities

The village is the location for the

Aldwark Manor Aldwark Manor is a historic building in Aldwark, North Yorkshire, a village in England. There was a moated manor house on the site from the Mediaeval period, and it was owned by the Frankland family from the late 16th century. It was demolishe ...

Golf Club and Spa Hotel and Rising Sun Fisheries. There is a public house in the village called the ''Aldwark Arms''. Aldwark Scout Activity Centre, operated by Central Yorkshire Scout County, is located next to the Aldwark Toll Bridge on Boat Lane. The village is served by one bus route between

Easingwold Easingwold is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically, part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it had a population of 4,233 at the 2001 census, increasing to 4,627 at the 2011 Census. I ...

and York.

Religion

St Stephen's Church, Aldwark St Stephen's Church is the parish church of Aldwark, Hambleton, Aldwark, a village north-west of York, in North Yorkshire in England. The building was funded by Lady Frankland-Russell and was designed by Edward Buckton Lamb. John Betjeman note ...

, is a quirky design by the Victorian architect

Edward Buckton Lamb Edward Buckton Lamb (1806–1869) was a British architect who exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1824. Lamb was labelled a 'Rogue Gothic Revivalist', and his designs were roundly criticised for breaking with convention, especially by '' The E ...

. It is a Grade II listed building that was consecrated in 1854.

References

External links

* * {{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire