Vale of York
19 August 2010
Bordered by the historic City of York to the South, the Howardian Hills to the North and the Yorkshire Wolds to the East, this area of Ryedale is crossed by the major routes into the District. The A64 links the North Yorkshire Coast to the A1 and George Hudsons railway, which opened in 1845, runs from York to Scarborough, providing access to Ryedale by train at Malton. This section of railway provides good views of Ryedale, and passes by the ruins of Kirkham Priory, an English Heritage site, set in a beautiful location on the banks of the River Derwent. One notable village in the Vale of York is Sheriff Hutton, which is dominated by the ruins of its castle, built in 1382. In the 15th century, Sheriff Hutton Castle was used by Richard III to imprison his niece, Elizabeth of York, and her cousin Edward, Earl of Warwick. After Richard had been defeated at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the new king, Henry VII, summoned the two cousins to London. He married Elizabeth, thus uniting the Houses of Lancaster and York, but Edward was more unfortunate. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London and eventually executed.
