- This article is about the geographical area. For the UK parliamentary constituency, see Vale of York (UK Parliament constituency). Vale of York is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The Vale of York is an area of flat land in the north-east of England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The vale is a major agricultural area and serves as the main north-south transport corridor for northern England.
The Vale of York is often supposed to stretch from the River Tees in the north to the Humber estuary in the south. The Tees is a river in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the Pennines, and flows eastwards for about 85 miles The Humber is a large tidal Estuary on the east coast of northern England More properly it is just the central part of this area which is truly the Vale of York, with the Vale of Mowbray to its north and the Humberhead Levels to its south. The Vale of Mowbray (sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Vale of York) is a stretch of low lying land between the North Yorkshire Moors and the Cleveland The Humberhead Levels area is a large expanse of very flat low lying land lying towards the eastern end of the Humber estuary in northern England It is bounded by the Howardian Hills and Yorkshire Wolds to the east and the Pennines to the west. The Howardian Hills form an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Yorkshire, England. The Yorkshire Wolds are low hills in the East Riding of Yorkshire in North-Eastern England. The Pennines are a low-rising Mountain range in Northern England and southern Scotland. The low lying ridge of the Escrick moraine marks its southern boundary. Escrick is a village in North Yorkshire, situated south of York city centre and north of Selby on the main A19 road. Moraine refers to any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris (soil and rock which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions such as those York lies in the middle of the area. York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England.
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Geography
Climate
As part of the United Kingdom, the Vale of York generally has cool summers and relatively mild winters. Weather conditions vary from day to day as well as from season to season. The latitude of the area means that it is influenced by predominantly westerly winds with depressions and their associated fronts, bringing with them unsettled and windy weather, particularly in winter. Between depressions there are often small mobile anticyclones that bring periods of fair weather. In winter anticyclones bring cold dry weather. In summer the anticyclones tend to bring dry settled conditions which can lead to drought. For its latitude this area is mild in winter and cooler in summer due to the influence of the Gulf Stream in the northern Atlantic Ocean. Air temperature varies on a daily and seasonal basis. The temperature is usually lower at night and January is the coldest time of the year. The vale is in the rain shadow of the Pennines so has a lower rainfall total than areas to the west. It is also subject to more fog and frosts in winter than other areas because of the tendency of cold air to drain into the vale from surrounding higher ground.
Geology
Beneath the drift deposits of the vale of York lie Triassic sandstone and mudstone, and lower Jurassic mudstone but these are completely masked by the surface deposits. The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 251 to 199 Ma (million years ago The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Ma (million years ago to Ma that is from the end of the Triassic to the beginning These deposits include glacial till, sand and gravel and both terminal and recessional moraines left by receding ice sheets at the end of the last ice age. The Escrick moraine extends across the vale from west to east and the York moraine, 8 miles further north, forms a similar curving ridge from York eastwards to Sand Hutton. To the north of these ridges are deposits of clay, sand and gravel left by a glacial lake. There are also areas of river alluvium consisting of clay, silt and sand deposited by the main rivers and streams. [1]
Drainage
The Vale of York is drained southwards by the River Ouse and its tributaries, the Ure, the Nidd and the Foss. The River Ouse (pronounced "ooze" is a river in North Yorkshire, England. The River Ure is a river in North Yorkshire, England. It is the principal river of Wensleydale, which is the only one of the famous Yorkshire The River Nidd is tributary of the River Ouse in the English county of North Yorkshire. The River Foss is an improved River in North Yorkshire, England, and a Tributary of the River Ouse. To the east of the area the River Derwent drains southwards into the Ouse. The Derwent is a River in Yorkshire in the north of England. It is used for water abstraction leisure and sporting activities and effluent disposal There are also frequent stream courses and drainage channels which link with the main rivers crossing the Vale. Many of these watercourses are maintained and managed by local Internal Drainage Boards to ensure sustainable water levels are kept across the Vale [2]. An Internal Drainage Board (IDB is a type of Operating authority which occur in areas of special Drainage need in England and Wales with permissive powers
Natural history
The landscape is generally low lying and flat although minor ridges and glacial moraines provide some variations in topography. Where there are dry sandy soils there are remnants of historic heathlands and ancient semi natural woodlands. There are some large areas of conifer plantation, mainly Scots pine, on the infertile sandy areas.
Arable fields dominate the land cover of the area and grasslands are infrequent. There are very few flood meadows left along the river valleys although some significant areas remain on the lower reached of the River Derwent. [3]
History
The drier land in the Vale of York, away from the river valleys, would have been extensively cleared for pastoral farming and small scale cropping before the Roman era. The area around York was significantly influenced by the Romans who established their legionary fortress of Eboracum there. There is evidence of villas, forts, signal stations and roads constructed by them. [4]
The vale suffered badly from the Harrying of the North when King William I of England devastated the northern counties of England to punish the population for their resistance to his conquest. The Harrying (or Harrowing) of the North was a series of campaigns waged by William the Conqueror, in the winter of 1069 &ndash 1070 Later, in the English Medieval period. manors and villages were established with open fields, some of which survived until the Enclosure Acts of the 18th century. The Inclosure Acts were a series of United Kingdom Acts of Parliament which enclosed open fields and Common land in the country During the English Civil War, between Royalists and Parliamentarians, the Battle of Marston Moor was fought on land to the west of York. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on July 2 1644 during the First English Civil War of 1642&ndash1646 [1]
Economy
The soils, formed from glacial till, sand and gravel are generally fertile and nearly all the land is in arable use growing large areas of wheat, sugar beet and potatoes. There is a steady move away from livestock rearing and dairy farming.
The City of York tends to dominate the vale economically and is a centre for tourism, retail, commerce, light engineering and food processing. The University of York and its associated science park are also major economic assets. The University of York is a Campus university in the city of York, England. [1]
Transport
The A1 and A19 trunk roads pass through the vale carrying traffic in a north-south direction and a number of other major roads radiate from York. The A19 is a major Road in England, running parallel to and east of the A1 road. The East Coast Main Line railway connecting London with Edinburgh traverses the vale from north to south and there are a number of east-west rail links to Leeds, Harrogate and Scarborough. The East Coast Main Line ( ECML) is the electrified high-speed railway link between London and Edinburgh connecting Yorkshire, North East London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. Leeds ( is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England Harrogate (or Harrogate Spa) is a large wealthy Spa town in North Yorkshire, England. Scarborough is a town on the North Sea coast of North Yorkshire, England. [5]
Places of interest
Settlements
The largest settlement in the vale, apart from York, is Easingwold. Easingwold is a small market town in North Yorkshire, England. Other villages typically exhibit a linear form with houses of mottled pink brick and pantiled roofs facing each other on either side of a main street. [6]
References
- ^ a b c The Vale of York (pdf). Sheriff Hutton is a Village and Civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. Wheldrake is a Village located seven miles (11 km south-east of York. Natural England. Retrieved on 2008-02-08. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
- ^ York Consortium of Drainage Boards
- ^ The Countryside Agency. Vale of York
- ^ English Heritage
- ^ Philips OS Road Atlas 2006. Philips. London.
- ^ The Countryside Agency. Vale of York
External links
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