EAST & WEST AYTON

East Ayton and West Ayton are two villages located on either side of the River Derwent, to the west of Scarborough that lie within the National Park. The Conservation Area was designated in March 1995 and a small section extends into the adjacent Scarborough District. The Norman church of St John the Baptist in East Ayton and the remains of the fourteenth century Ayton Castle are the earliest surviving structures in the area. During the late nineteenth century The Forge Valley Railway was constructed between Scarborough and Pickering, with 6 station stops and Forge Valley Station was located in West Ayton.  The line opened in 1882, and led to the residential expansion of the village during the early twentieth century.

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Woodhall was commissioned to undertake a character appraisal and management plan for the designated area.  The boundary of the designated area was reviewed and a number of alterations were recommended the most significant being the inclusion of the Forge Valley Railway Line and housing development immediately adjacent to the station area.