{{Short description|Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England}} {{Use British English|date=June 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox UK place | country = England | official_name = Great Ayton | coordinates = {{coord|54|29|24|N|1|08|13|W|region:GB_type:edu|display=title}} | label_position = bottom | population = 4,346 | population_ref = ([[United Kingdom Census 2021|2021 census]])<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/yorkshireandthehumber/north_yorkshire/E63000352__great_ayton/ | title=Great Ayton (North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, United Kingdom) – Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information }}</ref> | static_image_name = Bridge over the Leven at Great Ayton - geograph.org.uk - 1639516.jpg | static_image_caption = Footbridge over the River Leven in Low Green | civil_parish = Great Ayton | unitary_england = [[North Yorkshire (district)|North Yorkshire]] | lieutenancy_england = [[North Yorkshire]] | region = Yorkshire and the Humber | constituency_westminster = [[Richmond and Northallerton]] | post_town = Middlesbrough | postcode_district = TS9 | postcode_area = TS | dial_code = 01642 | os_grid_reference = NZ565115 | website = {{URL|http://www.great-ayton.org.uk/|Parish council website}} }} '''Great Ayton''' is a village and [[Civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in [[North Yorkshire]], England. The [[River Leven, North Yorkshire|River Leven]] (a tributary of the [[River Tees]]) flows through the village, which lies just north of the [[North York Moors]]. According to the 2021 Census, the parish has a population of 4,346.<ref name="2021 census">{{cite web | url=https://citypopulation.de/en/uk/yorkshireandthehumber/north_yorkshire/E63000352__great_ayton/ | title=Great Ayton (Parish, United Kingdom) – Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location }}</ref>
==Etymology== Great Ayton's name derives from Old English ''Ea-tun'', meaning 'river farm'. The river flowing through Great Ayton is the [[river Leven, North Yorkshire|Leven]], a tributary of the [[River Tees]]. A later addition of the word 'great' differentiates the village from nearby [[Little Ayton]].<ref name="UoN">{{cite web |title=Key to English Place-Names |publisher=The University of Nottingham |access-date=20 June 2015 |url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607115257/http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/ |archive-date=7 June 2015}}</ref><ref name="IB:GA">{{cite web |title=A guide to Great Ayton, Cleveland and Teesside |work=Information Britain |access-date=24 June 2015 |url=http://www.information-britain.co.uk/county95/townguideGreat%20Ayton/}}</ref>
== History ==
In the 18th and 19th centuries Great Ayton was a centre for the industries of [[weaving]], [[Tanning (leather)|tanning]], [[brewing]], and [[tile]] making.<ref name="IB:GA"/> Subsequently, [[whinstone]] for road surfacing was also quarried from the Cleveland Dyke<ref name="WM">{{cite web |last=O'Sullivan |first=Dan |title=Whinstone Mining |work=Great Ayton – History of the Village |access-date=20 June 2015 |url=http://greatayton.wdfiles.com/local--files/whinstone/Whinstone-Mining.pdf }}</ref> along with [[Ironstone mining in Cleveland and North Yorkshire|ironstone]], [[jet (lignite)|jet]] and [[alum]] from the Cleveland Hills.<ref name="EVR:GA">{{cite web |title=Great Ayton |work=Esk Valley Railway |access-date=24 June 2015 |year=2009 |url=http://www.eskvalleyrailway.co.uk/stations/greatayton.html}}</ref><ref name="WTY:GA">{{cite web |title=Great Ayton |work=Welcome to Yorkshire |access-date=21 June 2015 |url=http://www.yorkshire.com/places/herriot-country/great-ayton}}</ref>
Great Ayton was home to the [[Great Ayton Friends' School]] run by the [[Quakers]], from 1841 until it closed in 1997.<ref name="GA">{{cite web |title=Ayton School – the later years |work=Great Ayton – History of the Village |access-date=20 June 2015 |url=http://greatayton.wdfiles.com/local--files/schools/Friends-School-Great-Ayton-Last-50-years.pdf }}</ref>
The village serves as the base for [[Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Flanagan |first1=Emily |title=Rescue volunteers to climb from dawn until dusk |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/15476967.cleveland-rescue-volunteers-pitting-roseberry-topping-great-ayton/ |access-date=24 January 2020 |work=The Northern Echo |date=17 August 2017 |url-access=limited}}</ref>
From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the [[Hambleton District]], it is now administered by the unitary [[North Yorkshire Council]].
== Geography ==
[[File:Great Ayton, North Yorkshire.jpg|thumb|left|Looking south-west to Great Ayton from Cliff Ridge]]
Great Ayton is at the foot of the [[Cleveland Hills]] beneath [[Easby Moor]] and the distinctively-shaped [[Roseberry Topping]]. The [[River Leven, North Yorkshire|River Leven]], a tributary of the [[River Tees]], flows through the village and links its two centres, High Green and Low Green. The Cleveland Dyke, a narrow band of hard [[whinstone]] rock that runs for about 31 miles between [[Robin Hood's Bay]] and [[Eaglescliffe]] lies to the north-east of the village.
The village lies near [[Middlesbrough]]'s built-up area, south-east by less than {{convert|3|mi|km|1}}, {{convert|7|mi|km|1}} from its centre. It is also {{convert|3|mi|km|1}} north-east of [[Stokesley]] and {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} from [[Guisborough]]. From 1894 to 1974, it was in the [[Stokesley Rural District]] of the [[North Riding of Yorkshire]]. The centre is {{convert|3/4|mi|km|1}} from the nexus of [[Redcar and Cleveland]], [[borough of Middlesbrough]] and the Hambleton districts. This is in keeping with the [[Langbaurgh, North Yorkshire|Langbaurgh]] hamlet as a historic meeting place of the [[Langbaurgh Wapentake]].
An [[Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom|electoral ward]], of the same name, stretches east to [[Kildale]] with a population of 4,973 at the 2011 census .<ref>{{NOMIS2011|id=1237325066|title=Great Ayton 2011 Census Ward|accessdate=25 April 2018}}</ref>{{clear |left}}
== Transport == The village is served by [[Great Ayton railway station]] on the [[Esk Valley Line]].
== Landmarks == {{main|Listed buildings in Great Ayton}} The village landmarks below all relate to [[James Cook|Captain Cook]].
* A granite obelisk now marks the original site of the Cook family cottage in Great Ayton. '[[Cooks' Cottage]]' is now to be found in [[Fitzroy Gardens]] in [[Melbourne]], Australia, having been dismantled in England and rebuilt in Australia in 1934. The obelisk is constructed from granite taken from [[Point Hicks]], the first land sighted by Cook in Australia. * The [[Captain Cook Schoolroom Museum]] is within a former [[charity school]], founded in 1704 by landowner Michael Postgate. James Cook received his early education here from 1736 to 1740. * Unveiled on 12 May 1997 on High Green is a statue depicting James Cook at the age of 16 looking towards [[Staithes]] where, according to tradition, he first felt the lure of the sea. This was commissioned by Hambleton District Council and is the work of sculptor Nicholas Dimbleby. {{gallery |align = center |File:"Capt. Cook's Cottage" Obelisk - geograph.org.uk - 61648.jpg|Cook family's Cottage obelisk |File:Back entrance to the Schoolroom Museum in Great Ayton - geograph.org.uk - 1608676.jpg|Captain Cook Schoolroom Museum |File:boyhood james cook statue.jpg|Statue of James Cook as a youth }}
== Religion ==
===Anglican=== The [[Church of England]] [[parish church]] of [[Christ Church, Great Ayton|Christ Church]] was built in 1876 and now designated a Grade II [[listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1150639|desc=Christ Church|accessdate=14 September 2018}}</ref> It holds a number of services during the day that attract a total attendance of about 200. In the summer months, the evening service takes place in [[All Saints' Church, Great Ayton]], the former parish church, which dates back to the 12th century.<ref name="ACNY:CC">{{cite web |title=Christ Church, Great Ayton |publisher=The Church of England |work=A Church Near You |access-date=20 June 2015 |url=http://www.achurchnearyou.com/great-ayton-christ-church/}}</ref> The church has an organ built by [[James Jepson Binns]].<ref name="ACNY:CC"/>
[[James Cook|James Cook's]] mother and siblings are buried in the churchyard of [[Church of All Saints, Great Ayton|All Saints' Church]].<ref name="ACNY:AS">{{cite web |title=All Saints (Old Church), Great Ayton |work=A Church Near You |publisher=The Church of England |access-date=12 September 2011 |url=http://www.achurchnearyou.com/great-ayton-all-saints-old-church/}}</ref>
===Methodist=== The [[Methodist Church]] opened over one hundred years ago and has seen many developments over the years. In the 1960s, the ‘youth hall’ was built providing the church with facilities for events, activities, meetings and catering. The kitchen was improved to allow the preparation of full meals and later still a great deal of work was done to modernise and improve access to the building.
In September 2024, Easby Methodist Chapel and Great Ayton Methodist Church formally became one church on two sites under minister Rev Rob Weir.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.greataytonmethodists.org.uk/about/the-church/ |title=Great Ayton Methodist Church |accessdate=5 January 2025}}</ref>
===Catholic=== [[St Margaret Clitherow's Church, Great Ayton|St Margaret Clitherow's Church]] is a [[Chapel of Ease]] for St Joseph's Church, Stokesley.
Until the 1960s, Catholics in Great Ayton worshipped at St Joseph's Church, Stokesley. In 1966, a Sunday mass was instituted in the ambulance station in the village. In 1970, a purpose-built timber-framed church was opened on Race Terrace, and in 1971 it was dedicated to [[Margaret Clitherow]], becoming the first church in the world dedicated to the recently canonised saint.<ref>{{cite book |last1=O'Sullivan |first1=Dan |title=Great Ayton – A History of the Village |date=1996 |isbn=9780950885834}}</ref> In 2002, part of the church was demolished, and a new octagonal building was constructed, the remainder of the old building being retained as a church hall. The new church was designed by DKS Architects and is in red brick with stone details, and a grey tile roof. Two stained glass windows were installed, with designs by Kyme Studios.<ref>{{cite news |title=Glory is all around an octagon |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/7087711.glory-around-octagon/ |access-date=3 November 2024 |work=Northern Echo |date=11 January 2002}}</ref>
===Society of Friends=== The Society of Friends meets at the [[Great Ayton Quaker Meeting House|Quaker Meeting House]], which is on High Green.
Meetings take place each Sunday at 10:30 am, as well as each Wednesday, 10-10:30 am followed by refreshments. A monthly half-hour silent contemplative meeting is held in Guisborough.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.quaker.org.uk/meetings/great-ayton |title=Great Ayton Quaker Meeting |accessdate=5 January 2025}}</ref>
===Great Ayton Churches Gallery=== {{gallery |align = center |File:Christ Church, Great Ayton - geograph.org.uk - 593094.jpg|Christ Church |File:Great Ayton Church of All Saints.jpg|Church of All Saints |File:St. Margaret's Church, Great Ayton.jpg|St Margaret's Church, Great Ayton }}
== Notable people == The village was the boyhood home of [[James Cook|Captain Cook]], the British [[List of explorers|explorer]] and [[navigator]], who was born in nearby [[Marton, Middlesbrough|Marton]]. [[James Cook]] and his family moved to the village when he was eight years old and lived there until he was sixteen. The [[Cooks' Cottage|Cook family home]] on Bridge Street was built by James' father in 1755. The cottage was dismantled in 1934 to be shipped to [[Australia]]. Each stone was numbered so that the cottage could be reconstructed exactly in its new home in the [[Fitzroy Gardens]] in [[Melbourne]].
[[William Wilson (Commodore)|Commodore William Wilson]] retired to Great Ayton in 1762, after a varied maritime career with the [[East India Company]] He lived there for over 30 years, and became friends with James Cook, who maintained his ties with the area.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thornton |first1=Cliff |title=Commodore William Wilson of Great Ayton (1715-1795) |url=http://greatayton.wdfiles.com/local--files/family-histories/William-Wilson.pdf |website=Great Ayton History of the Village |access-date=3 March 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Beaglehole | first=J.C. | title=The Life of Captain James Cook | publisher=Hakluyt Society | year=1992 | isbn=978-0-7136-1382-7 | page=284}}</ref>
Cyclist brothers [[Harry Tanfield|Harry]] and [[Charlie Tanfield]], were born in the village. They share a birthday, 17 November, 1994 and 1996 respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2018-04-06/great-aytons-charlie-tanfield-takes-commonwealth-gold/ |title=Great Ayton's Charlie Tanfield takes Commonwealth gold |publisher=ITV News |date=6 April 2018 |access-date=20 September 2018}}</ref>
== References ==
{{reflist|33em}}
== External links ==
{{commons category|Great Ayton}} * [http://www.great-ayton.org.uk/ Great Ayton Tourism, Parish Council, and Community Website] * [https://www.visitgreatayton.com/ Visit Great Ayton (Travel and Tourism website)] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20050406091242/http://www.hambleton.gov.uk/hambleton/tourism.nsf/pages/greatayton.html Great Ayton – Information for visitors from Hambleton District Council] * [http://www.captaincookschoolroommuseum.co.uk/ The Captain Cook Schoolroom Museum Website]
{{navboxes |list1 = {{Geographic location |Northwest = [[Nunthorpe]] |North = [[Newton under Roseberry]] |Northeast = ''[[Roseberry Topping]]'' |West = |Centre = Great Ayton |East = ''[[Easby Moor]]'',<br />[[Easby Moor#Captain Cook's Monument|Captain Cook's Monument]] |Southwest = [[Stokesley]] |South = [[Great Broughton, North Yorkshire|Great Broughton]] |Southeast = [[Little Ayton]],<br />[[Easby, Hambleton|Easby]],<br />[[Ingleby Greenhow]] }} {{North Yorkshire}} {{authority control}} }}
[[Category:Great Ayton| ]] [[Category:Villages in North Yorkshire]] [[Category:Civil parishes in North Yorkshire]] [[Category:Obelisks in England]] [[Category:Monuments and memorials in North Yorkshire]]