New Earswick is a model village and civil parish in the unitary authority of City of York in North Yorkshire, England, near the River Foss, north of York and south of Haxby. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 2,812, reducing to 2,737 at the 2011 Census.
The village was historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. It was then a part of the district of Ryedale in North Yorkshire from 1974 until 1996. Since 1996 it has been part of the City of York unitary authority.
History
The village of New Earswick was built as a genuine mixed community. There was housing for both workers and managers, in a green setting with gardens for each home with its own 2 fruit trees. It was founded by the York philanthropist, Joseph Rowntree, who was quoted as saying, "I do not want to establish communities bearing the stamp of charity but rather of rightly ordered and self governing communities". The first 28 houses were designed between 1902 and 1904 by the architect Raymond Unwin, after which the Joseph Rowntree Village Trust (now the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust) was established to continue building and manage the new village. The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust is part of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
The village had contemporaries such as Bournville, Saltaire, Port Sunlight and others. It presented a sharp contrast to the slums that had developed in York and other cities during the 19th century, the deprivation of which had been revealed in Seebohm Rowntree's report of 1901, entitled Poverty: a study of town life. It revealed appalling statistics of dark, overcrowded and insanitary housing.
As a result of the report, Joseph Rowntree's conviction that it must be possible to provide better housing for people on low incomes led him to acquire 150 acres of land near the village of Earswick, two and a half miles to the north of the centre of York. The planner Raymond Unwin and the architect Barry Parker were commissioned to produce an overall plan for a new 'garden' village and the detailed designs for its first houses. They also designed the garden cities of Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City.
The building of New Earswick created a balanced village community where rents were kept low, but still represented a modest commercial return on the capital invested. Houses were open to any working people, not just Rowntree employees. The village was to be a demonstration of good practice.
The Trust Deed of the Joseph Rowntree Village Trust, which was set up in 1904 to build and manage New Earswick, safeguarded generous open green space. All the grass verges were planted with trees after which almost all the roads are named. The village was built with bricks that were made in the brickworks on the outskirts of New Earswick. From 1950 the brickyard, which closed down in the 1930s, was developed into a nature reserve.
Due to their religious beliefs, The Rowntree family decreed there would not be a public house in the village. There never has been, although the Sports Club obtained a drinks licence in the 1980s.
Governance
New Earswick is part of the Huntington & New Earswick Ward of the City of York Council. As of 2010 it is represented by Keith Hyman, Keith Orrel and Carol Runciman who are all members of the local Liberal Democrat Party.
A Parish Council was created in 1934 consisting of ten elected councillors and a clerk.
Community
There is a local community centre, the Folk Hall, which hosts activities such as keep-fit, yoga, snooker, and a junior youth club. New Earswick has recreational facilities, including a swimming pool currently run by a charitable organisation, the Friends of New Earswick Swimming Pool, tennis courts and football, rugby and cricket pitches at the New Earswick Sports and Social Club. There were two open access play areas close to the Folk Hall, including a hard surface play area which have recently been bulldozed for a development of houses. There is a library based in the Integrated Children's Centre at the local primary school, a doctor's surgery and a range of shops, including two general stores, a pet shop and Post Office. As of 2017 the Post Office is situated within the Folk Hall.
The village has 36 allotments in two areas, Willow Bank and Sleeper Path.
In the 1960s, the Folk Hall was a live music venue featuring the likes of Procol Harum and Pink Floyd.