Oswaldkirk

Oswaldkirk is a small village and civil parish 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Helmsley and 20 miles (32 km) north of York in North Yorkshire, England. It is named after the village church of St Oswald, King and Martyr, the Anglo-Saxon King of Northumbria who was slain by the pagan, Penda in 642. There was previously the Catholic St Aidan's Church, Oswaldkirk, which closed in 2020. The population of the village as taken at the 2011 census was 230. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Ryedale, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. The village is situated at the junction of the roads B1257 and B1363 and straddles the boundaries of the North York Moors National Park and the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Non-ecclesiastical amenities include a playground, a village hall and The Malt Shovel pub. The Millennium Trail, a 1.4 miles (2.3 km) circular waymarked walk around Oswaldkirk, takes in the major historical sites and points of interest. The village is also on the path of the Ebor Way. Each year the village holds a Safari Lunch, a Cricket match and a Bonfire. Every two years there is a benefice Hog Roast (Ampleforth, Gilling East, Stonegrave & Oswaldkirk). In 2002 the village community wrote a book entitled Oswaldkirk: A Living Village. In 2008, the village reached the North of England Finals in the Calor village of the year competition, and was placed first in the "people" category.