West Ayton

West Ayton is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. Located upon the west bank of the River Derwent adjacent to East Ayton.

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West Ayton
Low Mill weir on the River Derwent
West Ayton Location within North Yorkshire
Population	881 (2011 census)[1]
OS grid reference	SE986847
Civil parish	West Ayton
Unitary authority	North Yorkshire
Ceremonial county	North Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SCARBOROUGH
Postcode district	YO13
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	Scarborough and Whitby
List of places UK England Yorkshire 54.247°N 0.487°W / 54.247; -0.487 / 54.247; -0.487][[Category:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas]]"},"html":"Coordinates: </templatestyles>\"}' data-mw='{\"name\":\"templatestyles\",\"attrs\":{\"src\":\"Module:Coordinates/styles.css\"},\"body\":{\"extsrc\":\"\"}}'/>54°14′49″N 0°29′13″W / 54.247°N 0.487°W / 54.247; -0.487"}">

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According to the 2011 UK census, West Ayton parish had a population of 881,^[1] an increase on the 2001 UK census figure of 831.^[2]

From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the Borough of Scarborough, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council.

The ruins of Ayton castle can be found to the east of the village. The tower dates back to 1390 and was built by Ralph Eure. During the 1670s, stone from the castle was used to rebuild the bridge over the River Derwent.^[3]

Just south of the village is the Wykeham Lakes park. This is a fishery and water-sports complex run by the Downe family's Dawnay Estates programme. The lakes are built on the site of a former First World War Royal Flying Corps airfield (known as West Ayton) that was used by No. 251 Squadron. The airfield was abandoned after 1919.^[4][5][6][7]