Strensall
is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City
of York in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Foss north of
York and north-east of Haxby. Prior to 1996 it had been part of
the Ryedale district.
Strensall is referred to in the Domesday Book and belonged to the
Archbishops of York since before 1214, apart from a short period
in 1547 when it was briefly held by Duke of Somerset and Lord Wharton.
During the reign of Edward the Confessor the manor and land belonged
to a couple of Saxon lords known as Sasford and Turchil[. The Hall
with its moat and large grounds were to the north of the church.
On the same site probably stood the manor-house of 1649 and 1757
which also had a moat.
To the south of the village lays Strensall Camp, formed by the War
Office in 1884 for training troops. It covers about 1800 acres and
stretches to Towthorpe. The military estate includes accommodation
and a firing range. During the latter half of the 20th century,
the camp was known as Queen Elizabeth Barracks and was home of the
Training Depot of the Kings' Division.
The beautiful Strensall Common lies to the east of the village and
forms part of the surrounding lowland heath and is perfect for wedding
photography. There are a number of different habitats, such as wet
heath, dry heath and birch/oak woodland with areas of standing water.
The silver birch particularly make a striking backdrop for the creative
wedding photographer and avenues of trees frame strolling couples
perfectly.
There are over 60 species of bird and some interesting insects such
as glow worms. Other wildlife seen here include fox, hare and harvest
mouse. Hebridean sheep and Highland cattle grazing during summer
to keep down vegetation. The site is maintained by the Yorkshire
Wildlife Trust.
If you having a wedding in the villages such as Haxby, Flaxton,
Sherriff Hutton, Rawcliffe and Huntington I would recommend you
get your wedding photographer to take a detour (with the bride and
groom of course) and have some quite time taking some portraits
on Strensall Common.
Chris and Louise's wedding was at the airy and bright St Mary's
in Haxby and then after some quiet and relaxed wedding photography
on Strensall Common we moved on to Queen Elizabeth barracks for
some wedding catering, army style. It was a lovely relaxed day and
the bride and groom looked great in their respective outfits. Happy
Days!!!
