Terrington village is a community that has lots of Hope, Goodwill and charity

SOMETIMES, there’s a major hint about a place in its name, and this is certainly true of the beautiful village of Terrington, situated in the heart of the Howardian Hills.

Theories about the origin of the name abound, but the most common is that it comes from the Saxon word ‘tiefrung’, meaning picture; and indeed it is picture postcard perfect.

The village is dominated by the listed All Saints’ Church, which predates any other part of the village, dating back to Saxon times, though it’s thought that the site was probably a place of worship even earlier.

From the outside, the church is an impressive and attractive building, dominated by its 15th century tower with its sundial, which dates from 1767, and situated in an old churchyard. The interior is equally easy on the eye, with its Saxon herringbone work, 12th century arches, ancient font and bells, ‘arts and crafts’ stained glass and beamed ceiling.

Just next to the church is the old rectory, said at one time to have been the largest in Yorkshire, which is now home to Terrington Hall Preparatory School and, from its grounds, the views which extend across the moors and surrounding hills are truly breathtaking.

The village’s picture-postcard loveliness was the initial charm which attracted Terrington Hall’s new deputy headteacher Stephen Mulryne and his family and they haven’t looked back since they moved in just a couple of months ago.

“I first came to Terrington when I taught at Giggleswick,” said Stephen. “I drove out of the school and it was getting dark and as I was driving through Terrington, everyone had come home and lit their fires and lights and it was so picturesque, I immediately thought, ‘what a lovely place’.”

Having grown up in York, Stephen met wife Helen at university and they lived and worked in the North West, where their children Mikey, two, and Niamh, who is six months old, were born. They decided to move back to Yorkshire to be near family and Stephen’s memory of Terrington returned. And, as luck would have it, a job was going at the school.

“The job came up, I applied and was successful,” smiled Stephen.

“Talk about the luck of the Irish. Not only is Terrington a brilliant place to live, but a brilliant place to work,” he added.

“It’s so safe – I’m looking forward to the day when Mikey is old enough and I can leave the back gate open and say, go and fill your boots and come back when you’re hungry,” laughed Stephen.

Helen is equally as enamoured with Terrington and especially the friendliness of the villagers.

“I went to playgroup this morning and a lady who I have only met twice gave me her number and said that if I ever needed someone to come round and look after the children to give her a call – you wouldn’t get that in a city,” she said.

Stephen reiterates this point.

“Whoever you meet in the village passes the time of day,” he added.

“Only the other day, someone asked me how long we’d been here and I asked him the same question, to which he replied, ’My family moved in in 1524’. You can’t beat that.”

Terrington Hall is not the only learning centre in the village – Terrington Primary School has been at the heart of the village since the 1800s and indeed many of its residents have passed through its doors.

The school has very close links with the community and church and is thriving, serving not only the village, but also neighbouring communities.

John Goodwill’s grandchildren attend the school as did John when he was a young boy.

Born and bred in Terrington, John, who served for 43 years on the parish council, is obviously proud of his roots and of the village which is still his home.

“I’ve lived here all my life – my family has lived here since the 1600s,” he said.

As a boy, he remembers it as a thriving community with all sorts of industry at its core – indeed, many of his family were joiners and carpenters, though he broke the mould and became an electrical engineer.

“There were three shops, two joiners, builders, tailors, cobblers, a blacksmith and quite a lot of farmers,” said John, who is also involved in the village’s history group.

He says that the village has changed a lot. In the 1970s, he was one of only two people who commuted to York, but these days many villagers commute to work as far afield as Sheffield and London.

He also says many people who have moved into the village have set up lots of the numerous and varied clubs and societies, many of which are based at the village hall, creating a focus for the community.

“There’s quite a good village spirit and a great quality of life,” he added.

The other hub in Terrington is undoubtedly the village shop, owned by Ian Hughes and his wife, Kate, who moved to Terrington 20 years ago and have brought up their family here.

“I adored this area - still do,” he smiled.

“One of the beauties of this area is that it’s not been ‘found’ like the Dales or moors - there are more walkers than drivers that pass through.”

Ian, who is also chairman of the village hall, says that his is the last village shop in the Howardian Hills and is keen to preserve it.

“There is certainly a need for it - we create a good service, especially for older people,”

he said. “We get good support and people also come here from the surrounding villages.”

Ian does think that the village needs more affordable housing, though, as house prices are unattainable for many, especially young families.

“Things have got to evolve otherwise there will eventually be no pub, no shop and no village school,” he added.

But change or no change, he recites an old adage he heard even before he came to Terrington.

“There were two main families here – the Hopes and the Goodwills,” he explained.

“There was a saying, ‘There’s plenty of Hope and Goodwill in Terrington, but very little charity’.”

“However, I beg to differ – I find Terrington a charitable place, and plenty of people support the village community.”

• The Selection Box exhibition takes place at the Back o’ the Shop Gallery, Terrington, until Saturday, December 24.

It is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm.