Ruswarp

This article is about the village. For the dog, see Settle–Carlisle line § Statue of Ruswarp.

Ruswarp (/ˈrʌsəp/ RUS-əp)^[1] is a village in the civil parish of Whitby, in North Yorkshire, England. It is around 1.8 miles (2.9 km) from Whitby, at the junction of the B1410 and B1416 roads, on the River Esk and the Esk Valley Line, with trains stopping at Ruswarp railway station. Originally it was called Risewarp (Old English hrīs wearp, c. 1146) meaning 'silted land overgrown with brushwood'.^[2]

Ruswarp
St Bartholomew's Church
Ruswarp Location within North Yorkshire
OS grid reference	NZ885095
Civil parish	Whitby
Unitary authority	North Yorkshire
Ceremonial county	North Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WHITBY
Postcode district	YO21
Dialling code	01947
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	Scarborough and Whitby
List of places UK England Yorkshire 54.46°N 0.64°W / 54.46; -0.64

Northern Rail serves the station and bus services connect the village to the surrounding area. The village is served by local shops including Jackson's of Ruswarp,^[3] and Colin Duck Grocer and Off-licence. There is a pub, the Bridge Inn, and a parish church, St Bartholomew. Primary education is catered for by Ruswarp Church of England primary school.^[4] There was a Post Office on the high street which closed down several years ago after losing the franchise, and is now converted into a private residence.

Crossing the River Esk downstream is a railway viaduct, 120 feet high, built (using 5,250,000 bricks) to carry the Scarborough-to-Whitby line, which closed in 1965.^[5] The viaduct is now owned by Sustrans and carries "The Cinder Track", a footpath/cyclepath along the former Whitby-to-Scarborough railway line.^[6] The River Esk was used to power corn mills in the village but the last closed in 1962. The weir that was built to channel water into a mill race has been adapted to power a hydro-electric project on its southern bank. The Ruswarp Hydro project started generating electricity in December 2012.^[7]

The village lies on the Esk Valley Walk, a national long-distance footpath.^[8] There is a physically undemanding walk between Ruswarp and Whitby (approximately 1½ miles) mostly along a stone pannierway known as Monks Trod, signposted from the main street in Ruswarp.^[9]

The village also hosts one of the area's tourist attractions, Esk Leisure, which consists of Mini Monsterz Indoor Play with pottery painting and laser tag. Also at Esk Leisure is Outdoor Laser Combat and a Farm Park, previously a 9-hole Pitch and Putt course, which closed in October 2009. Opposite Esk Leisure is Ruswarp Pleasure Boats, established in 1874, where rowing boats or canoes can be rented to explore the sheltered waters that offer a unique opportunity to access the only migratory Salmon river in Yorkshire.^[10] There is also a miniature steam railway for children and adults.

Ruswarp Village Hall caters for community events and classes.^[11]

The local Church of England parish is Whitby with Ruswarp, which falls within the boundaries of the Diocese of York and is overseen by the suffragan Bishop of Whitby.

Ruswarp was formerly a township in the parish of Whitby,^[12] in 1866 Ruswarp became a separate civil parish, on 1 April 1925 the parish was abolished and merged with Whitby.^[13] In 1921 the parish had a population of 6195.^[14] Until 1974 it was in the North Riding of Yorkshire. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the Borough of Scarborough, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council.

• 
  High Street
• 
  Former rail viaduct