The Groves

The Groves is a district of York, England, covering the area just north of the city centre between Huntington Road and Haxby Road.

The Groves
Lowther Street
The Groves Location within North Yorkshire
OS grid reference	SE606528
Unitary authority	City of York
Ceremonial county	North Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	YORK
Postcode district	YO31
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	York Central

The district is near York Hospital and the city ring road. In the 19th century the area was populated by poor working-class inhabitants of long rows of back-to-back houses.[1] It consists largely of close-knit terraces, the majority of which date from the first two decades of the 20th century.[2] In the early 1960s, a large number of very small terraced houses were demolished to make way for flats and maisonettes which were built between Garden Street, Penleys Grove/Townend Street and Lowther Street;[3] this area has a residents' association.[4]

The Groves area contains a mixture of privately owned and rented properties, and council housing, and contains a number of students from York St John University. Lowther Street is the main area for local shopping, with an Indian restaurant and takeaway, Chinese takeaway, a small supermarket and a shop specialising in Polish food. In Penleys Grove Street there is a grocery shop.

Park Grove School

Emerald Street towards Park Grove

Lowther Street has historically been a busy route for traffic during rush hour, however in 2020 traffic has been re-routed away from Lowther Street through an 18-month experimental low traffic trial run by York Council based on feedback from residents of the Groves who desire "better air quality," "less and slower traffic" and "the chance to build on the existing sense of community."[5]

The Groves includes Park Grove Primary School,[6] the Young Groves centre, Door 84,[7] and St Thomas' Church.[8]

There is a police team which works with the community. In 2015 a ban on drinking alcohol on the streets was introduced to reduce anti-social behavior in the Groves.[9] The area crime rate is one of the lowest in York.