Acomb, the name is Old English acum, 'at the oak trees', and indicates that the original village was first established in a heavily wooded area of oaks. Acomb existed before the Norman Conquest and was the property of the Dean and Chapter of York Minster. Neighbouring Acomb Grange was the residence of the masters of the great medieval hospital of St Leonard. There are two 15th century timber-framed houses here, and it was made a Conservation Area in 1975, with the historic area along Front Street and the Green retaining its village character. It is also an Area of Archaeological Importance. Acomb has two comprehensive schools: York High School (formerly Oaklands Secondary School and Lowfields School) and Manor Church of England School. Neither of these has a sixth form, as all students who wish to take 'A' levels go to York College on Tadcaster Road, which was formed when the system of Grammar Schools was discontinued in York in 1985. There are also six Primary Schools: Acomb, Carr, English Martyrs RC, Hob Moor, Our Lady's RC and Westfield. Acomb has a small shopping area with free car parking at the local supermarket. Residential homes are a mixture of council estates and private freeholds. With the closure of the Railway Carriage Works there is no major manufacturing in Acomb any more. With easy access to the York outer Ring Road and to the A64 Leeds-Scarborough road, Acomb's population has been supplemented with commuters to other Yorkshire cities such as Leeds. More on Acomb