Etton is a small village set at the bottom of a narrow, shallow valley at the foot of the Wolds, situated 3 miles north-west from Beverley.

Both slopes, the northern and the southern are about 40 metres high, so that the village tucks down between the two ridges and is hardly visible from a distance if approached from the north or the south.

There is no clear focal point in Etton. Its attractions are located along its High Street like beads on a necklace and not concentrated around a central square.  However the church is more prominent through its raised position and height.

There are two distinctive parts of the village, with very different character, which demonstrate the sociological divide of English society in the past centuries.

The western part consists mainly of 18^th and 19th century village houses, farmsteads and outbuildings with a noticeable unity of form and materials.  The eastern part is dominated by detached buildings around the church, such as High and Low Hall and St Mary’s House.