We’re just leaving dinner at the Olive Garden (not one of those Olive Gardens - this one’s a small place run by southeast Asians with an Asian sound track to accompany your Italian mains) when I look across the and see two things - it’s raining all of a sudden and there are a few umbrellas open; and there’s a rainbow arcing behind Clifford’s Tower, the city’s iconic landmark fortification built by William the Conquerer in 1190 to subdue the rebellious north.
We huddle into a doorway sheltered from the rain and watching the light show until it fades and the shower eases enough that we decide to head for the room. When the arc suddenly starts brightening again though I change my mind, tell Rachael I’ll see her later, and go off to explore the city while the light is still good. My thinking is that I’ll walk toward the Minster and then walk a section of the walls on the way back to the room. It’s lucky I did, because otherwise even though I never made it up on the walls I’d have left York without getting a look of what an extraordinary place it is. We really tend to avoid larger places like this any more, but York really does deserve a longer look than this.
Clifford’s Tower is an imposing sight, and the view from the top must be stunning.
The York and Shelby Magistrate’s Court, one of a series of impressive brick structures lining Clifford Street. They were all built around 1890 when the new street was built after razing a slum.
A strange name for a street, but it all makes much more sense when you know that the original one was Whitnourwhatnourgate. It’s claimed to be the shortest street in York, so it makes sense that it would have the longest name.
A partial view of the York Minster, one of the most important cathedrals in England if not the world. Completed in 1472, it’s the most recent of a series of cathedrals on this site dating back to 673.
Like the Notre Dame in Paris, the York Minster was ravaged by fire in 1988, and part of its roof was deliberately collapsed to save the rest of the church.
The York Minster is one of the largest gothic cathedrals in Northern Europe. Obviously we should have stepped inside for a look, and obviously we should return to York some year.
The Shambles: The ancient street of the Butchers of York. mentioned in the Domesday Book of William the Conqueror.It takes its name from the word Shamel. meaning the stalls or benches on which the meat was displayed - later versions of which can still be seen. It was rebuilt about 1400, when it assumed its present character.
The Roman Column: Originally built around the first century, by the soldiers of Legio IX Hispana, it was reused by Legion VI in the 4th century. It is believed to have been part of a group of sixteen freestanding columns (eight on each side of the aisle), supporting the walls of a basilica on the site.The column was discovered beneath York Minster during a 1969 excavation, and was given to the City of York three years later to mark the 1900th anniversary of the city's founding.
The medieval city walls of York are the most complete example of medieval city walls still standing in England today and extend for 2.5 miles, enclosing a total area of 263 acres. The walls include 4 main gates or 'bars', Bootham Bar, Monk Bar, Walmgate Bar and Micklegate Bar.Bootham Bar (shown here) stands near the west front of magnificent York Minster and is the most northerly entrance to the city.
The red bricked building, which is now Grays Solicitors, was originally the York Dispensary built between 1897-99. In 1895 the Dispensary was referred to as ‘one of the most useful charities in the city’. Importantly it offered dentistry and maternity services in the 1880s and 1890s of which the latter was significant in terms of trying to reduce mortality rates of mothers and infants. Around 10% of the York population attended the Dispensary each year in the early 1900s. Following the establishment of the National Health Service the Dispensary was ultimately closed on 5th October 1948 after 160 years of continuous voluntary activity in York.
The York Oratory. The church is known as the "Mother Church of the city of York". It is in Gothic Revival style. The arch over the main door has the most detailed Victorian carving in the city. The present church was completed in 1864 and is considered to be one of the most perfectly finished Catholic churches in England, rich in sculptures, paintings and stained glass.
The clock at St Martin-le-Grand Church on Coney Street.It's one of York's most prominent clocks. The church and clock were badly damaged during World War Two in an air raid on April 29th 1942.
