Walking From the Present to the Past:  Enjoying the Beauty of Historic York

By Don Miller

November 2004

Outsiders have overrun York, in Northern England, for the last 2000 years.  In AD 71, the Romans established a military garrison for the region.  In AD 306, Constantine accompanied his father, the Emperor of Rome, to York.  When his father suddenly died, Constantine was declared Emperor by his troops.  The religious significance of this was that Constantine played a major role in transforming Christianity from a persecuted sect to the dominant religion of Europe.  Istanbul, Turkey (formerly Constantinople) is named for him.  Later invaders included the Vikings and William the Conqueror (the Normans).  Today, York is once again under siege.  While earlier invaders sought wealth and power, present day hordes of camera toting tourists enjoy York’s tumultuous history, its medieval charm and gothic architecture, the labyrinthine cobblestone streets and the hearty food---all within easy walking distance of the city center.

Last November Carol and I had the opportunity to visit York for five nights and four days.  After an arduous trip of 20 hours, we finally arrived at the York Train Station in the early evening.  We were staying at the Riverside Walk Bed and Breakfast.  Our hosts had informed us it was an easy 15-minute walk from the train station to their guesthouse.  Following their excellent directions, we quickly passed through a small park, crossed the bridge over the River Ouse (pronounced ooze if you can believe that) and descended the stairs to the riverside.  It was just above freezing, it was damp (like you would expect in England) and at northern latitudes in November, it was pitch black.  Perhaps it is from watching too many movies, but I have certain impressions of England at nighttime.  A heavy fog hung over the river and adjacent sidewalk obscuring the lighting along the walkway, our footsteps echoed off the nearby brick wall, leaves crunched underfoot and we found ourselves totally alone.  We did not know if we should expect Jack the Ripper or Dracula to leap out from the nearby bushes.  It was a little unnerving until I realized I was with Carol and she would protect me.  Fortunately, street crime is not as big an issue in York as it is in the United States and within a few minutes we arrived safely at our bed and breakfast.

Lodging in York (and much of Europe) is often quite different from the United States.  Many of the buildings may be hundreds of years old and have been retrofitted to accommodate modern visitors.  Space is a luxury and most rooms are smaller than in the States.  In fact, our room was so small it held the bed and had room for one person to move around the perimeter.  The other person had to be on the bed or in the bathroom, which is referred to as the loo or the water closet---not a bathroom.  Having a shower, sink and toilet in your room is referred to as ensuite and may not always be standard.  Despite the size, our room was clean, we had an ensuite bath, a closet and most importantly, it was toasty (not hot but very comfortable) which was important when two Houstonians forgot to bring coats.  Breakfast is typically included and our hosts were quite helpful and gracious.  We also enjoyed having breakfast and conversing with the other guests.  The location was perfect.  Close to town, we loved walking along the river and we would definitely stay there again.

Perhaps the best way to orient oneself to York is to join the Free Walking Tour of York provided by the Association of Voluntary Guides to the City of York.  The tour begins at 10:15 a.m. in front of the City of York Art Gallery and usually takes about two hours.  As the guides give you some historical perspective of the city, you have the opportunity to walk some of the medieval walls around the northwest quadrant of town (backside of York Minster) and see several other important sites.  Our tour conveniently ended outside York Minster.

One nice feature about York is that it is virtually impossible to get lost.  York Minster is so immense it can be seen from anywhere.  It is the largest Gothic Cathedral in England.  The present structure was begun in 1220 and completed a couple of hundred years later,  (sounds like freeway construction in Houston).  It is built on the same site as the earlier Roman fortress, where Constantine was declared Emperor and later where the Saxon King Edwin converted to Christianity.  It is said that one-half of all the medieval stained glass in England is in this cathedral.  It is easy to appreciate the awe-inspiring effect this church had on early worshippers.  You can climb the 275 steps to the top for a sensational view of the city.

After completing your walking tour and visiting York Minster, it will probably be time for lunch.  We had always heard about fish and chips so we stopped a local, explained we had traveled all the way from Houston for their food and asked what they would suggest.  Our dining consultant recommended Petergate Fisheries.  Carol tried the  haddock fish and chips (thick french fries) and I ordered the jumbo cornish pastie, which was steak, onions and potatoes in a pastry with mashed peas on the side.  Jumbo was not an exaggeration.  The portions were enormous and the food was delicious.

When we travel, walking is our favorite means of transportation.  One morning we decided to explore the city walls around the southern part of York.  It was quiet, beautiful, away from the hectic tourist center and after about 30 minutes, we discovered the Castle Museum and Clifford’s Tower on the east side of town.  These two attractions are a must.

The Castle Museum is in a former prison.  Whereas most museums dwell on royalty, famous people or events, the Castle Museum is devoted to ordinary people and everyday life.  It also contains a faithfully reconstructed Victorian shopping street with authentic shops.  The presentation of the exhibits is exceptional.  In contrast to many museums we have visited, we typically look at a few exhibits, exclaim we were there and race through to the exit.  The Castle Museum is an exception.  Carol and I would suggest allotting two to three hours to fully appreciate and enjoy the museum.

Part of the same complex is Clifford’s Tower, which is one of the last remnants of the York Castle.  It stands at the site of the original castle built by William the Conqueror in 1069.   It is most famous or rather infamous for an incident in 1190 when 150 Jewish people took refuge in the tower.  It seems the Christian merchants were heavily in debt to the Jewish moneylenders and they took advantage of the anti-Semitism of the time to erase their debts.  They reasoned a convenient way to eliminate their debts was to eliminate the individuals to whom the money was owed.  Faced with the prospect of butchery or starvation, the occupants of the tower committed mass suicide.  A few survivors surrendered on the promise of becoming Christians but they were massacred by the waiting mob.

A short distance back toward the center of York is the Jorvik Viking Center.  Although the Vikings must have been a formidable presence in York, we can only suggest this brief tour with mild enthusiasm.  You ride through (in a tram like at Disneyworld) a recreated Viking Village where the sights, sounds and smells give you a feeling of the “Viking” era.  Carol and I somehow missed the feeling of authenticity the designers have tried to achieve.  I think children would probably enjoy this more than adults.

After all the sightseeing, the search for sustenance became of primary importance.  Very close to the above attractions is the Castle Tea Room.  This is a small, very unpretentious place to eat.  Carol and I had cottage pie and steak pie.  They are mashed potatoes over either hamburger or steak with peas and carrots.  We had carrot cake with whipped cream for dessert.  At both the Castle Tea Room and Petergate Fisheries the food was excellent, plentiful and we thought inexpensive.

One of the great things about York is its relative diminutive size.  You can walk anywhere within 30 minutes.  One morning the weather was warmer, it was sunny and we decided to stroll away from the tourist center west along the River Ouse.  Although it was not Vermont, there was still a feeling of autumn in the air.  The leaves were colorful, the river was beautiful and after about one mile, we found the youth hostel we wanted to visit.  It is a family oriented hostel, with terrific facilities and spacious grounds and if being close to town is not a huge priority, it would be an economical place to stay.

We had a leisurely walk back toward town on the other side of the river and found the National Railway Museum, which is the largest railroad museum in the world.  Carol and I debated on whether or not we wanted to see a couple of trains.  With great reluctance we went to the entrance to find out it was FREE.  It was looking better already.  Quite frankly, if you have no interest in trains you should still visit this amazing museum.  They cover everything from people pulled coal carts from two centuries ago to gigantic steam engines and the entire history of the English rail system.  It is well done, worth your time and an attraction both adults and children will enjoy.

We had a lot of fun just roaming the streets.  The names were fascinating---Petergate, Monkgate.  One of the best known is called the “Shambles”.  It is one of the best preserved medieval streets in Europe.  Formerly, it was the street of butchers and they would display their meats on shelves in front of their shops.  The street is extremely narrow and the opposing buildings actually lean toward one another.  One of the most famous people to have lived in the street was Margaret Clitherow, wife of a butcher and daughter of a former Lord Mayor.  She was accused of treason for harboring Catholic priests during the Elizabethan era when Protestant England was about to go to war with Catholic Europe.  She was arrested, questioned and then crushed under a huge weight of stones when she refused to answer the questions of the Inquisitor.  We no longer fear the Inquisitor but during the high season, holidays and weekends, you might be crushed under the masses of tourists.  Today the meat is gone and there are a variety of typical tourist shops but the architecture and the narrow winding streets conjure up visions of the past.

A couple other interesting sites we would highly recommend.  The Holy Trinity Church dates from the 12th century.  Whereas York Minster is grand, immense and opulent, Holy Trinity is just the opposite.  It is poorly lit, damp, unrestored and unchanged for at least the last 200 years.  It has unusual Georgian box pews that families would purchase for their permanent use.  Some would barely fit a single person and others faced away from the minister, which seemed unusual.  You could almost sense the tiny congregation packed into this tiny, ancient church, silently freezing in the winter,  while the preacher delivered his fire and brimstone message.

A final attraction we would like to mention is the Merchant Adventurers Hall.  It is considered one of Europe’s finest medieval guildhalls and it was built in 1357-1361.  It is still in use today!  The undercroft (basement) was used as a hospital until 1900.  It was built prior to any other craft or trade guildhall in London or elsewhere in England.

We would be remiss if we did not mention some of the other culinary delights we experienced in York.  This almost seems like an oxymoron because who has ever heard of good English food?  There are probably several fancy expensive places to dine but we wanted to mention three other restaurants where the food was excellent and reasonably priced.

Betty’s Café Tea Rooms provide a modern dining facility in the center of historic York.  They offer Swiss and Yorkshire specialties.  Gert and Henry’s looks like an old pub that you would expect in York.  We had Yorkshire pudding, which was amazing (we were also starving at the time, which might have altered our judgment).  Finally, we ate at Guy Fawkes Restaurant.  Although we enjoyed the food and ambience, the history was of more interest than the cuisine.  Guy Fawkes reportedly was born in the building.  In his later years, he was involved in a plot to blow up Parliament, was caught and executed.  Unfortunately, the hotel and restaurant are now undergoing restoration and a date of completion has not been announced.

Time is of the essence when you are traveling, you must pick and choose.  The above represents the major sites and attractions of York, but the city offers so much more.  In the warmer months, you can rent bicycles and venture farther out.  Castles and palaces abound in the surrounding countryside.  There are nighttime ghost walks and tours as well as boat tours of the river during the spring and summer.  York is one of our favorite places.  We loved York and you will too.

**All Photos by Don Miller

If You Go

www.york-united-kingdom.co.uk

Riverside Walk Guesthouse                         Betty’s Café Tea Rooms

8-9 Earlsborough Terrace                           St. Helen’s Square

www.riversidewalkbb.demon.co.uk        9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily

Petergate Fisheries                                       The Castle Tea Rooms

97 Lower Petergate                                      11a Castlegate

11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily                   phone: 01904 620630

Gert and Henry’s                                          Guy Fawkes Hotel

4 Jubbergate                                                 25 High Petergate

10:00 a.m. -  2:30 p.m.                              York Y01 7HP

6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily

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