The hidden history of York
Thousands of tourists flock to York each year. Adam Sloan and Ben Toone discover the sights students should check out too.
The city of York, which too many of us only glimpse whilst in the taxi from campus to Ziggys, is celebrating being named the best city in England for tourism. Venture into the market area on a Sunday and you will be surprised at how packed full of tourists the centre is, especially if you tend to spend your weekends on the University’s usually deserted campus. However, despite the dislike that most of us generally have for visitors to ‘our’ city, it’s true that even students can occasionally enjoy becoming tourists, and the sights that the city offers are more than enough to persuade even the laziest student to pick up a tourist book and map, and set out on a day of sightseeing.
If you made your first arrival into the city from the train station, you will no doubt have been confronted with the awe-inspiring Minster, York’s most famous attraction and the star of its own TV documentary. The area and sights surrounding the Minster, however, are less well known and newcomers are often surprised by just how many historical places of interest York boasts. The sheer number of tourists the city attracts on a day-to-day basis is even more surprising. So here’s a brief guide to York’s historical highlights for you newcomers to help you become more York savvy - and maybe even inspire your own tour of the city.
Dick Turpin, the highwayman, was imprisoned in York after being accused of horse stealing, and hanged at what is ironically now the York Racecourse
A good place for any student to start is with a pint of ale in one of York’s finest medieval watering holes. As the well-worn adage goes, the city has a pub for every day of the year, so you have plenty to choose from! A personal choice, though, would be the Black Swan Pub – a finely restored, 15th century building, boasting a roaring fire and dark wood interior, which provides the perfect setting for a quiet drink or two.
If, one pint down, you’re begining to develop a taste for the medieval, why not then venture inside the Minster, take a tour of some of York’s many beautiful churches and guildhalls, or wander the winding streets of the Shambles? To give you that extra nudge off your seat, it is worth noting that entry to the Minster is free with an N.U.S. card. It is, also, the largest gothic cathedral in Northern Europe and second only to Canterbury Cathedral in terms of importance for the Church of England. The building boasts more medieval stained glass than any other English church and is an impressive setting for services and concerts.
The Shambles is the most visited street in Europe. It was once home to York’s butchers’ shops, (the name derives from the Saxon for ‘flesh-shelves’) and you can still see the gutter-like middle where the offal and gore used to run freely. Nice. It’s more picturesque nowadays, though, albeit horrendously crowded at weekends.
As you embark on your first night of doing the Micklegate run, home to York’s most lively bars and popular nightclubs, you will enter through the traditional royal entrance of Micklegate Bar, one of the city’s gates. During medieval and early modern times, the heads of traitors were displayed on top of the bar as a warning to those entering the city. Many still report sightings of the ghost of Thomas Percy, one of the principal conspirators in the gunpowder plot, wandering around Holy Trinity church looking for his head. (Curiously, the chances of happening upon Mr Percy are greatly increased in line with Micklegate ‘trebles for singles’ consumption.)
Guy Fawkes himself was actually born and schooled right here in York. Keep an eye out for the commemorative plaque in the shadow of the Minster by Michael-le-Belfrey church. Another infamous social deviant, Dick Turpin the highwayman, was imprisoned in York after being accused of horse stealing and hanged at what is now, rather ironically, York Racecourse.
York’s primary medieval event of the year takes place in mid-February when the city is transformed for the Jorvik Viking Festival. For this week, the city is occupied (invaded if you like) by overly blonde, bearded men in chain mail, the river cruises are replaced with long boats and fierce medieval battles are re-enacted outside Clifford’s tower. Last year there was even a re-enactment of a Viking wedding in York Minster. The activities are certainly a spectacle and it’s well worth heading down to the banks of the Ouse early to get a prime spot.
For those of you who love your steam engines: what York lacks in amazing clubs or cheap campus bars, it makes up for with the National Railway Museum (small consolation for the rest of us). Amongst the exhibits here are a replica of Robert Stevenson’s rocket, a Japanese bullet train, the Flying Scotsman and even a working mini railway for those who still have some growing up to do. If you’re not so passionate about historic locomotives, maybe take a stroll along the city walls (in the right weather) or visit the nearby York Eye instead. It may not exactly rival the London Eye in skyline or design, but it certainly provides an interesting perspective on your surroundings.
As you will soon find, with or without one of the city’s organised tours, York’s narrow streets and impressive squares are brimming with history. This guide is only a taste of the many attractions you cannot help but stumble across - drunk or sober. So make the most of your time here and see what else you can discover about your second home.
