Yesterday was a long day. I didn’t have anything booked until 1:00, so I decided to spend the morning seeing York Minster and walking the walls of the city.
The folks at the guesthouse where I’m staying told me about a shortcut through the Yorkshire Museum Gardens that goes to the city centre. I decided to walk that way.I’m not sure if it’s any shorter, but it certainly a nicer walk than just going down the street.The gardens were once the site of St. Mary’s Abbey, just outside the walls of York. It was one of the victims of Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries after he broke with the Church of Rome.I started with York Minster. It’s the largest Gothic cathedral in the UK. And it looms really well, which is kind of a requirement for Gothic architecture.The place is huge. Okay, stadiums, arenas, and airports are larger, but there’s a palpable feeling of weight in the stone that encloses this large volume. And the place is big enough that you could build other buildings inside the main area. In fact, they have. That wall you see at the far end here is a smaller chapel built right under the central tower, with the organ above it.Here’s a closer view of that wall. Note the statues of the primates of the church, and the gold-chased pipes of the organ above. The central chapel is set up as what seems to be the Archbishop’s court.Below the foundations of the Minster, they found (surprise, surprise) Roman ruins. Here’s a bit of a well in the basement that shows one of the pillars of the Roman fortress that once stood on this spot. And, because it’s a hole in the ground, people throw coins in. I guess.Down in the undercroft, they also have a number of treasures of the cathedral. This is a carved elephant tusk horn that dates from the Saxon period.The York Gospels, from the 13th century.Outside the Minster is a statue of Constantine the Great. He was here in 306 when his father, the Emperor Constantius, died, and Constantine, with the support of his army, declared himself Emperor.
After seeing the Minster, I climbed up the stairs at Bootham Bar1, and decided to walk that section of wall.
The walls are very cool, but very, very narrow. Especially compared to someplace like Londonderry. Built in a different time to defend against different threats.The Minster dominates the view, when the trees aren’t in the way. By civil ordinance, no building can be as tall as two-thirds the height of the Minster.I followed the walls around to Monks Bar. The statues at the top of the towers are called the Wild Men of York, and it is said that, if York is in peril, they will come to life and toss their boulders down on attackers.
This gate also holds the Richard III museum, but I didn’t have time to head in there before my tour out to Castle Howard. I’m hoping to get back there today.
Castle Howard is the seat of the Earls of Carlisle, and they’ve lived there for over 300 years. It’s a wonderful example of a stately country home of the aristocracy.
It’s also where they filmed both the 80s miniseries of Brideshead Revisted and the 2008 remake.The gardens are both extensive and amazing.The Atlas Fountain is the main feature of the yard.Atlas is in the centre, holding the world on his shoulders. Surrounding him are four tritons, spraying him with water. The tritons are about eight feet tall, so Atlas would be 10-11 feet tall if he were standing upright.This is the Boar Garden. I was hoping for something more exciting based on the name.This is the Temple of the Four Winds. It’s a classical-style folly standing out at one corner of the main grounds.In the main entry hall. The painting over the fireplace is Vulcan at his forge.A very nice backgammon table in the Turquoise Parlour. The black draughts are not on the board. I don’t know why not.The long gallery of Castle Howard.Castle Howard chapel. Tiny and perfect.These are the stables. Yes, all of the building is the stables. Now, it’s been converted into a visitor welcome centre.Inside the stable courtyard. There are shops, a cafe, toilets, benches, and an actual butcher’s shop.
We got back to York around 5:30, and wandered my way down to the King’s Arms2, had some dinner3, and caught my Original Ghost Walk at 8:00.
This is an old pub on the river. It floods regularly.
There are four or five ghost walks in York. The one I took was highly recommended on Tripadvisor, and by the folks at my guesthouse. I can see why. Good stories, a lot of ground covered, and the guide was wonderful, keeping conversation going between the stories, so that everyone had a good time the entire tour. Absolutely fantastic.
It was about 10:30 by the time I made it home, and went to bed. I’m still kind of tired today, so I’ve spent the morning in Starbucks sorting my pictures and writing this post.
This afternoon, I’m thinking about going to see Mad Max: Fury Road.
If I can find the theatre again.
In York, they have a saying that I have heard repeatedly from all the guides and several others. “The streets are gates, the gates are bars, and the bars are pubs.” This means that most streets are Somethinggate, like Gillygate or Monksgate, because gate is a corruption of the old Danish word for street. The gates are called bars, from the same root as barbican. And, of course, the drinking places are pubs. [↩]
I was feeling quite smug and self-congratulatory at how easily I was navigating the twisty streets of York. Then I realized that I had passed Betty’s Tea Room three times in the past fifteen minutes. I withdrew the self-congratulations. [↩]
At a restaurant next door – the King’s Arms doesn’t serve food. [↩]
