To buy a fat pig?

Part of the open air market between Shambles, Little Shambles and Parliament Street.

Lady in Red 5, 6 and 7

Looking north-west upstream towards Lendal Bridge from the City Screen boardwalk. You can make closer acquaintance with these particular ladies in red here. 

Peek-a-boo

York Minster peeping above back St Saviourgate, taken from a rear upstairs window in Peasholme House, the York Associates training centre. I like the clutter of chimneys and windows here, and the tree on the left is wonderful.

Clifford's Tower 3

A third visit to York's most prominent fortification, which is to be found on T_ _ _ _ r Street (answers on a postcard please). For Mediterranean dishes, try the Olive Tree, and for Cantonese, Jade Garden, both of which look out onto this view. 

Gazing up in Goodramgate

Originally named Gutherumgate (Gutherum's Street) after a local warrior, Goodramgate takes us back 1100 years to the Viking period. The existing architecture spans 700 years and includes the oldest set of dwellings in York, Lady Row, dating from AD1316. These were among the first examples of jettied houses, where the upper floors jut out from the lower ones to create more upstairs space. For a more detailed account of the features of this street in the heart of York, go here. 

I have added several links to yesterday's post on the hardship to Hollywood story for those who might be interested in reading them or watching the two-part BBC treatment of life without work in 19th century York.

Poor to posh

Another shot of the first phase of the Hungate development. Further building has to wait for the completion of the archeological dig in this once poor quarter of the town. As well as 19th century slums, Viking dwellings have also been uncovered, and both periods of York's history have recently featured on television. This article is worth reading, and the two-part BBC programme, A life without work worth watching. The Yorkshire Post also covers the Addy family story and  Seebohm Rowntree's study of poverty in York.

Don't call me Scarface

I like the way the municipality has left the scar on this rotunda unhealed; situated on the corner of Bootham and Marygate it marks the boundary of St Mary's Abbey. The old red telephone box sets this view off a treat; a pity that with the advent of mobile phones they are an endangered species in need of almost as much protection as the old stone.

The aforementioned …

Deanery Garden seen from the walls.

Something old, something new

This is the new York St John University development on Lord Mayor's Walk, seen from the city walls just above the Deanery Garden. It takes in the houses with the chimney pots as well as the new builds beside and behind them. I like the bold marriage of ancient and modern here.

Spanish success story!

One of the features of York and many other UK tourist centres is EFL (English as a foreign language) teaching. I mentioned this in the very first post on this blog.  I've just had two lovely weeks teaching nine or ten different nationalities here at Melton College on Holgate Road. These are Catalan Spanish students from earlier this year, receiving their end-of-session reports on the delightfully sunny terrace at the back of the main building.

Ruined gardens

The ruins of St Mary's Abbey in Museum Gardens, York. 

Welcome to JorvikDailyPhoto Ms Mak!

Stroll on!

The Marygate (north-west) entrance to the Museum Gardens mentioned yesterday, just a short walk from the Coach House Hotel. No prizes for guessing the name of the abbey.

Stretching lunch

The family-owned Coach House on the corner of Marygate and Galmanhoe Lane offers hotel facilities at guest house prices, to quote their website video. The site is worth a visit, as are the Museum Gardens just two minutes stroll further on. Galmanhoe Lane is also the home of York Archeological Trust.

Lady in Red 4

This is Emily Jayne, one of York's tour buses, waiting on St Leonard's Place outside the Art Gallery and the King's Manor, opposite Bootham Bar.

Richard was here

A detail of Monk Bar tower, the north-east entrance to the city, taken from inside the walls on Goodramgate. The tower houses the small Richard III museum, he of a horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse fame. 

Thanks to Steffe for yesterday's kind comment, and to Jenny for the extra information on Helen(a), mother of Constantine.

The old ones are the best …

The old ice-cream joke on the banks of the Ouse, just outside of the Museum Gardens. For the benefit of non-native speakers, licked is a slang synonym for beaten. The almost invisible railway bridge in the background carries the east-coast traffic from London to Edinburgh.  

From darkness to light

St Helen's Square and church seen from the Mansion House archway. 

Helen, a devout Christian, was the mother of Constantine who was declared emperor while in York. There are regular Chinese (Mandarin) services held at St Helen's and the church is also a venue for sacred music concerts. Its lantern tower is not unlike that of All Saints, Pavement.

School's out 2

A visiting primary school having a history lesson by the Museum Gardens tower.

Bikes and bites

Bikes, cafés, boutiques and tourists: that's York, and this is The Vanilla Café on College Street, only seconds away from the east end of the Minster. By coincidence, this review appears in today's edition of the York Press.

Ooze, not owz …

This is the Ouse (pronounced ooze, so no cricket puns please), the larger of York's two rivers. Ahead is the graceful span of Lendal Bridge, beyond which can be seen the back of The Mansion House, the tower of St Martins Le Grand and the City Screen terrace.

God and Mammon?

The late afternoon sun warms brick and stone where St Martins le Grand meets Coney Street.

Elbow room

This is Monk Bar Court, formerly Elbow Lane, a pretty cul-de-sac directly below the the city walls just a minute on from Monk Bar, the north-eastern gateway to the city. I prefer the old name; Monk Bar Court sounds posh, Elbow Lane Dickensian.

Endangered species

A game of cat and cat on Saint Andrewgate.

The Iron Duke

This is a 1985 replica of an 1847 broad guage Great Western Railway engine. For other angles see a former colleague's pictures on this fabulous site, and teach yourself a bit of chemistry while you're there.

Pretty, gruesome, incongruous …

… speaking of the architecture, the faces and the clock, in that order. This is Coney Street, meaning King's Street, but in some ancient Norse dialect; it is probably York's busiest shopping street. There are six or more similar faces of uncertain significance evenly situated on the intricately decorated façade of the building. The clock, with its riveted metal casing and modern numerals seems out of place here.

Angling, pointing, aspiring …

The 900 year-old York St Mary's,  with remains from as far back as AD1020, opened as an art gallery about five years ago. You could easily spend a full day in this area of York alone, taking in visits to the Castle Museum and the Jorvik Viking Centre as well as enjoying the exhibition here. 

Red, not rampant

With foundations going back to 13th century, the Red Lion on Merchant Gate claims to be York's oldest inn. A walk of less than five minutes from the city centre, providing you can resist the shop windows on the way, will bring you to this timber-framed hostelry which was the highwayman Dick Turpin's local before he was caught and hanged. 

Petrified lions 2

Don't worry, the lions are harmless. 

We've been here at Grays Court, off Chapter House Street,  several times already, so you know where we spend our pocket money. Through the gates and to the left are the tea-gardens whilst directly to the left, avoiding the risk of being eaten alive by heraldic beasts, is the main entrance to the tea-rooms, where the round, possibly walnut, table of a few days ago is to be found.

Here we are looking north-east towards the city walls from which you can get down directly into the gardens. I recommend the scrambled egg and salmon for Saturday brunch. 

Time for tea

Little Bettys on Stonegate, offers a quainter version of the unmissable Bettys experience to be had just two minutes away on St Helen's Square. Follow the first link for the slideshow. 

Space travel!

One of the more modern exhibits at York's National Railway Museum is this section of a Japanese Bullet train. The coaches are five seats wide yet the amount of leg and elbow room is still very generous compared to British or French trains. Notice the gaps between the seats and the width of the aisle! 

Only the baskets are hanging …

With a floral display worthy of Alsace outside, and an authentic pub experience inside, the Punch Bowl is  a popular haunt for tourist and locals alike.  It belongs to the Nicholson group whose site has a slide-show of typical British pub food.

The title refers to the several York pubs whose names refer either to the gallows or to those who were executed on them. See The Three-legged Mare label.

At the end of the storm …

there's a golden sky. These are our neighbours' typical 1950s semi-detached houses to the east of the city. The photo was taken from my study where I have recently hung some guitar pictures. For the full text of You'll never walk alone and a history of the song, originally from the 1945 Rogers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, go here.