Blue bridge blues

This is not the only blue bridge in York, as we have seen here. This more angular construction is a hand-cranked lifting bridge which allows traffic to pass from the Ouse to the Foss and vice-versa . Flooding prevented a close-up, but go to the Jolly Green P to see something like a normal water level.

Furniture, not fries

Another remarkable piece of architecture on Fossgate, now a home furniture store which has been trading since 1947. Their home page gives an angled view of the building, showing its position in the street; unfortunately they have not included anything on the history of the building but see Freda L's comment below and this for another closed York cinema.

Spurriergate 3

Thanks to Pierre-Antoine Bordonné for this picture taken during his visit to York a few weeks ago. This is The Spurriergate Centre, a café with a difference: coffee and cakes upstairs, self-service lunches downstairs, with fair trade goods and a counselling service also available. The Ten Commandments have been left intact, which is not surprising, as the centre is still  run by York Anglicans. For views of the exterior, try here and here.

Purple Haze

… is on Facebook! Visit this vintage clothing boutique on Walmgate for everything from 80's prom dresses to ageless vintage shoes, bags and jewellery. 

Rowntree Park 5

Hermes in autumn light. I should perhaps have cropped the plinth.

Friars Terrace, York

Just off the heart of the city and reflected on the flood-waters of the River Ouse, these lovely South Esplanade period dwellings catch the late afternoon sun. This is Friars Terrace in York, three minutes on foot from Clifford's Tower, Ouse and Skeldergate Bridges, and the Castle Museum. Half a million or so, depending on the property, in case you were wondering. An inside view is available here, at least at the time of writing.

La Place Verte

The Belgian coffee house and shop on Skeldergate Bridge, located in the old motor and toll house, here overlook it older neighbour, Clifford's Tower. At the time of writing, this café is for sale! The website gallery is worth a visit both for the produce and the surroundings.

Angel stoned in York cemetery

A second picture from the recently discovered York cemetery and nature park. I find this sculpture both poignant and elegant. See this recent post for more on this 24 acre green space just out of the city walls.

MToo

Owned and managed by Michael and Lucy Hjort, this versatile Walmgate establishment, set in a 17th century building is a must for good value dishes you can actually taste and for friendly, efficient service.  The website is well worth a visit, and there is  another family-run restaurant of the same name in  Scarcroft Road. 

Rowntree Park 4

This is the view from the café terrace, a great place for a relaxing drink, providing you are well wrapped-up. The park is on the right bank of the River Ouse, to the south of the town centre, five minutes walk from Skeldergate Bridge. 

Flood light

The King's Arms and other premises have their feet in the water as the River Ouse bursts its banks once again. November through January are York's wettest months, so expect more of this. Riverside businesses are used to it, and the water here is low compared to 2000, as Simon Caldwell's photographs will show you.

The eagle has landed

Soon to reopen as an Italian restaurant, this decorative brick building is on Fossgate, next to this timber framed establishement we visited just a few days ago. 

No bananas, but …

lots of other stuff at Dave Dee's Banana Warehouse, for which see this earlier post. 

Happy days?

Well, right here the flooding has only inconvenienced walkers for whom the riverside path opposite has been inaccessible for a few days. The River Ouse in York frequently bursts its banks, so folk are used to it, and this is a relatively light occurrence. 

Hogwarts Express

To coincide with the arrival of the penultimate Harry Potter film, here is the famous train photographed in the National Railway Museum in York. No sign of Harry or Hermione, however, but there was a steady stream of youngsters entering and leaving the driver's cab to have their pictures taken. Hogsmeade station itself is located at Goathland, which Heartbeat fans will know as Aidensfield, near Whitby.

Walks Around Goathland

Going Dutch …

in Ogleforth, York. With its warm brick design, leaded windows and sympathetically refurbished interior, the Dutch House makes a superb upmarket self-catering holiday let.  Probably York's oldest brick building, dating from 1648, it graces  this quiet street leading to Grays Court, the Treasurer's House and the north side of the Minster.

The expression going Dutch means sharing the cost equally, often between a couple going out for a meal. The Dutch, like the Scots and folk from the Auvergne in France, used to have a reputation for being careful with money. Many of us would need to go Dutch to be able to stay here.

You're late for tea!

Yet another timber-framed jettied (jutting out) house, this time on Fossgate, the street which heads south-east away from York city cente before running into Walmgate. Something super is going on here, but I can't remember what! A close-up of the red brick building next door will follow shortly. 

Slightly off the main tourist track, Fossgate and Walmgate are worth a visit for their boutiques, cafés and restaurants and for the view along the River Foss. 

Walk Around the Snickelways of York

The Complete Snickelways of York

York Minster gets a head …

during last week's impressive son et lumière otherwise known as the Illuminating York festival which attracted large crowds both here at the great south door and in Dean's Park on the other side of the cathedral.

Best Loved Hymns from York Minster

John Scott Whiteley: The Grand Organ of York Minster

York Minister Choir: Christmas Carols From York Minster

Thimbelina

Will you be able to resist a visit to Thimbelina of York's gallery page? This attractive shop window is on Walmgate, just a few minutes from the city centre. When you have bought your outfit, why not furnish your home with the help of Inns Brothers next door? Best wishes to both of these local businesses; may they prosper despite the recession.

Fifties Forever!: Popular Fashions for Men, Women, Boys & Girls (Schiffer Book for Collectors and Designers)

Vintage Fashions for Women 1920S-1940s: With ValuesVictorian & Edwardian Fashions for Women, 1840-1919 (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

Women's Fashions of the Early 1900s: An Unabridged Republication of "New York Fashions, 1909"

Fashion and Women's Attitudes in the Nineteenth CenturyVictorian Women's Fashion Photos CD-ROM and Book (Electronic Clip Art)

York poplars unfelled

Another autumnal shot from Walmgate, York, this time of St Denys' church which we visited in more wintry conditon here.  There was a Saxon church on this site, and possibly an even earlier Roman temple. It might not look much from the outside, but inside St Denys' is illuminated by York's earliest medieval stained glass. A view of the interior can be found on this page. 

The title refers to two poems, The Poplar Field and Binsey Poplars by William Cowper and Gerard Manley Hopkins respectively. As poplars only have a life of about 150 years and often have to be cut down anyway, Hopkins' verse is rather misleading; its environmental concern, however, is surprisingly modern.

While Shepherds Watched - Christmas Music from English Parish Churches 1740-1830 /Psalmody * Parley of Instruments * Holman

Spread your wings …

Still on Walmgate, York, here is an opportunity for you: the Spread Eagle, renovated about 10 years ago, is to let! It boasts reasonably-priced pub food, live music and other regular entertainment. I don't know whether or not it is the recession, retirement or relocation that has led to the vacancy, so look before you leap.

Walk Around the Snickelways of York

The Complete Snickelways of York

Tower of strength

The Rowntree Wharf tower seen over some newer buildings off Walmgate. The warehouses and barges have long since disappeared to give way to flats and offices, some of which have views over the River Foss to the Minster. Once the archeological dig is completed, the views are likely to be impeded by more luxury town flats on the new, £150m mixed-use development. 

If a virtual stroll around the Rowntree Wharf area attracts you, try York Walks in the sidebar, but Don't forget the Fruit Gums, Mum!

Art Poster, Rowntree's High Class Chocolates and Cocoa - 18.75 x 27.5

Retro Food Prints: Rowntree's Motoring Chocolate - Vintage Advertisement 1920s Print - 15.6'x11.7'

Remember, remember …

the fifth of November,

gunpowder, treason and plot; 

I see no reason why gunpowder treason

should ever be forgot.

The Guy Fawkes Inn on High Petergate is worth either a real or a virtual visit, not only as the place where the plotter was born in 1570, but also for the outstanding decor and atmosphere. There will be bonfires and fireworks all over the UK this evening, but many will have only the vaguest idea of their significance. 

People From York: W. H. Auden, Guy Fawkes, Alcuin, Frankie Howerd, Judi Dench, John Earle, Joseph Barnby, Steve McClaren, Christopher Levett

Old Peterites: C. Northcote Parkinson, Guy Fawkes, John Barry, James Thompson, Christopher Hill, John Healey, St Peter's School, York

Naissance à York: Judi Dench, Guy Fawkes, W. H. Auden, Henry Scott Tuke, John Barry, Frankie Howerd, Kate Atkinson, Alan Webb, Mark Addy (French Edition)

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot

Autumn fire in York cemetery

Following a recommendation from York jazzman, composer and photographer, Tim New, I finally made it to York cemetery this week and enjoyed an hour's stroll through what is effectively a 24-acre nature park. To capture the atmosphere of the place, you really must listen to Tim's Angels and Saints and watch the accompanying slideshow here. 

The cemetery was opened in 1837 and went into voluntary liquidation in 1966, a process which took 13 years, during which time the grounds became overgrown and the buildings decayed. The collapse of the chapel roof stimulated a group of concerned York folk to take steps towards its restoration, an initiative which eventually led to the formation of The Friends of York Cemetery and then The York Cemetery Trust. We are in debt to their dedication, as a visit to the site will demonstrate, and even more so, a visit to this beautiful green space. 

This Garden of Death: the History of York Cemetery 1837-2007

Parallel worlds

This is an ancient and modern shot looking south towards Walmgate Bar, a good stop for drinks and nibbles, as there is a cool two-storey café in the tower, efficiently run by Calvary Chapel. The coffee is good and the prices very reasonable. During our first visit this weekend a couple of guys were having a Spanish conversation lesson, another small group were discussing the question of forgiveness, others were apparently writing essays.

Lady not quite in red …

Getting a decent night shot of York Minster lit up was not easy, so this is the best of the bunch, showing the White Rose of York below the rose window. It is part of a short, but impressive son et lumière forming part of the Illuminating York festival which finished Saturday gone.

Many happy returns …

to Gray's Court, where we have been quite a few times. This shot is to say bon anniversaire to the lady (not in red this time) to the left of the foliage.