York--October 23

Since our tour of Stratford and the Cotswolds was cancelled due to problems with the van  we were to have gone in, we decided to travel north instead and see a city we had glimpsed on our trip to Edinburgh.  York is about half-way to Edinburgh from Cambridge and easily accessible by train.  The travel time was a bit long for a day trip but still we were able to see something of this beautiful city.

What made York attractive was its long history from Roman times through the Middle Ages. To the Romans it was Eboracum; to the Anglo Saxons, Eoforwic, and to the Vikings, Jorvik.  All this history is preserved throughout the city. It is neither a huge nor a small city but a good size for getting a grasp of what is has to offer.

We were also lucky in having great weather for our trip: sunshine and mild temperatures.

Our first sight of York after leaving the train station was the wall encompassing the city.

This 12th century wall that surrounds the city is 3 miles long.  We walked only a tiny portion of it since our time was limited.

On to the river--and more confusion.  York lies between the River Ouse and the River Foss; the Romans had built a garrison here in 71AD to subdue the Brigantes.  What was confusing was that we had seen a River Ouse in Kings Lynn where it emptied into The Wash.  Well, the word "Ouse" is Celtic for "water" and there are many Ouse Rivers in Britain.  The one in Kings Lynn, however, is known as "The Great Ouse."

The Ouse and one of the original toll booths for this toll bridge.

Viewing the Ouse from the Victorian Lendal Bridge. There are various shields represented on the parapet; the lions symbolize England.

Just beyond the bridge was the Yorkshire Museum, a natural history museum and one of our intended stops.  Its appeal was immediate.     The museum grounds were still lovely and many people were roaming around enjoying them.  Here in Cambridge there are lovely gardens as well but they are mostly behind walls with signs saying "private" or "do not enter" so we get only peeks through doorways of what lies beyond.  The sense of freedom here was intense.  And we could walk on the grass!  In addition to the flowers and trees, the ghost-like ruins of St. Mary's Abbey dominated the scene.  Leaving the ruins in their natural state seemed to evoke more a sense of the past than if they had been rebuilt.

Flower beds of Yorkshire Museum

St.Mary's Abbey

St. Mary's Abbey was built during the time of Rufus, son of William the Conquerer, and thrived until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century.  The Abbey was powerful with wealth in lands and other riches and as part of Henry VIII's break with Rome, he took over the monasteries so that his subjects paid taxes to him instead of tithes to the church.  

Inside the museum itself, there were excellent displays of Romans in their daily life.  One exhibit showed  a wreath of hair--a bit ghoulish but very well preserved.  New artifacts keep showing up all the time.  A recent addition of a bathroom uncovered more Roman bones under the museum.

The basement of the museum showed more of the Abbey--walls and doorways that the museum was actually built around.  Other exhibits included artifacts from the Anglo Saxons and the Vikings.

We probably could have wandered through the museum for a longer time but there were other parts of York to see.

Outside the museum grounds were the remains of a Roman tower that formed the basis of the medieval wall.

The Multangular Tower dates from about 300 AD and was built to protect the town from enemies coming along the river.  The red brick line is seen throughout the wall and is indicative of a Roman structure.  The Medieval part with its arrow slits was built on top of the Roman wall perhaps about the time of the Norman invasion in the 11th century.

Probably the number one attraction in York is its Minster, or, since it is the seat of a bishop, Cathedral.  Like the Cologne Cathedral, this Gothic church is huge.  On Christmas and Easter 4000 worshippers pack into it.  Henry VIII never destroyed it since it was not part of a monastery when he took over the abbeys but there was still loss of treasures during Elizabeth I's reign because of efforts to remove all traces of Roman Catholicism.  Today the York bishop is considered "Primate of England" of the Anglican Church and the bishop of Canterbury is considered "Primate of All England" and hence #1in the Anglican Church.  

Both visually and musically the Minster is stunning and impossible to miss.  We could see it and hear it long before we were close to it.  It was also impossible for us to take a picture of the entire structure, so here are a few views.

Time did not permit us to do more than take a quick look inside; one could easily spend a day exploring and touring just the Minster itself.  

Outside the building there is a statue of Constantine.  

Constantine, looking imperial

In 306 AD, Constantine's father, Emperor Constantius, died in York (Eboracum).  Military leaders proclaimed Constantine Augustus of the West.  It wasn't until 324 AD, though, that Constantine became sole ruler after struggles with competing rivals.  

We had to catch our train back to Cambridge but we decided that York was worth a second look.  Hopefully we will be able to return before our time in England runs out.