York Things to Do Tips by barryg23

Clifford's Tower dates all the way back to the 11th Century, when it was built by William the Conqueror, as part of York Castle, shortly after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The original building was burned down within a year, though its replacement lasted until 1190, when it was burned down in anti-Jewish riots, an event commemmorated by a plaque at the base of the tower. The stone tower you see today was completed in 1270, though its roof was blown off after a fire in the 17th Century. The tower is named after Sir Richard Clifford, who was hanged here in 1322 after a failed rebellion.

It costs 2.50 pounds to enter the remains of Clifford's Tower. Inside are a number of information panels, presenting a history of the tower, and a small replica of how the tower and the castle looked in medieval times. There is also a walkway along the top of the tower, from where there are good views over the city. The views were obscured somewhat during my visit by the rain and fog, reducing visibilty to just beyond the Minster.

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Phone: 01904 606940
Address: Tower Street
Directions: Opposite the Castle Museum

The atmospheric ruins of St. Mary's are amongst my favourite sights in York. Located in the gardens of the Yorkshire museum, the ruins are only a small part of a once great medieval abbey, which was built as far back as 1080. The west wing of the Abbey is the most visible part of the ruins while parts of its Chapter House have been incorporated into the nearby museum.

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Phone: +44 (01904) 687687
Address: Yorkshire Museum & Gardens Museum Gardens York

The Yorkshire Museum stands in the grounds of St. Mary's Abbey, just inside the town walls. This was my favourite museum in York and we spent an enjoyable couple of hours here escaping the rain and learning about the history of York.

The museum has impressive exhibits on the early history of York, in particular on Roman York. There is also good coverage of the Viking and the Anglo-Saxon periods, while a separate section shows remains of parts of St. Mary's Abbey. The star exhibit in the collection is the 15th Century Middleham Jewel, found as recently as 1985.

Entry to the museum costs 4 pounds for adults.

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Phone: +44 (01904) 687687
Address: Yorkshire Museum & Gardens Museum Gardens York

York's most famous street is one of the best preserved medieval streets in England. The Shambles takes its name from Shamel - which were the benches where butchers once displayed their meat.

The butchers have long since gone and nowadays most shops are aimed at tourists. Nevertheless the street still retains a certain amount of charm. The timbered houses lean inwards across the narrow street and it's not difficult to imagine how it was hundreds of years ago.

Amongst all the souvenir shops look out for the shrine to Margaret Clitherow, who was sent to death in the 16th Century for harbouring Jesuit priests.

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Directions: The Shambles is situated within the city walls just off King´s Square.

We visited the celebrated National Railway Museum at the end of our visit to York, just before returning to London. Perhaps we were tired after a long weekend of sightseeing and drinking but this museum failed to capture our interest.

If you're a rail enthusiast you will probably love it. It's certainly a popular place, though rather noisy as the clientele were mostly parents with very young kids. There were also numerous single men with expensive looking cameras - of the type (you imagine) that do a lot of train spotting in their spare time.

The museum covers over two acres and is split into two sections. The first is concerned with the early days of the railways in Britain and displays carriages and engines from 19th Century trains. Also on display are sections of the old Royal train with all its comforts and luxuries.

In the second hangar, various engines and carriages are on display, ranging from the famous Mallard steam train to the Japenese bullet trains of the future.

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Phone: 01904 621261 Fax:01904 611112
Address: Leeman Road,Yor,YO26 4XJ
Directions: From the railway station turn left along Station Road. Take the next left turn into Leeman Road and follow the road for about 150m. The museum is on the right.
Website: http://www.nrm.org.uk

York's best known building is the Minster, seat of the archibishop of York, and home to the best collection of stained glass windows in England, not to mention countless other important relics. The minster looks equally great from a distance and up close. Its colour reminded me of colleges in Oxford, while the Gothic architecture is reminiscent of the great cathedrals in France, such as Notre Dame in Paris. There has been a church on the site since 627, though it was from a later church in 1080 that the present church emerged.

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York Minster is just as impressive on the inside as it is from the outside. It has the widest nave of any church in England.....

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Among the most impressive sights in York are the various bars which mark the entrance points at the town walls to the medieval city. There are 4 main bars, roughly at the north, south, east and west of the city and each are simialr enough in design and date from the 14th century.

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The impressive building outside the city walls near Bootham Bar is the City Art Gallery, has a small collection of English and medieval paintings.

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There are a number of areas from where you can get a good view of the city of York. The most impressive views are from the top of Central Tower Roof in York Minster. It's quite a climb to the top, and the passageway is so narrow you can only ascend every 30 minutes, after the previous group had descended. It will cost you 3 pounds for the privilige.

Clifford's Tower also offers a good panorama from the southern end of the city, though for our visit the views were obscured somewhat by the rain and fog.

Another good place for observing York is from the city walls. The vantage point is not as high as at Clifford's Tower or at the Minster, but it has the advantage of being free.

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