York Things to Do Tips by balhannah

YORK AT NIGHT City - Miscellaneous Review

If you have a chance, visit York at night.
Thanks to Colin [Brittania2] and Maureen, who took us around and showed us the City lit up at night.
It was lovely, especially the Minster, worth doing if you can!

NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM National Railway Museum Review

The National Railway Museum we drove to, as it is located away from the main attraction's of York.
Coming from York, we saw a notice pointing to the Left for the Car park. The park was pretty full of Car's!
Crossing the road, we headed to the Museum and to join a queue to visit the Museum.
They have a collection of over 100 locomotives and nearly 200 other items of rolling stock, plus we learnt about rail from the early 19th century to the present day.
We saw old steam Train's and the very modern fast train of today. The exhibition is excellent and a credit to all the people who work on restoring the Train's.

OPEN... 10.00 - 6PM daily

Incredible for this excellent museum is FREE ENTRY

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.

Phone: 01904 621261 Fax:01904 611112

Website: http://www.nrm.org.uk

BOER WAR MEMORIAL City - Miscellaneous Review

This is a very nice Memorial that I came across near York Minster. Built in Gothic revival style, it's octagonal and really ornate! It honour's all the York men who died in second Boer War (1899-1902). 500,000 British troops faced a force of 88,000 from the two Boer republics, resulting in the most costly war's the British have been involved in!

Address: Duncombe Place

Website: http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Yorkshire/YorkBoerWar.html

ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY City - Miscellaneous Review

St. John's University was another historic building that I found attractive. The building's were set amongst lovely green lawn's and shrubbery, what a nice setting for a University!

The university descends from two Anglican teacher training colleges, which merged in 1974 to form the College of Ripon and York St John.

Address: Lord Mayor's walk road

Website: http://www.yorksj.ac.uk/

WHIP-MA-WHOP-MA STREET Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate. Review

What a mouthful to say!

This is the smallest street in York and has the longest name.

The current length of raised pavement between St Crux church hall and a road junction is it!

A local custom of whipping small yelping dogs called Whappets was observed in this area in medival times, I wonder if these are the modern day "Whippet?"
Another theory is, the city's whipping post and stocks were here in the middle ages, which may be why it was named.

Directions: The street lies at the southern end of Colliergate.

YORK GHOST WALK'S! Walks, Tours, Etc Review

York is known as one of the most haunted cities the world

I came across the this stilted person giving out Ghost Walk pamphlet's, took one, and then took his photo!

I read the pamphlet and wished I had the time to take the walk, it sounded interesting!

Tales are told.....
THE Orphans of Bedern is a famous story of the ghosts of the York Industrial Ragged School.

In the mid 19th century, Bedern became the home of a workhouse for orphan's. The owner was paid to look after them well, however, he didn't, and the children starved and died.
He tried to cover this up by placing them in a large cupboard, but with more and more bodies put in the cupboard, the smell became unbearable, so he decided to dig a grave. The ground was too frozen so he was left to live with the dying corpses.
As the story goes, at night when he was trying to sleep, he could hear the bodies screaming, thus turning him into a "madman!"
He ran through the workhouse killing the remaining children and was found the next day on top of a mound of dead children and dragged to the local asylum where he remained for the rest of his days.
Many people have heard the playful song of the orphans since.

Just one of many interesting stories you will hear.
The York Ghost Walk Experience tour combines professional story telling with re-enactments bringing past events back to life. Some of the most unusual re-enactments are those of The Headless Earl and The Gray Lady (a nun who was walled up alive).

Where?
The York Ghost Walk Experience starts at York's famous Roman Column every night at 7pm.
The Column is right outside of York Minster and very easy to find.

How Much?
Adults @ £5.00
Child (Under 14) @ £3.00

Website: http://www.ghostwalkyork.co.uk/

THE OLD WHITE SWAN City - Miscellaneous Review

The Old White Swan is Pub
It is a collection of around nine buildings and dates back to the 16th century which will place the pub along with the Black Swan, Punchbowl, and Ye Olde Starre Inne as one of York’s oldest.

Historically, it's quite an interesting Pub. In the back courtyard, there still are timber framed medieval building's, but look for the stone rock that was used as 'mountings' to help people board the stagecoaches of yesteryear and contain four steps.

One of its' most famous guest's was a 'Mr O'Brian' who was eight foot tall who visited on the 5th of August 1781 by permission of the Lord Mayor.
The landlord at the time charging a shilling to see the visitor. Poor man!

As with many Old pub's around York, it has a tale or two to tell.
It is thought that the pub was a secret meeting place for papists who planned to flee to France. Ghostly figures have been seen huddled around the fire in the early morning, but the fire was left unlit, how had the fire been relit, the Staff said they didn't do it?
Also there are tales of furniture being flung around by themselves and muffled voices and footsteps.

Is it true! Is is haunted! I wonder!

Address: 80 Goodramgate, York

Directions: You will find The Old White Swan in Goodramgate York within a short stroll of York Minster, Parliament Square and Deangate.

Website: http://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/theoldwhiteswangoodramgateyork/

QUAINT ENGLISH SHOP'S Shopping Review

Quaint shop's, I had never seen so many of them, I loved them, they brought back to mind the English television show with the two "Ronnies!"

I found some interesting ones too, like the animated shoe maker mending shoe's, I had to stop and watch, I bet children love it even more! There was an Icecream shop, and a delightful Cake shop, many gift and souvenir shop's, quite a few expenisive shop's, especially in the Shamble's.
I bought some souvenir's and enjoyed my talk with a "Yorkshire Man, ".....he had relative's in Australia!
York also has many modern shop's, but for me, coming from a modern country, the "quaint" shop's were the one's I loved!

Address: In virtually every street in York!

LADY ROW COTTAGE'S City - Miscellaneous Review

This row of joined together Cottage's are known as "Lady Row."

They date from 1316 and are the earliest row of houses surviving in the city.

The houses are very simple, made of plastered timber framing with roofs of curved tiles.
The original row was 128 feet long and only 18 feet deep, and had two storeys and eleven bays. Each bay formed a single home with one room on each floor, but at least one tenement occupied two bays. They were built as a home for the poorer people of York.

Seven of the bays remain largely intact today, others have been replaced by taller brick buildings. In 1827 there was a proposal to re-open the whole churchyard to the street by pulling down Lady Row altogether, thankgoodness this threat was never realized!

I found these on Goodramgate street. They nearly hide the view of the Holy Trinity Church, and there is a reason for this. The houses were built in the original churchyard and their rental income was used towards the church's running expenses.

Address: Goodramgate

Website: http://www.pocketbritain.com/OurLadyRow.html

PETERGATE City - Miscellaneous Review

Petergate was the main cross road of York.
I noticed a statue sitting on top of the "Shared Earth" shop. It was the statue of Minerva, Goddess of Wisdom, sitting with an owl and a pile of books, a reminder of the days when this was the street of bookbinders and booksellers.
This point is also the main road intersection of Roman York and the entrance to the Roman military headquarters.

Address: Corner of High Petergate & Minster gates