York
This article is about the historic English city. For other meanings, see York (disambiguation).
York is a city in northern England, at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. In the 2001 UK census the city had a population of 181 094 [1] Its geographic coordinates are .
York is the traditional county town of Yorkshire, to which it lends its name. However, it did not form part of any of the three ridings of Yorkshire. The modern City of York, created on April 1, 1996, is a unitary authority and an administrative county in its own right. As well as York itself, it includes a number of neighbouring parishes which formerly belonged to the surrounding districts of Harrogate, Ryedale and Selby. It borders on North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The city was founded in AD 71, and has a rich Roman and Viking history. The historical aspects of York attract a great deal of tourism. York is home to the University of York.
The city sometimes suffers from flooding. It is also claimed to be one of the most haunted cities in Europe.
Roman York
York is renowned for its history, which is preserved in its architecture. The city was founded during the reign of
Roman Emperor Vespasian in AD
71, and for much of the intervening period has been the main city in
Northern England. Every year, thousands of tourists flock to see the surviving mediaeval buildings, interspersed with Roman and Viking remains. The City Council has 27
Conservation Areas, 2,084
Listed buildings and 20
Scheduled Ancient Monuments in its care.
For the
Romans, York the celtic Eboracum "city of the yew" was a major military base; Emperor
Septimius Severus died there in AD
211, and
Constantius Chlorus, the father of
Constantine I, died there in
306. In York, Constantine's troops proclaimed him emperor (note that the only other city in which an emperor has been proclaimed is
Rome itself). Substantial Roman remains were discovered under the
Minster and a re-erected Roman column now stands on Deangate. There are also the remains of a Roman bath, but a
temple and the site of the Roman bridge over the
River Ouse have also been excavated lately. Outside the city walls are the remains of substantial Roman cemeteries. A large number of Roman finds are now housed in the Yorkshire Museum.
Paulinus of York brought
Christianity to the region in the early
7th century with the conversion of King
Edwin of Northumbria and the first Minster is believed to have been built in
627, although the location of the early Minster is a matter of dispute. York became a centre of learning, its most famous scholar being
Alcuin.
Viking York
For Viking York, see Jorvik. A "great
Viking army" captured York in AD
866, and in
876 the Vikings settled permanently in parts of the Yorkshire countryside. Viking kings ruled this area, known to historians as "
The Viking Kingdom of Jorvik", for almost a century. In
954 the last Viking king,
Eric Bloodaxe, was expelled and his kingdom was incorporated in the newly consolidated Anglo-Saxon state. Another renowned scholar of this era was
Wulfstan II, Archbishop of York.
Mediaeval York
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York Minster |
Following the Norman Conquest of 1066, York was substantially damaged by the punitive harrying of the north (1069) launched by William the Conqueror in response to regional revolt. Two castles were erected in the city on either side of the River Ouse. In time York became an important urban centre as the administrative centre of the county of Yorkshire, as the seat of an archbishop, and at times in the later 13th and 14th century as an alternative seat of royal government. It was an important trading centre. Several religious houses were founded following the Conquest, including St Mary's Abbey and Holy Trinity Priory. The city as a possession of the crown also came to house a substantial Jewish community under the protection of the sheriff.
On March 16, 1190 a mob of townsfolk forced the Jews in York to flee into the wooden castle, which was under the control of the sheriff. The castle was set on fire and the Jews were massacred. It is likely that various local magnates who were indebted to the Jews helped instigate this massacre or, at least, did nothing to prevent it. Commemoration of the York massacre passed into the Jewish liturgy and until 1990 orthodox Judaism forbade Jews from living within the city.
York prospered during much of the later mediaeval era and this is reflected in the built environment. York Minster is the largest mediaeval cathedral in England and one of the largest gothic churches in Europe. The mediaeval city walls, with their entrance gates, known as bars, encompassed virtually the entire city and survive to this day. The city was also designated as a county corporate, giving it effective county status.
 |
"The Shambles," a street in York. |
The later years of the 14th and the earlier years of the 15th centuries were characterised by particular prosperity. It is in this period that the regular cycle of religious pageants (or plays) associated with the Corpus Christi cycle and performed by the various craft guilds grew up. Among the more important personages associated with this period was Nicholas Blackburn senior, Lord Mayor in 1412 and a leading merchant. He is depicted in glass in the (now) east window of All Saints' Church in North Street. The period from the later 15th century seems to have witnessed economic contraction and a dwindling in York's regional importance. The construction of the city's new guildhall around the middle of the century can be seen as an attempt to project civic confidence in the face growing uncertainty.
Dating from the later mediaeval era, and now a popular tourist attraction, is the Shambles, an old street with overhanging timber-built shops, now occupied by souvenir shops as opposed to the original butchers. York is also home to numerous Ghost Walks and also a favourite venue for hen parties.
York elected two members to the
Unreformed House of Commons.
As well a tourist destination, modern York is a centre of communications, education and manufacturing. It is a major
railway junction, situated on the East Coast, Cross Country and Transpennine mainlines.
York is also a major venue for
horse racing at
York Racecourse in the
Knavesmire area.
York is the location for a
Nestlé Rowntree chocolate factory. Another factory refines
sugar. York is the home of
KitKat,
Smarties and the eponymous
Yorkie bar. Until the 2005, York also hosted a
Terry's chocolate factory, makers of the
Chocolate Orange, but this was closed on
30 September 2005.
The city hosts a university (the
University of York), a higher education college (
York St John College) and a branch of the
College of Law. The City's
football team (
York City) was relegated from
the Football League to the
Nationwide Conference at the end of the 2003/4 season. York also has a
rugby league side,
York City Knights. The York area is served by a local
newspaper, the
Yorkshire Evening Press.
 |
The Kings Arms pub during floods |
York is also noted for its wealth of
pubs. The York area is said to contain one pub for every day of the year, although this is a little exaggerated. It is said, with perhaps a touch of
poetic licence, that there is no point within the city walls where one can stand and not be able to see at least one
pub and at least one
church.
The city is prone to severe
flooding from the River Ouse, and has an extensive (but not always effective) network of flood defences. These include walls along the Ouse and a barrier across the Foss (see
River Foss). Much land within the city has always been too flood-prone for development. Partly as a result of this, there is an unusual amount of green space. The
ings are flood meadows along the River Ouse, while the
strays are scattered around the city in marshy, low-lying places; another such area is the
Knavesmire. In summer, when they are drier, these areas are used for recreation, and some are grazed by
cattle.
This city was originally named by the
Celts as
Eborakon, which means "place of
yew trees". The name of the Yew is
Efrawg in
Brythonic,
Efwr in
Welsh,
Iobhar in
Irish Gaelic,
Iorc in
Scottish Gaelic,
Evor in
Breton and was
Eburos in
Gaulic. As York was a town in Roman times, its Celtic name is recorded in
Roman sources, as
Eboracum and
Eburacum, with the ending
-acumLatinized instead of
-acon in celtic.
After 400 AD
Anglo-Saxons took over the area and adapted the name by
folk etymology to
Old English Eoforwīc, which means "wild-boar town". The
Proto-Germanic form of Old English
eofor is
eburaz. York became
Northumbria's centre of power later on. The
Vikings took over the area later; who in turn adapted the name by folk etymology to
Norse Jórvík meaning "horse bay", like a town in
Bohuslän at the time, which was reduced to
York in the centuries after the
Norman Conquest.
 |
St Williams College near the Minster |
York has a long association with the Religious Society of Friends. The York-born Quaker chocolate entrepreneurs and social reformers Joseph Rowntree and Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree left an indelible mark on the city, through both their business interests and their philanthropy. They built the village of New Earswick to provide quality affordable housing for their employees. They also founded two Quaker schools, Bootham and The Mount, and contributed in large part to the building of York Public Library and the creation of Rowntree Park. The four Rowntree trusts, funded from the Rowntree legacies, are based in York.
The Retreat is a large Quaker mental hospital in the Walmgate area of the city. It was founded in 1796 by William Tuke; over the next century his son Henry Tuke, grandson Samuel Tuke and great-grandson Daniel Hack Tuke also devoted themselves to mental health reform, continuing to reform The Retreat and publishing a number of works on the subject. Another notable York Quaker was the sculptor Austin Wright.
 |
Inside York Minster |
 |
The Mallard locomotive, National Railway Museum |
*
Archaelogical Resource Centre*
Assembly Rooms, a grand
Palladian public space designed by
Lord Burlington,
1731–
32, lies behind a rebuilt
19th century facade.
*
Bar Convent Museum*
Barley Hall*
Clifford's Tower*
Jorvik, The Viking City
*The
King's Manor*
Merchant Adventurers' Hall*
Micklegate Bar Museum*
National Railway Museum*
National Centre for Early Music, home of the York Early Music Festival [
2]
*
Saint Mary's Abbey*
Treasurer's House*
York Castle Museum*
York City Art Gallery*
York City Walls (Including
Monk Bar Museum)
*
York Dungeon*
York Minster*
Yorkshire Museum*
Archbishop's Palace, Bishopthorpe*
Askham Bogs*
Askham Bryan Hall*
Elvington Hall*
Haxby Hall*
Heslington Hall*The
Knavesmire*
Middlethorpe Hall,
Middlethorpe Manor*
Osbaldwick Hall*
Skelton Hall,
Skelton Manor*
Vale of York*
West Huntington Hall*
York Racecourse*
Yorkshire Air Museum,
Elvington*
Yorkshire Museum of Farming,
Murton*
Acaster Malbis,
Acomb,
Askham Bryan,
Askham Richard*
Bishopthorpe,
Bootham*
Clifton,
Copmanthorpe,
Crockey Hill*
Deighton*
Dringhouses*
Dunnington*
Elvington*
Fishergate,
Fulford*
Haxby,
Heslington,
Hessay,
Heworth,
Holgate,
Holtby,
Huntington*
Layerthorpe*
Kexby,
Knapton*
Middlethorpe,
Moor End,
Murton*
Naburn,
Nether Poppleton,
New Earswick*
Osbaldwick*
Rawcliffe,
Rufforth*
Skelton,
Stockton on the Forest,
Strensall,
South Bank*
Tang Hall,
Towthorpe*
Upper Poppleton*
West Huntington,
Wheldrake,
Wigginton,
Woodthorpe*
Mark Addy (actor)
*
Alcuin (influential Christian scholar)
*
Farrah (
indie pop/rock group)
*
John Barry (composer)
*
Judi Dench (actress)
*
John Earle (clergyman and author)
*
Guy Fawkes (Catholic conspirator)
*
John Flaxman (sculptor and draughtsman)
*
Christopher Hill (Marxist historian)
*
Frankie Howerd (comedy actor)
*
Thomas Morton (clergyman)
*
Joseph Rowntree and
Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree (chocolate entrepreneurs and social reformists)
*
William Hepworth Thompson (classical scholar)
*
William Tuke,
Henry Tuke,
Samuel Tuke and
Daniel Hack Tuke (campaigners for humane treatment of the insane)
*
James Hack Tuke (campaigner for famine relief and social reform in Ireland)
*
Henry Scott Tuke (painter)
*
Shed Seven (
indie rock group)
*
Xavier Pick (contemporary British Artist)
*
David Bradley (actor) (Actor, plays Filch in the Harry Potter series of films)
*
Keith Drinkell (Actor, recently appeared in
Coronation Street as Bob.)
*
Michael Burns (actor) (Actor, played Colin in the BBC comedy "
The Brittas Empire.)
*
The Mood (1980's band, John Moore, Mark James & Eric James. Biggest single "Paris Is One Day Away" stalled unfortunately just outside the Top 40 in the UK.)
*
Bridges of York*
Prince Andrew*
Duke of York*
Princess Beatrice of York*
Princess Eugenie of York*
York Tourism*
York Evening Press local newspaper site, including news, sport, information & classified advertising
*
The University of York*
York St John College*
The National Centre for Early Music*
Websites from York by category*
York Stories: photo essays of walks in York, emphasizing architecture]
*
Eating Out, Bars, Pubs & Shops in York.*
Timeline of Yorks history and a few articles.*
Photographs of All Saints Church at Huntington, north of York.*
Images of York
