Insight Guides Great Breaks York

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Print ISBN: 9781786715654
• eBook ISBN: 9781786717108
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

The awe-inspiring York Minster, stunningly preserved medieval walls and fascinating Jorvik Viking Centre: York is one of the UK's most appealing destinations. Great Breaks York is a collection of 11 illuminating walks and tours in and around this historic city, guiding you through the narrow streets, quaint half-timbered buildings and world-class museums of York. Plus there are excursions further afield to the picturesque Yorkshire coast, elegant spa town of Harrogate, and the dramatic scenery of the North York Moors - all accompanied by vivid full-colour photographs, clear maps and plenty of recommendations for where to eat and drink. This handy pocket-sized guide is packed full of ideas to inspire you, with the 10 top attractions in York, including the city's loveliest street the Shambles and the superb National Railway Museum; plus sections on active holidays and themed breaks. Features on York's art scene, Roman and Viking York and the North York Moors National Park provide a cultural backdrop to the city, while practical information and our selective accommodation listings make planning your trip a breeze.

Tour 1: The Heart of York

This walk focuses on the Gothic heart of York – the Minster. At under 3km (2 miles) long, it could be completed in half a day, but there’s so much of interest you’ll want a full day

Highlights

The Minster

St William’s College

Minster Library

Treasurer’s House

Monk Bar

Bootham Bar

York Art Gallery

This tour covers just a small corner of the city, but encompasses almost 2,000 years of history, giving you the opportunity to see everything from Roman remains to 20th-century artworks. Not bad for one day.

It starts at York’s fabulous Gothic cathedral, the mother church for England’s ‘Northern Province’, erected on a site once occupied by a Roman fort. It has many treasures, most notably its fine stained glass. The walk then takes you around the environs of the Minster, including St William’s College and Treasurer’s House, before climbing up onto the medieval walls at Monk Bar for a picturesque walk along the ramparts and a semi-aerial view of the Old City. The walk ends at the city’s Art Gallery, whose paintings span 600 years.

The Minster’s Gothic towers.

William Shaw/Apa Publications

The Minster

The Minster 1 [map] (tel: [phone]; www.yorkminster.org; Mon–Sat 9am–5pm (last entry), Sun noon–5pm; services throughout the day from 7am; guided tours Mon–Sat on the hour 10am–3pm) is the largest Gothic cathedral north of the Alps and is both a cathedral and a minster – a cathedral because of its Archbishop’s Throne and a minster because it has been served since Saxon times by a team of clergy. It has the widest nave in England, stands 60m (197ft) high, is 158m (518ft) long and 76m (249ft) wide across the transepts. Despite its size, recent restorations and cleaning give the visitor an impression of airy lightness. Its dimensions may make an immediate impression, but its ornate detail makes it an attraction worth spending an entire day exploring.

A long-spanning history

The history of the Minster is the history of England. A Roman legion’s headquarters stood here from AD71 before the first wooden church was founded in 627; it was named for St Peter (as the cathedral still is today) and was built for the baptism of the Anglo-Saxon King Edwin of Northumbria. It was almost immediately rebuilt in stone, but this was damaged by fire in 1069, when the Normans came to York. Between 1080 and 1100, work was carried out on a new Minster, which was much altered and enlarged over the years. In 1295 work began on the Nave – and continued for 70 years. The word ‘nave’ comes from the Latin for ship, navis and likens the cathedral to a vessel of salvation. The present Gothic cathedral was finally completed in 1472, and took more than 250 years to build.

The Minster’s east door.

Fotolia

The Heart of York

There was major restoration after two serious 19th-century fires. In 1829 a religious fanatic, Jonathan Martin, set fire to the choir (quire) area, destroying its stalls and roof. A workman’s candle set fire to the South West Tower in 1840 and severely damaged the nave. A third fire – thought to have been caused by lightning in 1984 – destroyed the South Transept roof. It occurred just three days after controversial clergyman David Jenkins had been consecrated Bishop of Durham, and was seen by some as divine retribution (others preferred to blame a UFO). The fire raged for over three hours, causing damage to the famous Rose Window, as well as the roof. It cost £2.25 million to carry out all the repairs. The restored transept was finally rededicated by the Queen in 1988. Major restoration work was also carried out between 1967 and 1972 when cracks were found in the Central Tower and other parts of the cathedral were found to be unstable. Repairs involved giving the tower new steel-reinforced concrete ‘feet’, which can be seen in the Undercroft. An ongoing programme of work continues with the restoration of the South Quire Aisle, expected to cost around £11 million and take 11 years to complete.

Minster Facts

The Central Tower is large enough to house the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

One of only seven cathedrals in the world to have its own police force.

Some 26km (16 miles) of scaffolding used on the East End’s exterior work.

The consecration of the Rev Libby Lane as the Church of England’s first woman bishop took place at the Minster in 2015.

This is still a living church, and regular pauses for prayer are announced over a speaker system. It is also the site for the enthronement of the Archbishop of York. The current Archbishop, John Sentamu, enthroned in November 2005, became the first black archbishop in the Church of England.

Visitors enter via ticket barriers in the South Transept. Anger at the introduction of an entry fee made it all the way to Parliament, where one MP described the imposition as ‘tacky’. Nevertheless, claimed Church officials, the money for ongoing restorations must be found somewhere, especially as the Minster costs £20,000 a day to maintain.

The Five Sisters’ Window at the North Transept in York Minster.

Bigstock

Navigating the Minster

Begin your tour in the Nave A [map] to the west (left as you enter). The main body of the Minster is Decorated Gothic in style and was completed in the 1350s. The 14th-century West Window B [map] painted in 1338 has be...

Table of contents

• York’s Top 10
• Overview: An Eternal City
• Food and Drink
• Tour 1: The Heart of York
• Tour 2: Shopping Streets
• Feature: The Art Scene
• Tour 3: Markets and Museums
• Tour 4: An Aerial View of York’s Railway History
• Feature: North York Moors National Park
• Tour 5: Steam Trains and Dinosaurs
• Tour 6: Narrow Streets and Hidden Treasures
• Tour 7: From Riches to Rags
• Feature: Roman and Viking York
• Tour 8: Excursion to Yorkshire Coast
• Tour 9: Excursion around Harrogate
• Tour 10: Excursion to James Herriot Country
• Tour 11: Excursion to Castle Howard
• Active Pursuits
• Themed Holidays
• Practical Information
• Accommodation