Random Bits of York

Mansion House is on St. Helen's Square. It is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of York. The house also has tours showing off the art collection. Nearby is the old Guild Hall (built in the 1400s and rebuilt after WWII bombing in the 1940s) which is now a civic building.

Mansion House

Guild Hall

The streets of the town are narrow and twisty, some with great names and graphic representations of those names. Remember the Viking word for road was "gate" so many different streets are just called gates.

Typical narrow street

Swinegate Gate

In the middle of town is a pedestrian area called Newgate Market where York's outdoor market is held. Plenty of restaurants line the square providing a variety of food to go with the shopping experience.

Newgate Market

More of the market on a sunny June day

Bikes are a popular form of transportation

More of the market

On one visit we went to lunch at the Blue Boar, a pub dating back to 1733. Supposedly the basement is haunted by the ghost of Dick Turpin whose body was put on display in the cellar after his execution in 1739. L and J were brave enough to go downstairs, though the scariest thing we saw was a pinball machine.

One pint but three beers, an image of the Trinity!

Basement of The Blue Boar

Another pub I liked (at least from the outside) is the Black Swan, a fine example of Tudor styling.

Black Swan Pub

The War Memorial Gardens by the train station has a simple memorial to those who defended Britain.

War Memorial Gardens

Just outside the Gardens is a statue of George Leeman. The statue was originally of someone else but when it was put on the spot the head was recarved to commemorate the lawyer, railwayman, and MP from York in the 1800s.

George Leeman statue

Some of the street corners have very fancy decorations.

Near St. Helen's Square

17th century shiphead

Another view of the shiphead

Minerva on High Petergate