York

York is a city in North Yorkshire which is 22 miles north-east of Leeds. It has a population of about 210,000 and incidentally, is very prone to flooding.
Recently, Me, Brenda and a friend called Margaret spent a few hours in the centre of York as we knew what an interesting place it is to visit.
Here are some facts about York (with help from Wikipedia):
It is located on the rivers Ouse and Foss and was founded by the Romans as Eboracum in 71AD. It then became the capital of the Roman Province of Britannia Inferior, the kingdoms of Deiva and Jorvik – the Danish army conquered the city in 866 and Jorvik became its new name as it became a major river port and made up the extensive Viking Trading route throughout northern Europe.
In the middle ages, York became a major wool trading centre and also the capital of the northern ecclesiastical province of the Church of England.
York merchants imported wine from France, cloth, wax and canvas and oats from the low countries, timber and furs from the Baltic and exported grain and wool to the low countries.
In the nineteenth century, it became a major hub for the railway network and a centre for the manufacture of confectionary. The railway was developed by George Hudson and was also instrumental in the expansion of Rowntree’s Cocoa Works which was founded by the brothers Henry Isaac Rowntree and his brother Joseph. It is now known as Nestle York and famous for brands like KitKat and Yorkie bar. In addition, Terry’s of York also produced confectionary but was ultimately moved to Poland by its owners Kraft Foods.
Today, the economy of York is reliant on the service and tourism sector. In 2016, it became a sister city to Nanjing and this partly explains the large number of visitors from China and Asia. York was voted European Tourism City of the year in 2007 and this has greatly helped tourism.
There are many places of interest in York, the centre of the city is actually enclosed by the city’s medieval walls. There are the Shambles which is a fascinating place to relax and shop. It is also worth visiting the National Railway museum where you will find the Mallard which is the world’s fastest steam locomotive and also the world-famous Flying Scotsman.
If you have time, it would also be worth visiting the Yorkshire Museum and its Museum Gardens, the Jorvik Viking centre, the York Art Gallery and the Richard the Third experience. If you’re into sport there’s York Racecourse which also accommodates Yorkshire’s largest beer festival every September run by CAMRA. York hosts the UK Snooker Championship at the Barbican Centre.
Christianity is the main religion practised in York, but other religions like Islam, Quakerism and Buddhism are represented.
When we visited York, we paid £15 each to go around the city landmarks on a tour bus which is good value if you are intending to spend time in York and get on and off the bus.
So, all in all, we had a great time in York and I would recommend it to anyone for an interesting and enjoyable day out – but be warned, it is not a cheap experience!
For more interesting Place Reviews by Dean, please visit Dean’s Places