York by Bus

At 10 am a space appeared in the Selby Basin Moorings much earlier than we had expected. Not wishing to lose it, we quickly moved from one side of the swing bridge to the other and just fitted in.As a result a change of plan. Instead of going to York tomorrow, we were early enough to go today - the bus service is every 20 minutes. We quickly closed up the boat, collected what we needed and set off to the bus station which Christine had found on her exploratory walk yesterday after we arrived. 10:35 and we were on our way.

The bus route diverts into several villages - it seems that this is very much the commuter belt for York and the bus was quite busy. It picked up or set down from many of the stops along the way. On the outskirts of the city it made a further diversion to the Designer Outlet retail park which also serves as a Park and Ride base.

The Shambles

It is a very long time since we were last in York - perhaps the only occasion when we spent much time her and that was back when our children were very small. As a result we had to orientate ourselves and simply wandered the streets, beginning - inevitably - with The Shambles.

Where's a plumb line when you need it?

Before long we realised that we needed a drink and popped in to the Shambles Little Tea Room - which deserves its name! Along with our coffee we had some rather tasty toasted cheese scones.

Church of the Holy Trinity

Following a sign down a narrow side alley we discovered the Church of the Holy Trinity. Although declared redundant several decades ago, it has been preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust, especially because of the rare seventeenth century box pews.

Box Pews

It was interesting to see a church from the time when the pulpit not the altar was the main focus, although a skew hole through the stonework was to allow a chantry priest to coordinate his actions with a priest celebrating the Eucharist at the main altar.

Mayor's Pew

At the back of the church where one might have expected a West Gallery, there special pews were for the Mayor, whose names were inscribed on boards either side. When the mayor was not using these pews the singers were allowed to instead.

York Minster

A little more wandering and we found ourselves in the front of York Minster. But it was 12:30 so we decided it would be better to find a snack lunch first. We found a table outside, facing the Minster, which looked a good option - but Mike was decidedly under-whelmed by his bacon ciabatta, so perhaps we draw a veil over that part of the day.

On then to the entrance to the Minster - we had a choice: either £8 for the Minster itself or £12 to include going up the tower to the top of the building. Warned that it was 274 (or 277 depending on who you listen to!) and that it was not for the faint hearted with only 10 minutes allowed to climb up, we went ahead and bought the full package. (Actually on some days there is an even larger package that includes the stained glass restoration studio).

West from behind the nave altar

Inside the building is very light and spacious - the stone, we learnt, came from a quarry nearby which still supplies the masons who constantly are repairing the outside of the building when it becomes worn and eroded by the weather.

Chapter House Windows

Stained glass is everywhere - this example from the Chapter House. The main East Window is currently in the midst of a five year restoration programme and has been removed entirely - an almost full size digital photograph gives an in situ impression of what is like.

East Window Digital Photo

Carvings in the stonework are also all around - this one especially caught Christine's eye.

Crossing the front of the building

Time now for our Tower Tour! The staircase is indeed narrow but the steps are well proportioned and even so no excuses! After the first hundred, after passing several locked doors with names of different galleries, we suddenly emerged - without prior warning - onto a passage across the outside of the building. With a sheer drop down to the ground it was a challenge for Mike who kept his eyes steadfastly on the door ahead! (The photo is from the trip back down)

Tower Roof

On then up the rest of the steps - Mike did have to take a short break for about half a minute not far from the top but we both appreciated it when we could take in the view from the roof at the top of the tower.

York Railway Station

Drax Power Station on the horizon

Flying Buttresses

Time to return to ground level - crossing the front of the building Christine had time to take in the splendid views of the flying buttresses - Mike did not!

On firmer ground we continued to explore more of the Minster. The walls are lined with memorials and sometimes one wonders about the story behind the inscription. Whilst many are the more obvious tributes to gallantry and military leadership, one or two had perhaps a different type of tale to tell!

East Window Detail

A few of the East Window sections are on display below the huge photo - the detail is amazing and can only be appreciated when seen this close.

Modern Portable Font

Just before we left we spotted a delightful modern portable font, mainly in wood.

St Michael le Belfry

Only a stone's throw from the Minster is the parish church of St Michael le Belfry. A very different experience here - a place that is clearly very much used. We heard that during university term time, students make up a large part of an active congregation and we saw substantial facilities for modern worship - although they do also have services which reflect the times when the box pews were installed. Although much more recent than those we saw earlier, it seems that the Victorian Society is preventing their removal to allow the current congregation to use the space for worship in a style which they find more comfortable. When we enjoy looking around buildings whose charm is that they portray how people have evolved their own worship afresh in each generation, it is sad to think that this process may, for now, be halted in the name of heritage preservation.

Pews, who wants more pews?

We definitely needed a cup of tea and a secluded courtyard behind a patisserie tea room provided service and quality, both of tea and cakes that more than made up for our earlier disappointment. Excellent!

More streets, more buildings - our stock of photos will have to keep for another day - and we eventually found our way back to the bus stop, just in time to catch 5:30 departure.

On the walk back to the boat we spotted this sculpture on the canal bank.

When we returned to the basin we were amazed to discover that there was a lot of empty space, quite unlike last night when moorings were at a premium!

Down to the river from the lock side, Mike spotted this sad loss in the mud below! It looks as if it had even been locked up so how it ended up in the water . . .

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