I’m a frequent visitor to York. I have friends and family there. But I never fail to wander around the walled city, stopping at familiar places and discovering new sights. Here in historical order are a few of the places I enjoyed on this visit.

St Mary’s Abbey

St Mary’s Abbey was a 10-acre complex founded in 1088 by Benedictine monks on the north bank of the Ouse River. At its height there were 40-60 monks, an abbot, 50 students, and sufficient lay servants to look after the fish house, brewery, mill, bakery, granary and barns. With so many blessings, it is understandable that some monks became lax in following strict Benedictine Rule. In 1132, Prior Richard and 13 monks demanded the rule be applied. Riots broke out among the monks. Prior Richard and his men left the Benedictines, joined the extremely strict Cistercian order, and founded Fountains Abbey.

Neither group survived the Henry VIII’s Dissolution of Monasteries. St Mary’s became the king’s palace before falling into ruins. In the 1820s the Yorkshire Philosophical Society excavated the ruins and turned the grounds into the Museum Gardens. The surviving abbey walls built in the 13th century are the most complete set of abbey walls in the country.

St William’s College

York Minister towers above the abbey ruins. More on this amazing building in the next blog. On the other side of the Minster, St. William’s College has a lovely tea room and meeting rooms. It dates to 1465 and was named in honor of Archbishop William of York. Originally, the building served as a sort of dormitory for 23 chantry priests and their provost who were attached to chantry chapels at the Minister.

Every day the priests sang a stipulated number of masses for the benefit of a deceased donor who provided for them in his will. The donor hoped these masses would bail him or her out of purgatory and allow entry to heaven. This practice stopped when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries. In 1548 St. William’s underwent a makeover to become a private house.

Holy Trinity Church on Goodramgate

Holy Trinity was a new discovery for me, tucked away behind a very busy shopping street. The 15th century church is no longer active and is administered by the Churches Conservation Trust. Two interesting features caught my eye.

The East Window which was donated by Rev John Walker – I’ve never thought of the rectors donating windows before. Didn’t think they made enough money. Holy Trinity also features very nice box pews. I’ve seen these pews in other churches, but the ones in Holy Trinity are particularly nice. Box pews were common from the 16th-19th centuries, so people could sit while sermons wafted over their heads. Many times the pews were personal property. So, when someone told a visitor ‘you’re in my seat,’ they meant it literally.

Merchant Adventurers’ Hall at Fossgate

Fossgate dates to Roman times when it was the south easterly way out of York. The Vikings created the street by building a wooden bridge over the River Foss. Fossgate functioned primarily as a fish market until the early 20th century when it became a fashionable area. Today it has become a place for dining, shopping, and visiting York Brewery.

The story behind The Last Drop Inn is a questionable play on words. it is said that the Colliergate corner on which the pub is situated was the last sight a criminal saw before reaching the place where he would be ‘hanged by the neck.’ [No, I am not making this up.]

The main entrance to the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall is off Fossgate, through the archway with the coat of arms for the Merchant Adventurers of England above it. In 1357 a number of men and women formed a religious fraternity to build the hall which was completed in 1361. They also set up a guild comprised mostly of mercers* and used the hall to transact business, socialize, look after the poor, and meditate in a private chapel.

*Mercers dealt in fine textiles such as silk and velvet.

Bettys Cafe & Tea Rooms

I don’t know about you, but after all that touring, I need a snack. And where better to go than Bettys Cafe and Tea Rooms in St. Helen’s Square, a York landmark since 1936.

Frederick Belmont, a Swiss baker, founded the first Bettys in Harrogate in 1919. He did so well, that in 1936 he was able to travel on the Queen Mary’s maiden voyage. Belmont was enchanted by the art deco decor, and commissioned the ship’s interior designers to create a similar venue out of a run down furniture store he had purchased in York.

Bettys was an instant hit. During World War II, the Bettys Bar downstairs was a favorite destination for airmen stationed near York. Using a diamond pen, many engraved their names on a mirror which is still there.

You may be wondering who the original “Betty” was. No one knows.

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Featured Image: City of York Coat of Arms, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons.

All Other Photos by Author. All Rights Reserved.

Bettys Cafe & Tea Rooms

The Churches Conservation Trust

Fossgate.

Holy Trinity Church, York, North Yorkshire

Last Drop Inn

Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, York

Museum Gardens

St William’s College, York Minster Precinct

David Ross. St Mary’s Abbey, York Britain Express.

York Brewery

The post YORK SIGHTS first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

As some of you know, I was recently in UK. My last blog featured the fabulous afternoon tea at the Milestone Hotel, but if you follow me on Facebook, you know I began the journey home last Saturday. First stop, Seattle, where I have been experiencing really bad jet lag. Which is why I have not posted a blog in so long.

Between sipping tea and departing for home, I traveled up to the City of York. Above is a map of England from lonelyplanet.com. London is marked in pink. If you follow the east coast to the north, you can see York, just above Leeds. [Sidebar: Most maps don’t show York, but they do show Leeds. Leeds is possibly a more significant city for business, but York is far more worthy from a historian’s perspective.]

York’s written history begins with the Romans who established Eboracum in 71 A.D., but this site where the Ouse and Foss rivers converge shows signs of habitation as early as the Neolithic period. There’s a great timeline at http://www.historyofyork.org.uk/timeline However, a picture can be worth many words, not to mention a Google search. This picture of the walls near Nunnery Lane is from Wikipedia Commons. The City of York is one of very few cities with a complete set of medieval walls. Actually, I think it is the only city in UK that still has its walls. You can imagine that as cities grew, walls were a bit inconvenient. The Victorians knocked city walls down with great enthusiasm, but York was a poor city and could not afford the demolition. This turned out well in the end since it makes the city a great tourist attraction. You can walk on the walls when you visit.

At various points along the walls, there are gates called barbicans. During the Middle Ages, someone entering the city could be stopped within the barbican to be inspected. Hence, the saying above. In the City of York, the “gates are bars.” Below is a picture of Michelgate Bar (also from Wikipedia Commons). Michelgate Bar one of four medieval entrances into the city. The Bars were also good places to display the heads of men executed for treason and various other crimes.

So, we have now explained why in York gates are bars, which leave the question of why the bars are pubs. In the U.S. certain drinking establishments are referred to as bars. Therefore, people looking for alcoholic liquid refreshments often seek out a bar. The English look for a pub, short for “public house” where they like to order a “pint” of beer, among other beverages, and settle in for good conversation.

The Punchbowl pub in Stonegate begins its history with ties to the seventeenth century Whig Party. At that time, the Whigs drank punch and the Tories drank claret, so the name Punchbowl meant something then. “You namby pamby claret drinkers, keep out. We manly men are drinking punch here.” [Sidebar: Punch was the first popular mixed drink to include distilled spirits. More entertaining information can be found at www.saveur.com/article/Wine-and-Drink/With-Glasses-Raised ] Today the Punchbowl is noted for its fine selection of ales and a food menu that features traditional classic pub meals like Sausage and Mash or Shepherd’s Pie, as well as more modern selections such as the Wild Boar & Chorizo Burger. I went for the Fish & Chips, which I truly enjoyed. You can check out the Punchbowl at www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/thepunchbowlstonegateyork/

I’ll tell you a bit more about York in another blog. In the meantime, “cheers.”

The post YORK – where “the gates are bars & the bars are pubs” first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.