York (an elegant, historic and beautiful city)
York is one of England’s most beautiful cities, with medieval walls, a Gothic cathedral and is apparently very haunted! It’s also known for The Shambles, a narrow medieval street. Rumoured to have a ‘pub for every day of the year’ (let’s hope it stays that way’), it’s also home to a peculiar street name: Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Ga!
It’s rich in parks and green sanctuaries, many blending Roman and medieval history with lush botanical gardens, and riverside meadows.
Askham Bog is an ancient peat nature reserve on the edge of the city, managed by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, enjoyed by plants, birds and endangered water voles.
Where Judi Dench grew up!
Judi Dench grew up in York (her father was a GP, and she is honorary freemason of the city). One of England’s best-loved actresses, she starred in the sitcom As Time Goes By with Geoffrey Palmer, and has played nearly every Shakespearean role on stage.
She enjoyed a blissfully happy marriage with actor Michael Williams (who she starred with in A Fine Romance). Interestingly, she is a Quaker and he was a Catholic, but they said this didn’t matter, quite happy to live in different faiths for their entire marriage.
Guy Fawkes was also from York
The most infamous resident was Guy Fawkes, the conspirator behind the 1605 Gunpowder Plot to blow up parliament. Born to a Protestant family, he converted to the Catholic faith after his father’s death, and was caught on November 4th guarding 36 barrels of explosives.
He was tortured to reveal the names of his co-conspirators and committed suicide by jumping from the gallows ladder and breaking his neck, to avoid being hanged by others.
Despite November 5th, avoid bonfires that can harm hedgehogs (also avoid fireworks that terrify birds, pets, barnyard friends and wildlife).
Other cities of Yorkshire
- Leeds is one of England’s most elegant cities
- Sheffield is near the Peak District National Park.
- Bradford is ‘the curry capital of England!
- Kingston upon Hull sits on the Humber Estuary
- Wakefield is near the Pennines
- Doncaster has a lively market
- Ripon is Yorkshire’s smallest city
