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You can also watch stonemasons at work in The Stoneyard, doing exactly the same things that
their predecessors have done over the centuries to build and maintain the church.

Clifford’s Tower is the largest remaining part of York Castle, once the centre of government for the
north of England. The 11th-century timber tower on top of the earth mound was burned down in
1190, after York’s Jewish community, some 150 strong, was besieged here by a mob and
committed mass suicide. The present 13th-century stone tower was probably used as a treasury
and later as a prison.

Jorvik Viking Centre In the Jorvik Viking Centre you are standing on the site of one of the most
famous and astounding discoveries of modern archaeology. Between the years 1976-81
archaeologists from York Archaeological Trust revealed the houses, workshops and backyards of
the Viking-Age city of Jorvik as it stood nearly 1,000 years ago.

These discoveries enabled the building of Jorvik Viking Centre on the very site where the
excavations had taken place, creating a groundbreaking visitor experience where you take a
journey through the reconstruction of Viking-Age streets and experience life as it would have been
in 10th century York.

The Shambles (pictured) is a delightful street of ramshackle
buildings, part of a warren of twisting, narrow lanes that are some of
the best preserved mediaeval streets in the world. It was mentioned
in William the Conqueror’s Domesday Book and many of the
buildings date from the 14th and 15th century.

National Railway Museum. Not just for train spotters. There are
some famous exhibits here – like “Mallard” (pictured), the engine
designed by Sir Nigel Gresley. In 1938 Mallard broke the world
speed record for steam locomotives, a record that has never been
beaten. There’s also a replica of Stephenson’s Rocket and the
only Shinkanzen Bullet train outside of Japan.

York Castle Museum. The York Castle Museum was founded by
Dr John Kirk, a doctor from Pickering, North Yorkshire, and houses
his extraordinary collection of social history, reflecting everyday life
in the county.

One of its renowned displays is the reconstructed street, Kirkgate, that has been hugely influential
in museum displays worldwide. The York Castle Museum is housed in a former debtors’ prison
and an adjoining former women’s prison, both of which are Grade I listed. The museum’s name
comes from the fact it stands on the site of the former York Castle.

Stay at The Bar Convent, a 300 year old convent. I don’t usually get into accommodation
recommendations but this appealed to me for some reason. It is England’s oldest living convent,
founded in 1686 as a school for girls and still home to members of the Congregation of Jesus
today. The Grade 1 Listed eighteenth-century buildings house an award-winning cafe and highly-
rated guest house.

Trivia factoid: Guy Fawkes, who famously tried to blow up the British Parliament, was born in
York. The medieval Guy Fawkes Inn stands on the birthplace of the man who inspired bonfire
night. Wander through the wood-panelled pub to visit his grandmother’s cottage.