York
York is a city that is located at the intersection of the Ouse River and the Foss River in North Yorkshire, England. It covers an area of one hundred and five square miles and has a population of over one hundred and ninety-five thousand residents. The city of York can trace its history back to the first century when it was established by the Roman Empire. At that time it was known as Ebofacum, a name that was probably taken from one of the many British tribes located there. York would become the capital of the Roman Province of Britannia and would enjoy a prosperous period for over three hundred years under Roman rule. During the fifth century, Roman rule ended and the city would fall into the hands of the Angles and be renamed Eoforwic. York would be the capital of the Anglian Kingdom of Northumbria until the city was captured by the Vikings in the mid-ninth century and once again renamed. It would serve as the capital of Jorvik, which was also the new name for the city. When the Norman conquered the city in the thirteenth century, the name of the city would become permanently York.
The city’s position on the two rivers made it a popular transportation hub, and in the nineteenth century it would become a major railway and manufacturing center. Today, the economy of York has migrated from its manufacturing industries to service based industries. Major economic activities of the city include educational and health services. Another large segment of York’s economy revolves around tourism. Because tourism is such an important facet of York’s economy, much attention has been paid to the historic core of the city by the York Department of Tourism. The attention and capital placed in York’s attractions paid off in a big way in 2007, when the city was voted “European Tourism City of the Year” by an independent marketing consortium. In recent years, York has also placed a good deal of capital into the educational system of the city. The educational needs of the citizenry of York is met by two universities, York St John University and the University of York, as well as a network of primary and secondary schools. Prominent schools in the city of York include Carr Infant School, Derwent Junior School, Headlands Primary School, Poppleton Ousebank Primary School, Burnholme Community College, Oaklands School, Manor Church of England School, Applefields School, Hob Moor Oaks School and Askham Bryan College.
A popular attraction in the city of York is the York Museum Gardens. York Museum Gardens are botanical garden located at the former grounds of St.Mary’s Abbey that covers an area of ten acres. This botanical garden was built around the same time as Yorkshire Museum in the early nineteenth century. This botanical garden also contains several historic buildings. Inside the gardens are the remains of the Roman Fort of Eboracum, the Multangular Tower and even parts of the original Roman walls. There is also the ruins of St.Mary’s Abbey and St. Leornard’s Hospital. Also located in the gardens is Yorkshire Museum. Yorkshire Museum has four permanent exhibitions which covers the areas of biology, geology, astronomy and archaelogy. The biology section contains over two hundred thousand specimens which include insects, fauna and flora. There are also specimens recovered from the Yorkshire region which includes cave bears and elephants. The geology section contains over one hundred thousands specimens of rocks, fossils and minerals. The astronomy collection is contained within the Observatory and has a large collection of telescopes, as well as other astronomy equipment.
The archaeology section has almost a million objects that date from Neolithic times, all the way to the twentieth century. Included in this section is the Coppergate Helmet and the Middleham Jewel. The National Railway Museum is another prominent attraction in the city of York. The National Railway Museum displays a collection of over one hundred locomotives and thousands of other railroad related items. Its located on twenty acres next to the East Coast Line of the York Railway Station. This is the largest railway museum in the world and has won countless awards. Exhibits on permanent display include a collection of Royal Train Saloons from Queen Victoria’s trains and an 1846 Furness Railway locomotive. Other trains located here include a LMS Stanier Class, Stephenson’s Rocket, LNER Class A1/A3, BR standard class 9F, Great Central Railway O4 Class, British Railways Standard Class 7 Britannia and a SR Lord Nelson Class 4-6-0 locomotive. A newer attraction in York is the Yorkshire Ferris Wheel. This Ferris Wheel opened in the spring of 2006 and is located at the National Railway Museum. In its first six months of operation, this Ferris Wheel had over two hundred thousand passengers ride it.
It stands over one hundred and sixty-two feet high and has forty-two pods. Other popular attractions in the city of York include All Saints’ Church, Clifford’s Tower, Barley Hall, Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, St George’s York, St Mary’s Abbey, St. Michael le Belfrey, Holy Trinity Church, Bar Convent Museum, JORVIK Viking Centre, The King’s Manor, Micklegate Bar Museum, Fairfax House, National Centre for Early Music, York City Art Gallery, York Castle Museum, York Minster, York Dungeon, Lord Mayors Mansion House, Merchant Taylors’ Hall, St Olave’s Church, The Assembly Rooms, The Shambles, The Snickelways, Treasurer’s House, York City Walls, River Ouse Boat Rides and Monk Bar Museum. The city is also home to a number of festivals and special activities which include The Ghost Hunt of York and the York Early Music Festival. York is also known for its pubs, restaurants and hotels. Popular pubs and restaurants in the city include the Blue Bell, Black Swan, The Lime House Restaurant, Ask Restaurants, The Blue Bicycle, St Williams Restaurant and Melton’s Restaurant. Popular hotels in the city of York include The Queens Hotel, St Denys Hotel, Minster Hotel, Ramada Encore York, Hilton York Hotel, Knavesmire Manor Hotel, The Judges Lodgings Hotel and the Park Inn York Hotel. |
