the City of York is England's finest
example of a medieval town so
well-preserved that it looks like you
took a wrong turn somewhere back in 1335
and got stuck in time when you walk down
these narrow lanes lined with the
ancient original buildings it's like
walking through an outdoor museum but
it's very much lively and functioning
City we're showing here a few highlights
of our visit enhanced by some accordion
and sweet music by Ben Crossway we'll
see in here more of him later in this
summary of the very best of York the
heart of town is completely free of
automobiles dedicated entirely to the
pedestrian filled with beautifully
preserved buildings this is not just a
couple of streets without traffic but an
entire zone with a dozen small lanes
that you can easily navigate on your own
without fear of getting lost while many
towns in Europe have created such
pedestrian zones York is one of the
first to make this transformation and
continues to expand that walking
district so well preserved that it's
become one of the world's most
interesting historic cities with a rich
mix of activities for the visitor this
town is surrounded by its original
medieval high stone walls that protected
it from attackers in the past and since
then it's protected the town from
modernization because you'll find that
the old historic area within these walls
is looking like it's about five hundred
years old and many of the buildings in
fact are older New York Minster is the
most famous and imposing site in town
one of the grandest Gothic cathedrals in
all of Europe three soaring towers make
it easy to find the York Minster is the
largest medieval church north of the
Alps 520 feet long
250 wide at the transept with a central
tower 200 feet high
the present church was begun in the
twelve 20s and took 250 years to finish
we'll show you a lot more of the Minster
and several other churches in a separate
movie one block away from the Minster
you'll find Saint Williams College which
was originally a religious building
constructed in half-timbered style and
so we walk over to get a closer look at
this st. Williams College very old
structure with its Tudor architecture
with the wood beams and the whitewashed
walls we're in the historic centre now
taking a stroll around the corner along
Goodrem gate one of a dozen similar
streets that are in the middle of York
and so wonderful to explore on foot
you've got historic buildings containing
shops restaurants and pubs all along the
way it must be some kind of miracle
these old buildings are preserved so
well and then a testament to modern
urban planning and the economy that they
are thriving today with these businesses
all seeming to do very well one of our
favorite restaurant chains in England is
Wagamama with many outlets in London and
throughout the country right here in New
York on Goodrem gate perhaps the main
street in the historic centre is Peter
gate one end call low the other high it
goes right across town and it is really
lively with all sorts of shops and
restaurants and pubs and lots of people
out walking and of course the historic
whole buildings along both sides of it
English pubs are a great place for some
friendly conversation and some tasty
beer and some eating especially at
lunchtime at dinner you might want to go
to a regular restaurant and you don't
even have to drink alcohol to enjoy a
pub
York is Walker's paradise because most
of the central streets in the historic
district are for pedestrians only with
many fascinating sites packed into a
small area of just one square mile
walking is definitely the best way to
see this old city so expect to do a lot
of exploration on foot well here's the
fun of walking along in the little sides
lanes instead of just strolling along
the Main Street we're taking it right
going down the alley taking a left
taking another right taking another left
and getting a bit confused turning
around and finding our way back to the
main lane all part of the fun of the
back lanes when you're in York you
certainly want to walk on the wall it's
easy and free the main wall access is up
the steps at booth and bar which leads
right into the most scenic section a
half mile route that takes just 15
minutes and provides lovely views in
both directions into the town centre and
beyond to the more modern neighborhoods
you'll see various angles on the
cathedral and other fine sights on the
way to monk bar the next gate in the
wall the map shows this section that we
are walking and how it wraps around the
north side of the Minster the walk
brings you past many of the sites that
played a role in the long history of
York and provides lovely views you could
walk the entire wall nearly 3 miles
which might take two hours with time for
stopping to admire the views and snap
your photos but most people find the
short segment is just right Romans were
the first to build a wall here but the
massive walls we see today were
constructed primarily in the 13th and
14th centuries modifications were made
during the Victorian era to make the
walls look more attractive with
crenellations added along the top to
look like gun slot and several large
gates cut for roads the wall is about
95% intact making it the nation's
longest continuous stretch of medieval
fortifications
it was common for Europe's old towns to
be surrounded by a protective wall but
in nearly all cases the walls are gone
and in England only York has such a
grand state of preservation which has
really paid off in helping create such a
tourist magnet King Square as the name
might imply is very central in Old York
with six streets emanating out from it
old buildings all around with a peaceful
atmosphere here we get a little glimpse
of the kind of preservation and
renovation work that's necessary to
maintain such an Old Town a couple of
guys up way up high on a bucket crane
inspecting some tiles on a roof they've
gone to a lot of effort to fix what
might be just a small problem York's
most famous Lane called the shambles is
the only Street that preserves its
narrow medieval character a shambles is
so narrow they say it was possible for
neighbors to reach out across the street
from their second-story homes and shake
hands
you'll probably return several times
here as you wander through the town but
you'll find the best time to enjoy the
shambles and get an uncluttered photo
and experience his early morning or
evening when the shops are closed and
the crowd is absent
be sure to have a look at the shambles
in this peaceful hour for this narrow
quaint chapping Lane fills up with
people during the day
something like bumper cars at rush hour
but in the evening it is a perfect
delight right next to shambles you'll
find a classic open-air market they have
got all kinds of things for sale here
from food to t-shirts jewelry old junk
Hardware pots and pans electronic goods
hats t-shirts and just great stuff
everywhere wander around take some
pictures chat with the local merchants
and just have a great time here at the
market while you're there don't forget
to buy something that will be a keepsake
and reminder of your visit
New York it's a rare example of
authentic merchandise not imported from
any other country but right here any one
be sure to look for two famous little
statues tucked away in the heart of town
just above street level you'll find the
Roman goddess of knowledge Minerva at
the corner of Peter gate and Minster
gate looking quite majestic with her
white owl and pile of books representing
wisdom around the corner on stone gate
look for the red devil perched just
above eye-level on a building adjacent
to an alley called coffee yard when
evening finally rolls around wander over
to the southeast part of the town to the
intersection of pavement and Parliament
streets and here you'll find the All
Saints Church nicely lit up with its
belfry and gothic spire and in this
neighborhood you can find some real
cheap eats if you'd like to have a kebab
dinner wow you can have a good meal for
about five pounds and it's delicious
with the sliced meats and the french
fries you don't need a reservation you
don't need a table just grab a sandwich
to go and you can eat it at a bench or
on the run for a more high-class meal
try the judges lodging in a historic
palace which also rents rooms you could
spend the night here as well right in
the heart of the Old Town as we listen
to some more music from street artists
bend cross way why don't you take a
moment to subscribe to our YouTube
channel so you can be informed about our
regular uploads we'll be presenting more
movies about York covering the Minster
Cathedral we'll have a walking tour of
the local guide show you some of the
fine museums as well as places to eat
stay tuned to our YouTube channel