Day 11 (Across the border)

The business side of Monk Bar

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We exited the town wall by descending through this tower. At street level we were able to see the still operational porticullis, which I of course didn't photograph.

Another really cool town

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Even though this section of town didn't warrant a commentary from our guide, I still found it interesting. Too bad the ambience has to be spoiled by those antennae.

The Shambles

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Perhaps more of a tourist attraction than the huge beautiful cathedral, this old street claims to be the most visited site in the U.K. The street once hosted 26 butchers. The booths or stalls they occupied were called "Shamel" in Olde English. It was eventually bastardized into "Shambles". The pitch of the street tapers downward toward the middle. This was so the blood and guts from the butchers' shops could run off during the frequent rainstorms.

Check out the roofs

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As the buildings rise, the succeeding storeys of the homes extend further out toward the center of the street. This was done in part because it made things easier when bedpans were emptied out into the street.

Barley Hall

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Our walking tour took us down a narrow alley which eventually led to a reconstructed 15th Century home. It is a replica which means visitors can actually sit in the chairs, touch things on the table and take flash pictures of the interiors. Judging by the size of the place and the exquisite decor I assume it represents a very rich merchant's homestead.

Entrance to the living history exhibit

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We stopped to look at the large courtyard and the geometric perfection of the building but didn't have time to go into Barley Hall. That too is reserved for the next visit.

Dueling statue people

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I'm not sure what exactly was going on here but obviously Roman Guy wasn't too pleased with Painted Purpleman. I guess somebody was on the other's turf. I was expecting the Centurion to draw his sword at any moment. I thought the modus operandi of these street "performers" was to stand perfectly still until someone paid them money at which time they performed some sort of little exhibition. These two dudes were putting on a free show for everyone by threatening to erupt into a display of fisticuffs at any moment.

Printers' Devil

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Perched above the entrance to an old shop was this little fellow. Back in the early days of printing each letter or symbol of type had to be perfectly set into a frame before printing. Printers rarely wanted to admit they dropped the ball and screwed-up the job so they blamed the Printers' Devil. In time, the apprentices in the shop were nicknamed "Printers' Devils" in part because it was even easier to blame them for any foul-ups.

Another store decoration

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I kept my eyes on each storefront as we headed toward the cathedral because there were all manner of clever signage all along the shopping street. This Bible advertises an old bookshop.

Minstergates

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As we drew ever closer to York Minster or Cathedral, we came to the old Medieval main intersection of York. Above a corner shop we observed Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, perched atop another bookshop. Note the books she's reclining against.

York Minster

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The culmination of our walking tour brought us to the great cathedral. This is the largest cathedral north of the Alps. It is most famous for its beautiful stained glass. It took 252 years to build the cathedral.

The Quire Screen

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This is one of the most interesting and unique aspects of this huge cathedral. It serves as the entrance to the section where the choir sits. It is adorned with statues of 15 Kings of England. Notice that one side has 8 kings and the left side only 7.

The ceiling

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Not exactly as picturesque as the Sistine Chapel York Minster's ceiling still offers some interest to visitors. Each set of stained glass windows were sponsored by rich benefactors or wealthy guilds. The bellmakers, bakers and butchers all contributed unique stained glass collections. The big gold thing jutting out from the wall is the "Dragon Head". No one is exactly certain what it was used for but the most common explanation is that a rope or chain hung down from it in order to lift a baptismal font's cover. To me the most interesting aspect of the ceiling is the variety of geometric curves and angles that you can see in this picture. This is typical of Gothic cathedrals, but in York it almost becomes extreme.

One of many altars

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These big cathedrals are basically just gigantic multi-purpose rooms. Parts of the cathedral can be "broken down" into smaller worship areas depending on the size of the crowd or the particular religious holiday. York cathedral has a bunch of chapels located along the sides of the building while the main part of the structure or nave can be broken down into three seperate worship areas. This altar stands near the front section of the nave just before the quire.

Inside the Chapter House

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After walking through the main part of the minster our tour guide led us to the adjoining Chapter House. This part of the cathedral complex was the gathering spot for the priests, parsons and ministers of the York bishopric. They made up the Chapter. A dean presided over the assembly.

Decorative adornments in the Chapter House

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Each member of the chapter had his own stone seat with a unique carving above the seat. Most of them were whimsical and even bordered on the bawdy in some cases.

The Great West Window

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This is the main entrance into the cathedral. The central window is also known as the 'Heart of Yorkshire' because of the heart-shaped curley-ques. After leaving the cathedral we headed across the street to see some of the Roman ruins.

Sorry but I can't remember what this was

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Once we got out past the old Medieval city wall we walked past this complex of old church buildings. I seem to remember our guide saying that it was part of an old abbey but the buildings were taken over by the king at some point. Now it's either a boys' school or nunnery.

James at work

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While we tried to keep up with our exuberant tour guide James tagged along behind us checking his PDA, snapping photos or talking on his mobile phone. At this point I think he was checking with the hotel to make sure I got the best single room.

St. Mary's Abbey

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We quickly walked past the huge St. Mary's Abbey. It was one of the biggest and richest Benedictine outposts in all Europe. Some of the Robin Hood tales involved the rich and decadent abbotts of York. It was deliberately destroyed during the reign of Henry VIII.