Historic Walled York

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February 25th 2008

Published: February 29th 2008

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Benz

All Saints Church

A poster which explains about the church better than I can.

We started the day with a good English breakfast. Fried eggs, bacon, beans, tomatoes and toast. Then we walked to catch the bus into York, another double decker with great views from the top deck. With the drivers help we were able to find the right stop to disembark at. Our first sight to see in York was All Saints Church on North Street. This church is famous for its beam and post architecture as well as for some of its stained glass windows such as the one depicting the corporal works of mercy. The woodwork on the screen and the angels carved onto the beams are also excellent.

Our next stop was the Minster where we went in for their communion service which was remarkably similar to a Roman Catholic service which shouldn't surprise me but it did. The responses, prayers and kiss of peace were all similar. The chapel where the service was held was actually off the main part of the cathedral, it was actually a rather personally setting in the largest cathedral in northern Europe. Only ten to twelve people were there at the service. I haven't seen anything to match the size of the Minster

Angel

One of the carved angels coming off a post near the roof.

in America, certainly not on the west coast. The stained glass is probably five stories high if not more in some parts and windows are placed all around the cathedral. They were currently working on restoring the east wall and the scaffolding was covering the entire face of that wall.

The number of memorials and tombs inside the cathedral was a bit astounding. Some of the walls and floors were entirely covered with memorials and tombstones. Some of the past bishops were shown laying down but propping themselves up, which seemed an unusual position to me. Apparently the restoration of the East face will cost 35,000,000 pounds and this is for the short end.

Outside the Minster is a statue to Emperor Constantine and apparently it is near the sight where he was proclaimed Emperor. I liked the quote on the statue, "Where Caesar is, there is Rome." We stopped for lunch at the Crossed Keys and had traditional pub fair (Gammon + Pineapple) washed down with some Black Sheep bitter. On our way to the Jorvik Viking center we walked through the Shambles where the buildings are overhanging the street due to the ground tax that used

Corpral Works of Mercy

The stained glass window showing the corpral works of mercy. The main figure was one of the prominate wealthy men in the city who propbably contributed to the church.

to be imposed based on the square footage the building occupied at street level. This used to be the main trade district for the city and is also where St. Margaret Clitherow's house and butcher shop was. We stopped in for a quick prayer at the shine there.

At Jorvik I learned about the excavation of the Viking ear in York and what they've been able to learn about the life and times of these Vikings. The Vikings first captured the city of York in AD 866 and this was a big change from the normal way of raiding, pillage and return to Scandinavia. Instead they held the city and used it as a base of operations for the next 80 years, setting up trade routes to as far away as modern day Turkey.

Apparently during the Viking era there was a lot of experimentation with glass and they have excavated many kinds of glass beads at this location. Perhaps the most interesting part for me was how the Jorvik excavation team could determine the origins of buried skeletons based on a MS analysis of the carbon and nitrogen isotope levels present in the teeth. Apparently the isotope

Cruxifixtion

levels are set at an early age and are dependent on the diet of child, which is in turn dependent on the location where the child grew up. It is therefore possible to approximately determine where each skeleton grew up.

After Jorvik it was time to go "home", but not before a quick walk along the old city walls which surround most of the old city. These walls took us back to the War Memorial of the Great War which was erected before WWII began, but had an addition added later. A trip to Yorkshire isn't complete without Yorkshire pudding and Mrs. Ward made sure we had some, as well we had an introduction to some British humor when we watch an episode from Fawlty Towers.

(Pictures will be added later, when a more compliant computer is available)

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