Superlatives

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From Two Huge Cathedrals To The Centre Of Industrial England

Leaving all the wild parties behind, I was headed for the quieter countryside again. Plans for today were to catch a quick train to Durham to check out the Cathedral and Castle before getting through to York for a couple of nights.

Durham is just a short trip from Newcastle, only about fifteen minutes on the train, and the main purpose to visit is perched on top of the hill in the centre of the town. Durham Cathedral was originally built in the 11th Century but suffered major damage during the Reformation in the 16th Century. Now days, most of the stained glass dates back to the Victorian period but the building is impressive none the less. It houses the tombs of a couple of important fellows, St Cuthbert (patron saint of the North) and the Venerable Bede, who wrote the first history of England - The History Of The English Church And People.

Opposite the Cathedral and hidden behind some trees and a university building lies Durham Castle. Maybe not as impressive as it's neighbour (or it's counterparts in Scotland or Wales) it stands above the town and river, now used as a head office for the Durham University. With only a hour to get back to the station I didn't waste my money going in for such a short period of time but it certainly holds it's own from the outside against the towering Cathedral.

York, I decided, would be a bit of a longer stop as after looking at what was on offer there, I knew it would take me a bit to see it all. Arriving late in the afternoon and taking a nice walk along the river to the hostel, I head back out to take in some of the city's history and architecture. York is the city that became the major launching pad for every incursion force heading North from England and also became a focal point for the Scottish in their sojourns to throw off the English yoke. Because of this, the city still has it's wall surrounding the centre, complete with battle scars and has been reconstructed in most parts so that you can walk along it for about four kilometres all up. I did the quick route that was only about 1.5km but took in the sights of the the Minster and The Shambles, an old area of the city with winding lanes and houses that overhang the street. The wall is a history lesson all on it's own. With four layers built up over time, like everything else around here, it began as a Roman foundation but then progressively made larger and more solid during the Dark Ages, Norman Period, and Medieval Period.

The next morning, it was straight to York Minster to check out the seat of the Church Of England in the North. The Minster is so named because it was a place of worship during Norman times, but is also a Cathedral due to it being the place that a Bishop presides over his Diocese. Not every Minster is a Cathedral and not every Cathedral is a Minster, making York part of an elite group that includes Westminster and Canterbury. There are three sections to the Minster that can be toured. The main Cathedral floor houses beautiful vaulted ceilings in the Nave and Quire but is remarkably bare off memorials compared to others I have seen, though one prominent one is to William Wilberforce who led the fight to abolish slavery in Britain. The Nave was not as damaged as Durham Cathedral during the Reformation so it still has an inspiring collection of medieval stained glass windows allowing the light to trickle in. The buttress or Quire Screen dividing the Nave from the Quire is decorated with fifteen monarchs starting at William the Conqueror through to Henry VI. It is also buckled slightly due to the weight of the enormous tower standing above it. It's amazing to think that in 1984 a fire ripped through part of the Minster and destroyed a section of roof and the South Transept where you can still see scorch marks on the wall and spots where molten lead had dripped onto the floor.

The second area of the Minster is below ground level and incorporates the Crypt and the different foundations of the buildings on this site. Starting at a Roman Church, it was demolished to make way for a Norman Church that ran the usual East/West compared to the Romans which just made use of the lay of the land. Eventually added to during the Medieval period, the current Cathedral is much larger than it's predecessors, shown by a series of red dots on the ground in the Crypt that portrays the extent of the Norman Church. What the excavations have shown beneath the Cathedral is that this site is where the Emperor Constantine was proclaimed in 306 AD when he was on tour with his father who passed away. Also in the Undercroft is the treasury where religious silver, gold and pewter valuables are kept from across the ages as well as some priceless religious pieces like the Horn of Ulf (don't ask me what it is or why it's important because I don't have a clue).

The last area available to the public is the climb to the top of the tower, the highest point in York. It travels up 276 steps to the top and gives panoramic views out across the city and the surrounding countryside. The steps themselves are a narrow winding, circular staircase that makes it's way up and when you think this must be the top.... there's a sign that says "You have just climbed 108 stairs and there is still 168 to go".Inspiring, I know!! It does bring you out onto a terrace on the lower roof though providing excellent close up views of the architecture of the Minster which was brilliant. Unfortunately, by the time I got to the top, the rain had stared to come down and the wind almost had ice in it, so the stay at the top was brief but mesmerising at the same time.

After York Minster, I had a wander through The Shambles down to the Jorvik, the museum devoted to the Viking inhabitants with Jorvik being the Viking name for York. It's an in depth journey through the Ninth Century when the Vikings controlled the city and the surrounds. Containing everything from replicated scenes of life back then, to a fossilised poo, it gives a good indication of what your everyday person went through in that time.

And with that, I was off to Manchester.

"My favourite thing is to go where I've never been." - Diane Arbus

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