I've just added a picture quiz – it's been languishing part-completed on my computer for years, and I've just blown the dust off it and wound it up and got it going again.
Wanted to recommend two sites which may be of interest to visitors to this website: The Pubs of York and Jorvik Daily Photo.
New pages have been added on Skipwith Common and its new airfield memorial, and on the airfield memorials at Tholthorpe, Wombleton and East Moor (Sutton on the Forest).
Just added, new pages on the developments at Hungate, and the Hungate outdoor art exhibition, which I thought was fabulous.
My book is now available to buy. This 'print on demand' technology is very exciting. The book has been 'in development' since last summer, and getting it to print stage has been an interesting journey, and a rather longer one than expected. I hope it will be of interest to visitors to this website – particularly anyone who likes cycling off away from the city centre itself. Read more ...
Recently added: a visit to the light and bright newly-refurbished Yorkshire Museum, and at last I've got around to noting changes at the Nestle South (Rowntree) factory site. Also included, new pages on cycle rides to nearby villages, and a page on Alne church.
It's been a while, a long while, since I added anything to this site. I've been writing a book, and all my spare time energies have gone into that. It's non-fiction, a 'local interest' publication to be produced via 'print on demand' technology, and I'm in the process of trying to organise all its parts into some kind of order.
Meanwhile, there's a lot to catch up on, and a few updates are underway. I've just added a page on the refurbished York Central Library – 'York Explore', and an accompanying page on exploring the 'cultural quarter'.
Just added: a short wander through the Curvy 1930s, a page on Rowntree Park, and some photos of a Victorian school building soon to be redeveloped.
Just added: some pages on traffic, old ring road plans, etc, a page on almshouses founded by women, and a page on WW2 bomber memorials.
Making these pages means looking more carefully at things I was previously unaware of, or took for granted. In this batch of pages I've discovered heroic men, inspiring women – and something awful that nearly happened in the 1970s.
Hurrah, I got out for a wander at last, even though it's cold and it was more of a bad-tempered dash about. Cheered by the reopening of the Bay Horse, Marygate, I continued on a wintertime city centre wander, then got confused in Ogleforth.
In recent months, other websites on York and its history have come to my attention:
www.historyofyork.org.uk, 'a partnership, led by York Museums Trust, supported by Yorkshire Forward and City of York Council' (which covers so many things so well that I fear some of my plans for this site are redundant ... )
www.yorkwithinthewalls.com – 'A virtual, self-directed walk around the streets of York within the Bar Walls'
www.talkyork.com - 'useful local information all under one umbrella' – a messageboard/forum, organised in themed sections.
It's been a while – a longer-than-usual while – since I added anything to this site – and apologies if you've emailed me and I haven't answered – I broke my wrist and have had problems typing. On the mend now. Though I still haven't added any new pages – and don't enjoy wandering about with my camera in winter – but just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Particularly those hardy souls who plan to be at York Minster on New Year's Eve in the freezing cold!
Just added – a page on the WD boundary markers I've wondered about for some time, and other random carved stones noticed on my wanders.
In other news . . . the awareness that we've built too many apartments has been recognised in a planning decision, years after the ordinary person in the street started grumbling about the number of flats in this city: Inspector throws out church's scheme for apartments (external link – York Press).
Emerging from winter hibernation – a few pages have been added. The short and fairly positive Foss Bank (with riverside rabbit). The short and rather negative dirty old river, down Hungate way, and a longer page on a place soon to be bulldozed: Groves WMC.
There are many changes I haven't mentioned – there are too many – everywhere you look there's a planning notice. I guess we're lucky to be living in such a popular place . . and so many people will be flocking to live by our river Foss. Where there are flats to sell, it looks nice and clean. Where the flats aren't ready yet it's like a 21st century version of the old polluted thing it used to be, with water birds choking on the rubbish.
Pages have just been added on the cholera burial ground, the Dean's Park memorial, on the old St Lawrence church, on Homestead Park, and a few thoughts about wastelands.
Taking the photos doesn't take long (though anyone with me while I'm taking them might disagree), but writing and doing the HTML bit on these pages takes a bit longer – so, rather overdue, some summer wanderings and autumn musings: the new York College and the demolished Barbican baths. Also a visit to All Saints church, North St, and its amazing stained glass.
With more half-written – so please call back soon.
Thank you to everyone who has emailed me over the summer. And to everyone who has helped with website costs by buying from Amazon via the links on these pages.
Holgate Windmill is a local landmark not yet featured on this website – because last time I was down that way I got distracted by West Bank Park. Just wanted to let website visitors know that the windmill will be having open days this summer and autumn. You can view recent restoration work and learn more about the plans to restore the mill to working order. For more information see the Holgate windmill website – open days.
Just recently, in a quest for some sense of spiritual depth in the midst of the general vacuous emptiness of our smoke-free, soul-free, brain-free, "celebrity"-soaked, spin-cycled modern existence, I have mostly been looking at – churches and trains . . .
Pages added on St Martin-le-Grand, Coney Street and All Saints, Pavement. And an indoor wander through our fabulous railway museum.
Another rainy night in Yorkshire. I've just added a short wander on one of the recent rainy evenings: wet Sunday, and in an effort to brighten things up a bit, some photos taken during the rare sunny spells on recent wanders down by the riverside.
Recently there's been news on a few York buildings that have been empty and boarded up for years, and have been mentioned on this website. The Bonding Warehouse has just been sold, and the Shipton Street School buildings too are to be redeveloped. Both these (listed) buildings should be sympathetically remodelled, retaining their external appearance at least. Also disused, but for a shorter time, the York Odeon, on Blossom Street, due to reopen this year.
Some thoughts about selling York, and a look at the changes on Layerthorpe and Heworth Green. Also a page featuring a few painted wall ads has just been added. There's also a piece in Miscellany – The Permanent Way.
An afternoon wander recently included the Hungate area development site (also visited in June 2006) and Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate. A bit of modern-about-to-be-redeveloped-York and a bit of carefully preserved historic York.
Apart from the substantial development planned for Hungate, there are new apartments popping up everywhere. It's a shame the people I know can't afford to buy them.
I've just emerged from under the leaf pile I've been hibernating in. Thank you to everyone who sent kind emails over the winter.
I haven't been wandering around much recently taking photos of York, but the dark winter evenings have given me the opportunity to catch up on things I've been wanting to add, and to organise some of the photos I've collected of various churches and memorials.
Most of these pages are "Yorkshire" rather than "York", though the memorials section was inspired by a visit to the churchyard of St Mary, Bishophill Senior, York – where some of the headstones remain, though the church has been demolished.
There's also a page on Sledmere, in the Yorkshire pages. (Added a little late (the photos were taken last May), but sometimes the time hasn't been available to add pages when things were current.)
It's helpful if you use any of the links from this site to make your purchases, as any sale tracked as coming from this site makes at least a few pence. Thank you for your support.
Remember the 1980s in York? The Spotted Cow? Lunchtime gigs at the Spread Eagle? A York band called the Incinerators?
(Update: 2009 – there was a domain name and an associated website, but now there isn't. The Incinerators do have a CD available – email me via the contact form if you're looking for this, and I'll pass on your email.)
For my three readers or so – some miscellaneous thoughts about walking, and a wander in a waterworld. If inspired, please communicate – well, as long as it's encouraging – it's a long dark season.
A recent wander has just been added – Sugar beet and Lammas Lands.
I'm working my way through the site at the moment, doing a revamp that's actually quite complicated "under the bonnet", but won't particularly alter the way the site looks. But for a while there will be small inconsistencies between some of the pages, so I hope that won't be too irritating. I'm messing about with my CSS coding, so if you notice that anything's gone horribly awry and you can't view any of the pages properly, please let me know. (In particular, if you're using IE 7, as I've not updated yet.)
There's one new page just added – see Changes: Clifton graffiti art.
. . . about factories and parks. Lots of work on just now but I'm working on some more pages. Thanks to Sean from Newcastle and Joanna from Ohio for making me feel like it's all worthwhile.
It's very hot at the moment and just the right kind of weather for exploring York's parks, wooded areas and nature reserves – and to help you there's a new guide just published. It's a brilliant thing, full of information and maps and interesting details. York's Green Places costs just £5, and is available from local bookshops, or from the publishers, Sessions of York, for £6.50 including P&P.
Regular visitors to this site may recognise some of the photos in the book.
The new Green spaces section of this website includes a recent visit to just one of the many places featured in York's Green Places.
Hurrah for the sunny summer evenings, and the mornings. A Very Early Morning wander is documented on a new page, just added.
I hope everyone's enjoying the summer – and the heatwave.
I've finally been to Acomb with my camera. Acomb is – to use that fine phrase – my old stomping ground. Or is it stamping ground. Anyway, both seem appropriate in this case, as for much of my time in Acomb I was a moody teenager, and they do lots of stomping and stamping about. There's a wander through Acomb, taking in all the sights, and for those who prefer a briefer and more focussed page, there's also, from the same batch of photos, a page on West Bank Park, and one on St Stephen's Church.
After months of inactivity on this site, I've added some new pages, after realising that York Stories does have some visitors who quite like it (thanks to the kind people out there who've emailed me to say so).
The pages added this month – Signficant days: Easter Sunday 2006 | Christmas Day 2005 (a bit late, I know) | Wanderings: Riverside and city – spring evening | City walls walk – spring evening | Leeman Road area | Buildings: the Odeon cinema and St Barnabas School | Changes: Big wheel | Miscellany: Waiting for trains and some photos of 1980s buses!
During my wanders up Leeman Road, to view the big wheel, I noticed this interesting bins-and-signage ensemble.
It's at the edge of an area I took photos of in August 2004 – part of the teardrop/York Central site. Since my visit they've put up large steel fences. In front of them, these bright Biffa bins – the only bright thing around, and a sign advertising Network Rail – "We need people at all levels".