England Guide
Yorkshire
York
YORK is the north's most compelling city, a place that stood at the heart of the country's religious and political life for centuries, and until the Industrial Revolution was second only to London in population and importance. The capital of the Roman empire's northern European territories and the base for Hadrian's northern campaigns, by the seventh century York had become the fulcrum of Christianity in northern England. In 867 the city fell to the Danes, who renamed it Jorvik, and later made it the capital of eastern England (Danelaw). These days a more provincial air hangs over the city, but relics from its glory days abound.
The Minster is the obvious place to start, and you won't want to miss a walk around the walls. The medieval city is at its most evocative around the streets known as Stonegate and the Shambles,impossibly narrow and lined with perilously leaning timber-framed houses, while the earlier Viking city is entertainingly presented at Jorvik, perhaps the city's favourite family attraction. The two major museum collections are the incomparable Castle Museum and the National Railway Museum (where the appeal goes way beyond railway memorabilia), while the evocative ruins and gardens of St Mary's Abbey house the family-friendly Yorkshire Museum.
Chances are your visit may also coincide with one of York's lively festivals. Major annual events include York's Viking Festival ( 
www.vikingjorvik.com ) every February and the Early Music Festival ( www.ncem.co.uk ), held in July, perhaps the best of its kind in Britain. The famous York Mystery Plays are traditionally held every four years (2010, 2014) ( www.yorkmysteryplays.co.uk ).
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