Photos and the City

Tag: UK

The Snickelways of York

Snickelway

What is Snickelway? You only find them in York…

All around the (inner) city you find these little, often hidden, passages and very narrow alleys, medieval streets – the perfect way to explore the city and also sometimes hide from the tourist crowds.

These passages are neither snickets, ginnels, or alleyways, but a mixture of all three! “Snickelway” is a term coined in 1983 by local author Mark W. Jones, which is now in popular use throughout York. (Atlas Obscura)

Sometimes they open up to a big square and sometimes to other little Snickelways.

A Snickelway is a narrow place to walk along, leading from somewhere to somewhere else, usually in a town or city, especially in the city of York. (The Snickelways of York)

I followed the walk in Mark W. Jones´ book “A Walk Around the Snickelways of York” published in 1983. It will guide through 50 snickelways through the town of York, the town within the city walls.

As the Snickelways are largely medieval, they often feature weird and wonderful names such as “Mad Alice Lane” in reference to a woman who was hanged after poisoning her husband, “Hole-in-the-Wall,” and “Nether Hornpot Lane.” (Atlas Obscura)

Not all snickelways are that easy to find but it´s a fun way to explore York and even discover some more hidden corners.

From being just 80 cm wide to 67m long, the snickelways come in all different sizes, lengths and wides.

Somewhere in between I reached the famous “The Shambles” – the former street of the butchers in the medieval time and today one of Britains most famous streets.

The Shambles is a meandering medieval street with much character, it features overhanging timber-framed buildings, some of which date back to as early as the fourteenth century.

There is evidence of butchers using the street for their shops from before the Norman Conquest. The street is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.

It was once known as The Great Flesh Shambles, probably deriving from the Anglo-Saxon Fleshammels which literally meant ‘flesh-shelves’, the word for the shelves on which butchers used to display their meat for customers. As recently as 1872 there were twenty-five butchers’ shops in the street but now there are none. (Yorkshireguides)

Today the Shambles, like most of the city, were just very crowded, I was quite overwhelmed after my quiet days in Haworth. And had decided to get up very early the next morning and enjoy a sleeping York.

Don´t get fooled by these pictures, I can be very patient and seize the moment. And it was around Dinner time, that helped too.

Harry Potter is a big theme in The Shambles, no wonder as they were the inspiration for Diagon Alley.

Walking back to my Airbnb place along the river and over the Millenium Bridge.

17/09/2019
Saturday in York

I had to say goodbye to my Folly Cottage in Haworth, board the Brontëbus one last time and one train later I arrived in York. I stayed a bit outside the city centre and walked through Rowntree Park towards the city walls.

Situated at the junction of two rivers York was founded by the Romans in 71AD and became the capital of “Britannia Inferior” and later of the kingdoms of Deira, Northumbria and Jórvík, a Vikings capital.

York City Walls

I started exploring York with a walk on the city walls starting at the Micklegate Bar – once the most important gateway into the walled city.

York had been defended by walls since the Roman times, even today some parts of the original Roman walls and the Multangular Tower are still visible and can be visited in the Museum Gardens.

The name of this four-storey-high gatehouse is from the Old Norse ‘mykla gata’ or ‘great street’, and leads onto Micklegate (‘gate’ is Norwegian for ‘street’ remaining from Viking influence in York). It was the traditional ceremonial gate for monarchs entering the city, who, in a tradition dating to Richard II in 1389, touch the state sword when entering the gate.

The lower section was built in the 12th century while the top storeys in the 14th; the original barbican was removed in 1826. (Wikipedia)

The two top floors were inhabited until the mid 20th century, today they house a small museum.

The Victorians restored the walls, widened the wall-walk and rebuilt some parts.

View of York Minster, the Gothic Cathedral, from the city walls.

Museum Gardens

From the picturesque the Medieval ruins of St. Mary’s Abbey, the Multangular Tower and other stunning buildings there is much to see and to do in the Museum Gardens. And it´s also the perfect place to relax and take a breath. The city was quite full and after my quiet days in Brontë Country, I felt a bit overwhelmed.

Remains of the Roman fort are on both sides of the gardens and then there is the tower which is partly Roman and Medieval.

A 76-foot (23 m) section of 4th-century wall connects the Multangular Tower to a small interval tower. The side of the wall and towers facing into Museum Gardens is carefully faced in stone, as during the Roman period it was on display. The other side is rougher because it was originally covered by an earth bank. The wall and towers were still in use after the end of the Roman period in Britain, and were subsequently incorporated into the medieval city walls. (wikipedia)

10/09/2019
Saltaire

One morning in Haworth I hopped on the Brontëbus to Keighly and from there to Saltaire by train.

Saltaire is located near Bradford and is a Victorian model village, built in 1851 by Sir Titus Salt, a leading industrialist who wanted the workers of his woollen mills to be healthy and having good living quarters. Today Saltaire is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Salt built neat stone houses for his workers (much better than the slums of Bradford), wash-houses with tap water, bath-houses, a hospital and an institute for recreation and education, with a library, a reading room, a concert hall, billiard room, science laboratory and a gymnasium. The village had a school for the children of the workers, almshouses, allotments, a park and a boathouse” (wikipedia)

Saltaire offered recreational activities like bands and clubs, but there was also a strict no-alcohol policy!

Sir Titus died in 1876 and after the death of Titus son Saltaire was taken over by a partnership which included Sir James Roberts from Haworth. Roberts had worked in wool mills since the age of eleven and had quite the business interests in Russia.

Roberts came to own Saltaire, but chose to invest his money heavily in Russia, losing some of his fortune in the Russian Revolution. He endowed a chair of Russian at Leeds University and bought the Brontë’s Haworth Parsonage for the nation. (wikipedia)

Salts Mill had to close down in 1986, like many other textile mills but was bought in 1987 by Jonathan Silver, an entrepreneur from Bradford, who started to renovate it. Today Salts Mill houses an art gallery, a museum, coffee shops, an amazing book shop and also some industrial companies.

In December 2001 Saltaire was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Saltaire, West Yorkshire, is a complete and well-preserved industrial village of the second half of the 19th century. Its textile mills, public buildings and workers’ housing are built in a harmonious style of high architectural standards and the urban plan survives intact, giving a vivid impression of Victorian philanthropic paternalism. (UNESCO)

After walking around the lovely village for a bit I met a fellow photographer. Carolyn and I met at a workshop in Italy and used my visit for a little catching up over ice cream and soup at the Salts Mill. Carolyn just had finished her project “In Between”, photographing girls between 10 and 12 years. At this stage in life when you´re half kid half teenager and lots of things are just a bit confusing.

The little bit bigger houses were the ones of the foremen.

Salts Mill

Saltaire has been featured in various movies and TV shows like the upcoming Netflix-series by Julian Fellows “The English Game”.

06/09/2019