Do you ever think of days of the week as a colour? For me Tuesdays are purple!
Street performers are an all year round attraction in York. Mr Yellow was the first I remember seeing around York in a similar vein. Now we have the colour purple and here you can glimpse Purpleman preparing for work. Usually he can be found sitting perfectly still upon his bike in Stonegate come sunshine or (purple) rain. Occasionally he interacts with passers-by, especially children. You can find out more about him here
This door knocker can be found on Stonegate, one of York's oldest streets. It has been painted black like the door and I suspect has quite some age to it. I didn't notice the colours reflected in the glossy paint until I reviewed the photo back home! When I look at this door knocker I think I can see a gentleman in a large floppy hat with a ruff around his neck, and very long arms which can be raised to knock on the door. What do you see?
Taking part in ABC Wednesday
Yesterdays helicopters were circling above the city to observe a once in a lifetime event.
I doubt even Minerva (top left) who has been looking down on Stonegate for the past couple of hundred years has seen anything like this before. Corporate sponsor logos were everywhere, carried on colourful buses and floats that were almost as wide as some of the streets. A cheerful relaxed atmosphere prevailed despite the security, and thousands of locals and tourists alike all turned out to see................ what I will show you tomorrow.
In the 17th century book publishing flourished in York. At 35 Stonegate, a sign in the form of a Holy Bible dated 1682, still hangs over the doorway of what was once Francis Hildyard's bookshop. In those days booksellers were often publishers as well, Laurence Sterne's novel ‘Tristram Shandy' was reputed to be published here from 1760 onwards. The bible still hangs over the entrance and hints at it's illustrious past, but sadly the shop no longer sells books, instead it is a 'Haunted House' experience.
Taking part in ABC Wednesday
Stonegate is one of those streets that always has something interesting to look at. Join me for a guided tour of some of it's quirkier sights over the next few days. I thought we might start with this mid to late 17th century figure from the quarter gallery of a ship now attached to a shop. Being situated on the junction of Stonegate with Little Stonegate she was prone to damage in a rather sensitive area by lorries negotiating the tight corner. Restored by the Civic Trust in 1978 she can now rest a little easier as the street is pedestrianised.
The two gentlemen in the window were enjoying a lunchtime pint in the Yorkshire Terrier, a York Brewery owned Public House. I was intent on photographing the tiles on the outside of this building in Stonegate. One complements the other I think.
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