Rectory Sunrise

The sun was just starting to rise as I walked past Holy Trinity Rectory on Micklegate last week.
Taking part in Skywatch Friday

U is for Unitarian

The Unitarian Chapel on St Saviourgate had an open day earlier this year. It was built in 1693 in the shape of a Greek Cross with a lantern set at the crossing. It was updated in the 19th century when the flashed ruby glass you can see through the doorway was added to many of the windows.
Taking part in ABC Wednesday

Minster Gate Bookshop

Minster Gates bookshop is situated close by the South door of York Minster. This small street has enjoyed a long association with books. Formerly known as Bookland Lane, the street was later known as Bookbinder's Alley. .The inventory for the stock of John Foster who operated as a bookseller from Minster Gates 1580-1607 still survives.
The current  bookshop is spread over 3 floors and stocks a mix of new and second-hand books, it is well worth a visit.

Narrow Streets

St Michael Spurriergate was in existence as a church by 1088, today it is a cafe (worth a visit) and Fairtrade outlet. The back door shown here is on a very narrow cobbled lane, and the metal plate set into the wall is there to help prevent damage to the church by passing delivery vehicles going to the pub and club at the end of the lane.

Drill Hall detail

This is a portion of the outside wall of the former Drill Hall on St Andrewgate. Now part of Barnitts hardware store it was designed in the late 19thC by Gould and Fisher for the First West Yorkshire (York) Rifle Volunteer Battalion. It has an attractively dressed red and white brick facade inset with tile mosaics one of which is shown above.

Saturday Morning Shopping

Fossgate leads from Pavement down to the River Foss. During mediaeval times the sea-fish market was held on Foss Bridge (which is coincidentally just before the Loch Fyne Seafood Restaurant in the photo) and the lower part of Fossgate was known as the Fish Shambles. Nowadays it has an eclectic mix of pubs, restaurants, quirky shops and an entrance to the Merchant Adventurers' Hall some of whose signs you can see above.

Tempest Anderson

At 23 Stonegate is The York Medical Society rooms, and this nameplate can be found ouside the entrance to the property. Born in York in 1846 Tempest Anderson practiced as an ophthalmic surgeon, but was also a keen traveller, amateur vulcanologist and photographer. He was a wealthy man who chose to spend much of his time and money documenting active volcanoes around the world. You can see a picture he took of Mount Versuvius erupting here
If after seeing the posts this week you are wondering what Stonegate itself looks like take a look at an earlier post here.
Francis Hildyard's bookshop featured in the blog on Wednesday and is the building with the fancy bay window on the right of the street. 

Red Devil

Meet one of York's most famous residents. This chained devil is carved of wood and can be found on Stonegate at the entrance to Coffee Yard. Printer's devils were small boys who were used to fetch the type, and this symbol was used to indicate a printing establishment. The devil was also held responsible for any 'typos' that crept into the finished work.
On this day in 1719 York's first ever newspaper was published by a woman called Grace White who had inherited her husband's printing business in Coffee Yard. I wonder if she knew this little devil?

F is for Francis Hildyard

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

Mermaid out of Water

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.

A Quiet Drink

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.

Coppergate Christmas

Coopergate is a popular shopping street throughout the year and makes a bit of an effort to look good at Christmas. The tower in the background belongs to All Saints' Church in Pavement. In times past the verger of All Saints' had a duty to keep a light in the tower to guide travellers to the city through the royal forest of Galtres.

The Tap and Spile

This building featuring the two cherubs from yesterday dates from 1897 and was a Public House built for John Hunt's brewery. It was originally called the Black Horse Inn as evidenced by the cherubs and the black horse above the main entrance.

It continues to operate as a pub selling a variety of real ale and can be found in Monkgate. As with many York pubs it lays claim to a ghost, in this case an Edwardian gentleman who presumably isn't ready for last orders yet!

Micklegate in Autumn

This is a view of one of the imposing houses on Micklegate as seen from the churchyard of Holy Trinity. The street name derives from the Old English word mickle meaning ‘great’. For hundreds of years this was the main street into the city from London. It was the wealthiest area of the city and the home of many markets and traders. The butter market for the north of England was held here from around 1662, and the butter standard was only finally removed in 1828.

Tobacco Shop Indian

This colourful figure was located outside a York tobacconist for many years. Since tobacco originated from America a representation of an American Indian was used to indicate the location of such a shop in the days when not all customers could read. The feathers in his headdress and skirt symbolise the tobacco leaves.

I can remember when he used to stand on the pavement holding onto the reins of his horse, who breathed smoke out through it's nostrils! Sadly the horse went missing many years ago. To prevent him meeting the same fate he now stands alone high up on a plinth outside a shop in Low Petergate.

Minerva

Variously described as the Goddess of Wisdom, War, Arts & Crafts, Minerva sits above a shop at the corner of Minster Gate and High Petergate. She is shown accompanied by an owl (for wisdom) and leaning on a column (for architecture) amongst her books (for poetry). The figure was crafted by John Wolstenholme in 1801.

The shop below used to be a booksellers where authors and readers gathered to discuss the latest literary offerings in a kind of early version of the book club.

Swinegate Gate!

This is a gate leading into a yard in Back Swinegate. Remember "gate" in a York place name means street. Known previously as Swinegail it translates as the street where swine were kept. Swinegate together with Back Swinegate and Little Stonegate were the original location of the local pig market. As they are situated right in the middle of the city Viking and Mediaeval York must have been quite an overwhelming olfactory experience!

Bookshop Window

Anyone else find a window display like this impossible to resist? Minster Gate bookshop has three floors of second-hand and antiquarian books and prints for sale.

Sunlight on Low Petergate

The brightly painted shop front is a colourful contrast to the rest of Low Petergate on a sunny morning. If you are in the mood for I Spy also in the picture (if you look closely) is a statue of the Goddess Minerva (partially hidden behind a lamp post), another of a white cat (close to the shop sign with a cat on), and a pub sign with the face of Guy Fawkes painted on it.

Ghostly Goings On, No 1

Some years ago in one of the old houses in Stonegate, not far from Ye Olde Starre Inne, a female human skull was found beneath the stairs. It was estimated to be at least 100 years old. The family who lived in this house had a cat who welcomed all visitors to the house by circling around them, keeping about 2 foot away, whilst looking them over. After the skull was found the family noticed the cat had started to circle around on the landing whilst looking up at someone not visible to the human eye. In addition the circle was around 6 foot wide as if the person concerned were perhaps wearing a wide old fashioned skirt. This continued on and off for several years.