Lack of Convenience

Here is a question for all you people familiar with York city centre out there, what is missing from this non-photoshopped picture? 
Yes, that's right, the Splash Palace is no more! Demolished a few weeks ago the whole of Parliament Street centre is being used as a market area once again. For those of you who are wondering what on earth the fuss is about around 25 years ago York town planners took the bizarre decision to site a large block of elaborately colonnaded public lavatories right in the middle of arguably the busiest street in town. As they were directly outside Marks & Spencers (free toilets inside) no locals used them, and as the number of cafes and pubs with their own facilities multiplied few others did too. New facilities nearby (Silver Street) finally made the Splash Palace redundant, now they have been flattened and IMHO Parliament Street looks far better without them.

Save our Ices

It has been raining, very hard, very fast, for a long time. The river is rising, the ice cream cart is in danger............. but relax, fire and rescue are on the scene. Or maybe they fancied a well earned break with a choc ice before the next call out to a flooded property.

Hells Angel?

Several things about this memorial caught my eye. It is remarkably good condition to say it is 300 years old, but that is no doubt due to it's position inside St Mary's church. Then there is the word Presbyter, it is unusual to see this in York where I am not aware of a strong Presbyterian tradition. Next comes the text which is less interested in praising the deceased than in saving the soul of the reader, a very altruistic approach. Then finally there is that fabulous winged skull, usually only seen nowadays on bikers leather jackets, which symbolises the ascension into heaven.
 Even 300 years after his death William Mason comes across as a man with a strong desire to teach people to live a god fearing life, and secure in the knowledge that he would be judged by how well he accomplished this task.
Taking part in Taphophile Tragics

Modern Day Guardians.

This statue is by local artist Ailsa Magnus. It shows a Terry's employee holding a chocolate orange (a confectionery produced locally for many years), a shopper who represents commerce,  and a child, a reference to the future. Members of the local community, including the children at the school featured on the blog here were invited to write down a short phrase, some of which are engraved around the base of the statue. They include:
What's the time?
The past has gone
Why?
Do you like cheese?
Why did my best friend move?
Ban broccoli
What would would you have chosen to write? That's a question by the way not another phrase!

What Big Teeth You Have......

This grotesque is one of a number of winged creatures emerging from the side of St Mary's church. De-consecrated in 1958 the nave of the church is now used as York Art Gallery's contemporary space usually housing a single large installation. Currently it is home to "The Temple of a Thousand Bells" by Laura Belem. This particular winged creature appears to have been muzzled, rather a relief given the size of those teeth!

Sparrow Friendly Street

The House Sparrow is common throughout the world. In the UK it is almost a national symbol, the chirpy little cockney sparrow was once found in every big city, even London. Since the mid 1970s urban populations of the sparrow have declined by 60%. It is now a red-listed species of high conservation concern. 
Many of the answers to halting this decline can be found in this picture. As I walked down the street I was immediately struck by the numbers of sparrows I could both see and hear busy building nests. It is fair to say that the houses here look a little old fashioned, wooden windows rather than UPVC, wooden gables with the odd hole, an occasional loose tile and missing piece of mortar. One side of the street consists of allotments growing fruit and veg, which means soil instead of gravel, paving and decking.
In short the sparrows have all they need to survive and multiply, the odd nook and cranny near human habitation in which they can build a nest, weed seeds for food, and bare soil in which to dust bathe to remove parasites. Sparrow heaven.

Sunny side of the street

 

The impressive street light stands in shadow on Skeldergate Bridge, whilst the riverside warehouses  now converted to apartments are bathed in sunshine. All of which makes the buildings look to my eye rather like an artists impression of what might be built here instead of solid bricks and motor.

See more Skywatch Friday pictures here