traditional pub york north yorkshire, accommodation, restaurant, bar, bedrooms, food, dinner, meals, england, drinking, eating, country, rural, disabled, rosette, gastro, holidays, traditional pub york north yorkshire

You may find this relevant information helpful when researching the area prior to your visit

The history of York spans a turbulent 2000 years. It was founded on its present day site by the Romans in AD71. Recognising a good military strong point at the juncture of the Rivers Foss and Ouse, they created the Roman Fortress of Eboracum. The construction of new roads around the fortress encourages a civilian population and by the 4th century, Eboracum was one of the leading cities of the Roman Empire. Visited by several Roman Emperors, it was here, on the site of the present Minster, that Constantine the Great was allegedly proclaimed Emperor.

The headquarters of the Roman Legions were also situated on the site of the Minster, as recent excavations have proved: A Roman pillar discovered these excavations has been re-erected and now stands near the Minster’s South Entrance. The two main streets of the Roman fortress, the Via Principalis and Via Praetoria, are situated under the modern day streets of Petergate and Stonegate. Excavations have led to the discovery of Roman artefacts, and many of these can be seen in the local Museum. The withdrawal of the Romans in the 5th century signalled the onslaught of invasions by the Anglo-Saxons. Under King Edwin, Eboracum became known as Eoferwic and developed as a centre of religion and learning which was famous throughout Europe during the 8th century. The Vikings The tranquillity of Eoferwic was to be shattered a century later however when it was raided and subsequently captured by the Vikings. Renamed Jorvik, it was from this that it derived its present day name.

Further modern day evidence of the Viking influence is apparent in the city streets or ‘gates’: ‘gate’ being the Old Norse term for street. Little has been written about this era, but excavations have revealed buildings and objects which have helped to construct an idea of life in Viking Jorvik. The modern day visitor can sample the recreated world of the Vikings in the Jorvik Viking Centre, under the Coppergate precinct. The end of the Viking era came in 1065 to 66 when a rebellion of local earls was quickly followed by the Norman Conquest IN 1066. But Rebellion against the new rulers quickly surfaced and it was during this time that the Norman’s built castles on what is now the present site of Clifford’s Tower, the only remnants of a 13th Century castle.

During the Norman era, the city developed as an ecclesiastical centre. Forty parish churches were built and the rebuilding, on a grand scale, or York Minster began. It’s the largest Medieval Gothic church in England, and has seen a number of fires throughout the centuries. The most recent was in 1984 after the south transcept was struck by lightening. City Walls and Bars The construction of city walls on the existing earth bank also began in the mid 13th century. These walls stretching for nearly three miles around the city are still standing today and are a major part of the city’s lasting charm and appeal. They were built to protect the city and entry could only be gained through medieval gateways or ‘bars’. Approaching from the South, the Kings of the Middle Ages would enter the City by the Micklegate Bar, and, raising their heads above the Norman arch to the tops of the twin towers they might have seen the heads of traitors impaled on spikes.