York's waterfront

York's riverside is, I find, visually a bit of a mishmash, with very old buildings like the early 17th century King's Arms pub rubbing shoulders with anodyne commercial premises and endless modern apartment buildings. 

 

Whenever we get flooding here in Saltaire, you can bet that a few days later the centre of York is inundated, since many of the rivers that arise in the Yorkshire Dales ultimately flow down to swell the River Ouse through York. Some of the buildings alongside the river flood regularly (sometimes up to four times a year!), so much so that they have well-rehearsed drills for dealing with the water, from tall flood barriers that slot in front of their doors and windows to specially tanked rooms with water-resistant plaster to moveable furniture and fittings. When I visited just one month after the latest deluge (see below for a press photo), you would not have known anything had happened, and all was up and running normally again. Remarkable.