York at Christmas

I met my family in York just before Christmas, for a posh afternoon tea at The Milner Hotel, which used to be The Royal Station Hotel, a grand place built in 1876 to serve the new railway station just outside the city walls. It was a lovely occasion, a real treat: dainty sandwiches, large scones with cream and jam, some delectable little cakes and copious cups of tea. And good company, of course. 

Before we met I had an hour or so to explore the city, so I took a quick walk round the centre, enjoying the lights and the Christmassy feel. I didn't venture as far as the Christmas market but I was pleasantly surprised that the streets weren't as rammed with crowds as I expected. It was dull grey weather (again) so I'm not pretending my photos are anything more than quick snaps, but they're a record of a happy day.  

You can walk along parts of the city walls, dating back originally to Roman times, though most of what's visible was built in the 13th/14th centuries. York has more miles of intact walls than any other city in England, and the view over the city from their vantage point is fascinating, with the famous Minster (cathedral) prominent on the skyline (above).

The walls are punctuated by four main gatehouses called Bars that controlled entry to the city, were defensive and could be used to extract tolls. You can see Bootham Bar at the end of the street in the picture below. 

Standing as far back as I could and being careful not to get mown down by cars, I just managed to get most of the Minster's west frontage in my photo. 

The old thoroughfare of Stonegate, originally a Roman road, leads down from the Minster environs, its old buildings now home to a multitude of shops and pubs.

Stonegate leads into St Helen's Square, with a big Christmas tree in front of the York Mansion House, built in 1732 as the Lord Mayor's residence. 

I was half-expecting the River Ouse to be in flood, as it often does come over its banks in this part of York (so often that they are used to it and mostly prepared for it). From Lendl Bridge at least, it didn't look too bad.