York

 

Out trip to York on 5 May 2013

 

The Romans founded the city of York. They invaded Yorkshire in 71 AD and built a fort between the rivers Ouse and Foss. By the mid 2nd century a small town grew up by the fort. Craftsmen and merchants came to live there because the soldiers in the fort provided a market for their goods and ships could sail up the River Ouse.
The Roman name for York was Eboracum, which may be derived from Celtic words meaning the place with yew trees. By the early 3rd century Roman York was protected by a stone wall. In the town there were public buildings such as a baths. Rich people lived in very comfortable houses with mosaic floors.
However in the 4th century Roman civilisation began to break down. The last Roman soldiers left Britain in 407 AD and afterwards Roman towns were abandoned and they fell into ruins.

After the Romans departed York was probably abandoned or nearly abandoned and the old Roman buildings fell into ruins. There may have been a few people living inside the walls farming the land outside but York ceased to be a town.
In 627 a bishop of York was appointed. A cathedral was built inside the walls of the Roman town and a bishop's palace was probably built there as well. It is possible the local Anglo Saxon king built a royal palace inside the Roman walls.
Then in the 8th and 9th centuries the town of York revived. Its position made it an ideal place for trade and so craftsmen came to live there. They probably started weekly markets and goods such as pottery were brought by ship from Europe. By the middle of the 9th century York was a flourishing town once again. However it was probably much smaller than the Roman town with a population of only about 2,000. It is believed that the town was called Eofer's wic (wic meant trading place). The Danes changed its name to Jorvik.
Then in 866 the Vikings conquered northern England and York became the capital of a new Viking kingdom. Viking York boomed and it grew much larger. In the town wool was woven. There were blacksmiths and potters. Other craftsmen made combs from bone and antler. The Danish word for street was gata, which in time became corrupted to 'gate'. Coppergate was cooper gata.

 

By the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 York was booming and it probably had a population of 9,000 or 10,000.
William the Conqueror built a wooden castle in York. However in 1069 the north of England rebelled. The Normans in the castle were massacred. However William captured York and sacked it. He also built a second wooden castle to control the town.
In 1190 a horrific massacre took place in York. Jews took refuge in the main castle. Some committed suicide. The townspeople set fire to the castle and the rest were persuaded to surrender but they were murdered anyway. Cliffords Tower was built in the mid-13th century to replace the keep of the main castle which had been burned in 1190.
Then in 1212 King John gave York a charter, which allowed the city self-government.

Carlisle Cathedral, Cumbria

The Fractry (Kitchen House) in the grounds of the Cathedral

 

 

The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, otherwise called Carlisle Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Carlisle. It is located in Carlisle, in Cumbria, North West England. It was founded as an Augustinian priory and became a cathedral in 1133.^[1]
Carlisle, because of heavy losses to its fabric, is the second smallest (after Oxford), of England's ancient cathedrals. Its notable features include some fine figurative stone carving, a set of medieval choir stalls and the largest window in the Flowing Decorated Gothic style in England.^[2]

 

 

Settle to Carlisle Train Trip

Today we took a trip on the Settle to Carlisle train line, one of the most travelled in England. The views of the countryside as we sped along were fantastic.

 

The Settle - Carlisle Railway is without doubt one of Britain's most spectacular railway lines.

 

It was the last great mainline railway to be built in this country. Completed for passenger travel in 1876 by the Midland Railway Company, it had taken six years to build. For the 19th century engineers, the landscape presented a tremendous challenge to their ingenuity, skills and abilities.

Consisting of 72 miles of track with 17 major viaducts spanning the ravines and 14 tunnels, the line was constructed by men who lived a harsh life in shanty towns, with little to supplement their manpower except dynamite.
Advertised as the most picturesque route to Scotland, the Victorian and Edwardian travelling public took it to their hearts.

Occasionally private operators organise steam-hauled trains on the line.

There are -

• 380 numbered bridges (including 14 tunnels & 21 viaducts)
• 20 stations (11 open, 9 closed)
• 13 signal boxes (10 operational, 2 preserved (Armathwaite and Settle), 1 disused & derelict (Little Salkeld))
• approximately 150 railway workers’ houses (all now in private ownership)
• approximately 100 line-side huts (all disused and in various stages of decay)
• one aqueduct (recently restored)

Most of the line, from Carlisle to Dent, is in Cumbria, with the section between Ribblehead and Settle in North Yorkshire.

Doncaster Yorkshire

 

Today 4th May 2013, we visited the City of Doncaster

 

Doncaster was founded approximately 71AD by the Romans who had a fort here , the fort was named Danum . The Romans left England in the 4^th century.

The very first Roman fort in the area(approx 40AD) was located at Rossington Bridge just to the south of Doncaster. Rossington Bridge is locally known as Parrots Corner
Doncaster got its name from the Saxon word ceaster meaning fort and the area being called Don,the area was known as Don Ceaster, as time went on the name was shortened to Doncaster. The Saxons created the first settlement which later became Doncaster.