Historic York is loaded with world-class sights. Marvel at the York Minister, England’s finest Gothic church. Ramble and Shambles, York’s wonderfully preserved medieval quarter. Enjoy a walking tour led by an old Yorker. Hop a train at one of the world’s greatest railway museums, travel to the 1800s in the York Castle Museum, head back 1,000 years to Viking times at the Jorvik Viking Centre, or dig into the city’s buried past at the Yorkshire Museum.
York has a rich history. In AD 71 it was Eboracum, a Roman provincial capital – the northernmost city in the empire. Constantine was proclaimed emperor here in AD 306. In the fifth century, as Rome was toppling, the Roman emperor sent a letter telling England it was on its own, and York – now called Eoforwic – became the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria.
The city’s first church was built in 627, and the town became an early Christian center of learning. The Vikings later took the town, and from the 9th through the 11th century, it was a Danish trading center called Jorvik. The invading and conquering Normans destroyed and then rebuilt the city, fortifying it with a castle and the walls you see today.
Next to London… it is the best place to be a tourist in England. 🙂
We’ll cover more York in the next few posts… but today we want to share the wonder of the location we chose to spend our nights in York – The Grays Court Hotel.
The Grays Court Hotel is a historic mansion – the home of dukes and archbishops since 1091.
The creaky, historic nature of the place makes for a memorable stay.
The public spaces are lavish… it almost feels like a shame to leave this place to go out into York.
The back garden is something very special. A perfect place to get a drink or a spot of afternoon tea. The gardens can be seen from the city wall at the back of the property – you feel very special if you choose to take in a gorgeous (albeit a bit chilly) afternoon.
Breakfast did not disappoint. What a gorgeous room!
It now rents 12 rooms to travelers. While its public spaces and gardens are lavish, its rooms are elegant yet modest.
Recommended by Rick Steves… and by both of us! One of our favorite places that we stayed in England. Give them a look – www.grayscourtyork.com