As much of the region changed hands, York was no exception.   It was a Celtic, then Roman, settlement. Constantine I was proclaimed Roman emperor there in 306 AD. Later, it was ruled by Danes, then Normans.   During the Middle Ages it was a prosperous wool-trading town and the site of the performance of the York plays.   It has a manufacturing economy and a tourist industry due to its medieval sites.

At the bottom of the steet, part of York's wall is visible. A walk around these walls will take you through 1900 years of history!   First built in Roman times, they have been added to and rebuilt over time - so that different parts date from different centuries.   King George VI once said, "The history of York is the history of England."   These walls are among the longest and best-preserved walls in England.

It was also was the home of the infamous abbot and cellarer from whom, an ally of Robin Hood, Sir Richard of the Lee, borrowed the large sum of £400.   The poor knight was unable to repay the debt and the uncharitable couple were about to foreclose on him and seize his lands.   However, Robin stepped in and lent him the money and Sir Richard travelled to York, with Little John acting as his squire, to repay the loan in full - much to the surprise of the greedy Abbot.

The early abbey church was of Romanesque style but was replaced by a new Gothic church in the 13th century.

York Minster's history began in 627AD when King Edwin of Northumbria was baptised in a simple wooden church at York within the site of the old Roman fort.   The church was approved by the Pope and its dedication to St Peter reflected its links with Rome.   The wooden church was rebuilt in stone and completed by King Oswald.   The minster was rebuilt again in 664AD and again after a fire in 741AD.   It was eventually destroyed during the Norman siege of the city in 1069.

York Minster is built in the Gothic style but what is not widely known is that York was once a Norman cathedral.   The only remains of the Norman Cathedral at York are below ground level in the minster crypt.

One thing York lacked in the early days was a shrine and the shrines of saints were a rich source of revenue for Medieval cathedrals.   So in the 13th Century William Fitzherbert, Archbishop of York, was posthumously canonized and became St William of York.   This encouraged pilgrims to visit York and helped the minster compete with other shrines. The Minster represents almost every stage of the Gothic style of architecture from 1230 to 1475.   The present York Minster was built from 1220 and the old Norman cathedral was dismantled in stages as Gothic additions were made.

The Minster is built of Oolitic limestone from the Tadcaster area and gives the minster its white appearance.   York has the highest proportion of Medieval stained glass of any European cathedral and there is a magnificent Rose Windows known as the Heart of Yorkshire.