Old York

Old York

Among the highlights of the Brit trip has been the visit to the city of York, a two-hour train trip north from London, but a mere hour from where we stay here in Peterborough.

We only had a short time in York, a magnificent old city dominated by the Minster cathedral and marked throughout the city center with Roman ruins. We did the tour of Jorvik, the town’s original Viking settlement. It was an odd tour, including a ride through a pretend Viking village with smell-o-vision. They went to great lengths to let you know how it smelled on the farms, down by the river near the fish guts, and at the tannery. Thankfully the smell-o-vision cut out as we passed the mechanical figure of a Viking seated at an outdoor loo – covered only from the chest down – so that we could see his face repeatedly strain to take care of his business.

The city is home to the world’s largest train museum and regrettably we didn’t allow ourselves more than about an hour to see this place. Not only do they have beautiful old trains, but also there is a huge warehouse absolutely packed chock-a-block with memorabilia from train stations, posh trains, royal coaches and who knows where else. It looks like the secret stores of a mad scientist obsessed with transportation. There were glassed-in models of ships, placards meant for the trains of foreign dignitaries, stately logos of old train lines and metalwork from all parts.

Also paid a visit to the city’s Castle Museum – which was used at least in part as a jail. While stretching in the former prisoners’ exercise yard, I was surprised to learn that America, not Australia, was the main recipient of England’s prisoners exiled to the colonies. After 1717, prisoners whose crimes weren’t severe enough to warrant the death penalty were sent to the colonies – primarily America, until the Revolution. They were also sent to New South Wales and Van Dieman’s Land (Tasmania.) And “a small number were sent to Western Australia in the mid 19th Century.”
- posted by Amy @ 8/23/2004 05:05:00 AM