Think you know York? There’s always something new to learn, and this weekend is a fantastic opportunity to find out more about the city.
Walks start from St Helen’s Square
Sat Sept 10 and Sun Sep 11, 10am-3pm, every half hour
Free but donations welcome
Get To Know Your York sees two days of free walking tours – and the Lord Mayor of York Cllr Dave Taylor is inviting everyone to take part.
The tours leave St Helen’s Square every half hour. Hosted by York Civic Trust and Yorktour, they are an introduction to what makes York special – informative and entertaining walking tours of England’s second city.
For history buffs there are specialist walks available too: see the table below.
The event is free but a donation to the Lord Mayor’s charities – St Nicks, York Racial Equality Network, York LGBT Forum and York Civic Trust – would be much appreciated.
The specialist walks
| Time | Name of walk | Details |
| Sat 10th at 9.30am | Medieval Shops and Houses
Guide: Peter Addyman |
12th to 16th century shops, dwellings and warehouses and their network of plots, alleys and streets. |
| Sat 10th & Sun 11th at 10am | Historic Railways Trail
Guide: Frank Paterson |
York Railway’s 175 year history including York’s oldest ‘listed’ railway structure |
| Sat 10th & Sun 11th at 10.30am | Twentieth Century York
Guide: John Fieldhouse |
Post-war ‘modernism’s effect on York’s cityscape – brutalism… but also elegance |
| Sat 10th at 10.30am | York and the Reformation
Guide: Bill Shiels |
The changes to York’s townscape and churches caused by the Reformation |
| Sat 10th at 1.30pm & Sun 11th at 12 pm | Georgian York
Guide: Peter Brown |
Exploring the rich legacy in buildings that the Georgians left behind |
| Sat 10th at 2pm | *Round the Roman Fortress
Guide: Peter Addyman |
Exploring the substantial and still visible remains of York’s Roman Legionary Fortress and its surroundings |
| Sat 10th at 2.30pm | The War Memorials of York
Guide: David Fraser |
Architectural symbolism and the changing perceptions of ‘remembrance’ |
| Sun 11th at 10am | “Look-up” in York
Guide: Jane Grenville |
Discover a world of architectural composition that you walk by every day |
| Sun 11th at 10.30am | *York’s Roman City
Guide: Peter Addyman |
A walk taking in major parts of the site of the former Roman city of York, capital of Britannia Inferior |
| Sun 11th at 1.30pm | The Street Patterns of York
Guide: Margaret Scott |
The maze of York’s streets, gates, spaces and their origins explained |
| Sun 11th at 2pm | The Bridges of York
Guide: Edward Waterson |
Four bridges that are there, one that was, and two that should have been |
| Sun 11th at 2.30pm | *The Guildhalls of York
Guide: Kate Giles |
Looking at the functions and legacy of York’s often overlooked Guildhalls |