Wednesday 5 January 2011

York - At night


York has some classic views in the evening. These shots were taken from just between when the shops were closing and 6:30 pm when I needed to head back to the railway station for my train. Ideally, I would like to have replicated what I have done in previous years by staying overnight to get quieter images. The above picture was affected by the passing white light from a car and the best of 5 shots including a problem of standing on extremely bad ice, stationary Taxis and distant passing pedestrians.

Bootham Bar (the Tower on the left) is one of the many gates that access the city. It has seen a lot of changes down through the centuries stretching back to a wooden structure in AD 71 right through various stages of development and destruction. It survived an attack on the city in the 15th century but was damaged during the seige of York in 1644. Repairs to the building were quickly set in motion soon after and more significantly it survived possibly its final battle in 1831 when the planners who wanted to demolish the Bar were defeated.

The above photograph was taken from the forecourt of the City Art gallery. The Art Gallery was originally built as a showcase for an art and industrial exhibition in the 19th century, later becoming the Art gallery. The statue outside behind the fountains is of William Etty, an earlier Yorkshire painter who moved to London and eventually retired and spent the last days of his life in York.


Crossing the road and entering the city wall via Bootham Bar (pigeon wake up call shot.... earlier post) and heading along High Petergate, shoppers were making their way home from the shops.


At the end of this short street, I was greeted with the full glory of York Minster. A wooden church on this site was replaced with a stone one following the baptism in 627 AD of Edwin of Northumbria who was an Anglo Saxon King.


The church survived in an enlarged form until it was damaged by fire during the 11th century Norman conquest.


The badly damaged Minster was replaced during this period with many further additions up until the completion of all three towers by the 15th century. Interestingly, the major points of concern through it's history from ancient to modern has been it's susceptibility to fire and the safety of the central tower.


At  Christmas and New Year, the streets and shops are decorated with festive lights. The marquee on the left was of a local Christmas craft fair that was something similar to my Durham (3) Christmas market post.

 Around the corner from Betty's tea rooms stands Mansion House which is always well lit at night.....


It was a problem getting this first shot of it , as I was virtually standing in a queue for a cashpoint machine from a bank so I was being watched, bumped, hassled and stared at by those who had spent their money during the day and needed more to sample the evening refreshments !!
Mansion House is the Lord Mayor's house who carries out a mixture of civic duties for the city by hosting dinners for leading business people to promoting the City of York to others. It was built in 1725 and took 7 years to build.


"I just want to buy one more picture"


 A night trip around York is not complete without a trip to The Shambles and even though, it seemed quiet at this time, it was unfortunately not quiet enough....


The Shambles as I said before takes its name from a street of Butchers and can sometimes confusingly be referred to as a group of similar streets nearby incorporating Petergate and Stonegate (seen in the first York post). Although the street is 900 years old, the style on show today is more Elizabethan middle ages. It was unfortunate that I couldn't get the right picture to show half way down the street where, as you can see, the buildings lean out into the street upstairs.... but I'll be back !


The shops are brightly lit and I had the patience to wait for five minutes to get the end of the street...


Lastly, no interesting or funny pictures as it was getting cold ... the market place behind had finished for the day and was also the reminder that it was time for me to leave for my train home.

18 comments:

  1. Thank you, J-on-tour for another remember: York with his exquisite cathedral. I spent half a day there, once. Now, these series of photos, showing York in winter, completes the image I had about this wonderful little town.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fascinating photos J.

    Something I have not done much of at all is taking pictures at night.

    These look really great and have whetted my appetite to give it a go as well as having another trip to York.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The cathedral is just stunning. I love the architectural detail of the shops and streets. And, the color of the mansion.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I started a comment but have no idea how it disappeared. So, let's start over. I love the beautiful evening/night shots, and they make me want to spend Christmas in York next year. Of all the stunning photos, I think my favorite is of the central tower. The Minster is just an amazing structure. Thanks for all the history you put with the post. By the way, when we visited York, it took me a while to learn that 'bar' meant 'gate' and 'gate' meant 'street.'

    Beautiful post!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I just love the York Minster. As usual your pictures and commentary are very entertainig and informative. Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very good post.
    You show us the city York with its beauty.
    I love how you explain every detail.
    It is like being there.
    Very smart!
    Thank you!
    Greetings from Athens.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your pictures are beautiful:)
    Greetings, Berit.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well, your night photography amazed me!
    Realy good images!
    It is your new camera or Santa brings you more skills? ha ha
    I wish you a great weekend!
    Thank you again!

    ReplyDelete
  9. York Minster and Mansion House are my favorite pictures. One has to be a skillful photographer to take night shots. You are a master photographer.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Stunning photographs,knowledgable commentary as usual . Have a great weekend J, whatever you are doing.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This well known, historic town is a fascinating one. The architecture is just stunning. Your pictures are gorgeous. Kind regards.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Those night shots are incredible--I'm glad you had the patience to take them. Looks like a beautiful place to wander on a winter night.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Beautiful shots of "everything". What a lovely church York Minster is.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great evening shots.............the Minster is a devil......almost impossible to get a good perspective......I love these.

    ReplyDelete
  15. i like this night shots.history and night. very special charm.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Travelling Hawk... I always like visiting places like this in December. I do not get the chance very often as it is such a busy month. This aspect of York is one people do not realise until they see pictures of it.

    Trevor Woodford... I tried night photos many years ago and this was the only place other than my local patch where I bothered to do this. It was nice to re-visit this theme here today.

    Farmchick... York Minster always looks good at night, the first shot is classic postcard view while some of the others are in my eye. I have always been impressed by the Mansion House exterior both by day and night.

    Cranberry Morning... Thanks. It was a great December day here with the shops decorated appropriately for Christmas. "Bar" and "Gate" are confusing... funny, I've never given that a thought for a while.

    Sweet Virginia Breeze... Thanks for your nice comment.I'm pleased you enjoyed it.

    Monika... Thanks, your virtual tour of York is complete.... until the next time!

    Cimpoaca... Thanks for your good comments.

    Lily Riani... thanks, I was looking forward to putting these pictures on.

    Berit... Thanks for your great words.

    Wind... Santa worked well with my brain. err... I have a tripod that's too large, I have a tripod that is too small, but he gave me one today that fits into my day travel bag.

    Duta... Thanks for your great comments. It may surprise you to know that I was only truly happy with half of them due to the lack of time on a day trip, too many people about as it was still early. I aim to go back at some point in the summer where it gets darker a lot later.

    Primrose Patch... Thanks, I'll refer you to the previous comment that I made to Duta.

    Phivos Nicolaides... Thanks for your nice comments, I like this city a lot.

    JoLynne Lyon... It's great to wander the streets later on although winter and day trips have the disadvantage of too many people. It was nice to try and get the Christmas decorations though.

    forgetmenot... Thanks for your great comment. York Minster is an amazing building.

    Adrian... Thanks, the Minster is a bit of beast to photograph well. I'm not really keen on image 4 as it is too close for a true 50mm picture but gives everyone the overall viewpoint. I like to stick to my own interpretation. I once covered the two lamp shots at the west end during the day and always wanted to repeat the experience at night.

    pharaonx... thanks, i am pleased you enjoyed the whole experience.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails