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York England York, England’s largest page. Daily photos, history and what’s on in the city and across Yorkshire. Planning to visit?
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Use this updated version: York England’s number one community page, sharing daily photos, videos and stories from one of England’s most historic cities. BookYork.com offers excellent accommodation in the heart of York city centre. You can also play Yorkle, our daily York-themed word game, created for people who love the city and enjoy a quick daily challenge: https://bookyork.com/pages/yorkle/

🚪 This York doorway has a history of its own.Look closely at the carved faces above the entrance to Jacob’s Well on Trin...
24/10/2026

🚪 This York doorway has a history of its own.

Look closely at the carved faces above the entrance to Jacob’s Well on Trinity Lane. The ornate medieval timberwork actually came from another York building, the former Wheatsheaf Inn on Davygate, and was incorporated into this entrance during restoration work in 1905.

Jacob’s Well itself dates back to the late 15th century, when it was built to house a priest from nearby Holy Trinity Priory. It later became a pub, which gave the building the name it still carries today.

But perhaps its most remarkable story is how it nearly collapsed. An extra brick storey added in 1815 placed enormous strain on the medieval timber frame. By the 1980s, the building was visibly leaning, and the additional storey was eventually removed during restoration completed in 1991.

Next time you’re passing, take a closer look at those extraordinary carvings!

📸 by York England.

🐴 This 375-year-old York house once had horses living downstairs!Tucked away on Ogleforth, just behind York Minster, is ...
24/10/2026

🐴 This 375-year-old York house once had horses living downstairs!

Tucked away on Ogleforth, just behind York Minster, is the Dutch House, one of York’s early surviving brick houses, dating to around 1650.

Its distinctive curved gables were added later in the 17th century, giving the building its Dutch-inspired appearance.

But its history took an unexpected turn.

Originally a house of some status, it had probably been divided into three smaller homes by the early 1800s. Then, in 1872, it was acquired by the neighbouring Johnson and Marsh brewery, which used the ground floor as stables.

By the 1950s, the building had deteriorated so badly that extensive rebuilding was necessary. Thankfully, its remarkable frontage survived in restored form.

Today, the Dutch House is Grade II* listed, a reminder of how much York’s buildings can change over the centuries.

Next time you’re walking down Ogleforth, it’s worth looking up at those unusual gables!

📸 by York England.

👻 A hidden child’s shoe, a coffin drop and a tale of exorcism. Welcome to The Golden Slipper!This Goodramgate pub has a ...
24/10/2026

👻 A hidden child’s shoe, a coffin drop and a tale of exorcism. Welcome to The Golden Slipper!

This Goodramgate pub has a history considerably stranger than its cheerful name suggests.

The timber-framed part of the building dates to around 1500. Inside the snug is a feature known as a ‘coffin drop’, said to have allowed bodies to be lowered from upstairs and taken out through a passageway that no longer exists.

But things get even more intriguing.

During renovation work in 1984, a medieval child’s leather shoe was reportedly discovered concealed in the building. According to local ghost stories, strange disturbances followed, eventually leading to an alleged exorcism.

Concealing shoes in buildings was once a recognised practice, sometimes associated with protection against evil, although historians still debate its precise meaning.

And here’s a fascinating twist: despite claims that the discovery inspired the pub’s name, an 1823 York directory already lists The Golden Slipper, with Mary Marsh named alongside it. That’s 161 years before the shoe was found!

The old shoe has since been displayed inside the pub.

Have you ever spotted it, or heard any of the Golden Slipper’s ghost stories?

📸 by York England.

📍 Do you recognise where in York this photo was taken?I was exploring around the city when I came across a little surpri...
23/10/2026

📍 Do you recognise where in York this photo was taken?

I was exploring around the city when I came across a little surprise I wasn’t expecting! 👀🌹

Have a close look at the background and see if you can work out the location. I’ll share what I found in the comments!

📸 by York England.

🦢 The Old White Swan — or the “Mucky Duck”, as some York locals know it.This Goodramgate pub is really a collection of h...
23/10/2026

🦢 The Old White Swan — or the “Mucky Duck”, as some York locals know it.

This Goodramgate pub is really a collection of historic buildings wrapped around a courtyard. York Archaeology has recorded timber-framed structures here dating from the 15th to the 17th centuries, with later additions adding even more layers to the site.

Its history gets stranger too. In 1781, Patrick Cotter O’Brien — around eight feet tall and billed as the world’s tallest man — was exhibited here, with visitors reportedly paying a shilling to see him.

The covered courtyard in this photo gives a glimpse of how the different buildings fit together — centuries of York history hiding behind one Goodramgate entrance.

And somehow, “Mucky Duck” feels like exactly the sort of nickname that sticks.

📸 by York England.

🐻 York has a rather famous resident on one of its park benches.Paddington arrived in Dean’s Park beside York Minster in ...
23/10/2026

🐻 York has a rather famous resident on one of its park benches.

Paddington arrived in Dean’s Park beside York Minster in October 2024, complete with his red hat, blue duffle coat and, naturally, a marmalade sandwich.

The bench was one of 23 installed across the UK and Ireland for the Paddington Visits trail, created ahead of the release of Paddington in Peru. York’s bear was officially welcomed on 9 October by the Lord Mayor and York’s Town Crier.

What began as part of a film celebration has become a familiar little sight beside the Minster — with plenty of room left on the bench for anyone who fancies joining him.

📸 by York England.

🍺 That whitewashed frontage is hiding a much older building than you might think.The Three Tuns at 12 Coppergate is Grad...
23/10/2026

🍺 That whitewashed frontage is hiding a much older building than you might think.

The Three Tuns at 12 Coppergate is Grade II listed, with its timber-framed structure thought to date from the 16th century. Look closely at the photograph and you can see the upper floor projecting slightly over the one below — the surviving jettied form of the old building.

The pub itself traces the Three Tuns name back to at least 1782, while an 1823 York trade directory records Abel Swan running the Three Tuns here on Coppergate.

More than two centuries later, it is still a pub — and that narrow, slightly wonky frontage remains one of the more distinctive survivors on this busy stretch of York.

📸 by York England.

🩸 The Shambles once had a very different kind of traffic running down the middle.For centuries, this was York’s butchers...
22/10/2026

🩸 The Shambles once had a very different kind of traffic running down the middle.

For centuries, this was York’s butchers’ street. In 1830, 25 of the city’s 88 listed butchers traded here, with slaughterhouses behind many of the shops. On washing days, waste from the trade was rinsed into a cobbled channel running through the street.

Even the name is tied to that past. By 1426 it was being called the Great Flesh Shambles, while “fleshammel” referred to the wooden shelves used to display meat. Old shelves, beams and hooks from the trade can still be found along the street.

The timber-framed buildings lining Shambles date largely from the 14th to 17th centuries — reminders that this was once a working street rather than the York landmark we recognise today.

📸 by York England.

🚤 Before the sightseeing boats, this was York’s working waterfront.Taken from Ouse Bridge, looking downstream past King’...
22/10/2026

🚤 Before the sightseeing boats, this was York’s working waterfront.

Taken from Ouse Bridge, looking downstream past King’s Staith on the left. Boats once unloaded wheat, flour, salt and coal here, bringing everyday essentials straight into the city.

The quay dates back to the 14th century and remained York’s main wharf into the early 1900s. That’s centuries of deliveries along a riverside we now associate with boat trips and a drink outside the pubs.

Even the name has a practical meaning: a ‘staith’ is a landing place where boats unload cargo or passengers.

Have you ever taken one of these boats?

📸 by York England.

🏚️ This York landmark was once considered a slum — and proposed for demolition.Today it’s Gert & Henry’s on Jubbergate, ...
22/10/2026

🏚️ This York landmark was once considered a slum — and proposed for demolition.

Today it’s Gert & Henry’s on Jubbergate, but its survival wasn’t always assured.

Look at the two halves. The lower section on the left dates from the late 1300s; the taller gabled section on the right dates from the early 1600s. Centuries of building history, side by side.

Extensive restoration began in 1928. The open space around it came later, when neighbouring properties were cleared to create Newgate Market in 1955. It once stood among tightly packed streets and houses.

And before Gert & Henry’s, there was the White Rose Café. When that closed in 1981, Grandma Batty’s Yorkshire Pudding Emporium moved in — a name some of you might remember!

Which name was above the door when you first visited?

📸 by York England.

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