The iconic Mallard locomotive is leaving York to join in with Locomotion, the National Railway Museum at Shildon on the 23rd June 2010.

During half term the National Railway Museum will host a number of family activities based around the beautiful steam train.

Step on board the footplate with our Explainers, hear how it became the fastest steam locomotive in the world and take away a commemorative souvenir badge.

You can also enjoy exciting steam rides, funfair rides, storytelling, and our From Rocket To Bullet science show throughout the week.

Dates:
From Saturday 29th May 2010
to Sunday 6th June 2010

10.00am – 6.00pm Daily

Entry to NRM York is FREE, a small charge applies for steam rides.

 

Address:

 

National Railway Museum York

Leeman Road

York

North Yorkshire

YO26 4XJ

Tel: 0844 815 3139

National Railway Museum on Directory of York

National Railway Museum Events
NRM York website

In 1970, a grassroots movement was gaining momentum across the country, as groups of students and workers united in an attempt to alert the government to the idea that voters were concerned about ecological matters. The result was Earth Day, first celebrated in America on the 22nd April 1970 and founded by the US Senator Gaylord Nelson to “shake up the political establishment and force this issue on to the national agenda.”

Senator Nelson’s initial concept of a national “teach-in” in universities, colleges and schools across the country was conceived after his observation of the oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969 and subsequent outrage at the political indifference.

Coordinated by the Harvard student Denis Hayes, the idea received a boost when the help of the New York Mayor Lindsay was enlisted in shutting down 5th Avenue for the event: on April 22nd 1970, the day marked a landmark in history as twenty million campaigners fighting for various related issues united on streets, parks and auditoriums in a common cause to highlight concern over the environmental crisis.

Inspired by Senator Nelson’s words, the peace activist John McConnell had called for a global holiday called Earth Day at the UNESCO Conference, and a proclamation was signed and Earth Day subsequently became a UN tradition.

In 2007 one of the largest Earth Days ever took place, with an estimated one billion participants.

40 Years On: Earth Day 2010

The year 2010 sees the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, when Earth Day Network and Carbon War Room are combining to connect public and private sectors and provoke discussion on the roles of government and industry in the fight against climate change, with talks by major industry leaders.

Projects include “A Billion Acts of Green”, when hundreds of thousands will participate in schemes or exhibitions on subjects including tree planting, water protection and forest restoration in 180 countries.

A Global Day of Action will take place on April 22nd 2010 when conversations will take place throughout the world on climate action in 500 communities.

Celebrations will culminate in A Global Day of Celebration on April 24th 2010, when 40 major city events are organised around the globe in venues like London, Mumbai, Sydney, Barcelona and of course, Washington DC.

One of the traditional events of Earth Day, usually taking place in the previous month, requires everyone to turn their lights off for an hour at the same time.

In the US people are encouraged to call US Congress or national government offices to object to using coal in agreements about power generation, known as the “no coal call.”

Earth Day: 22 April 2010

Forty years ago people had a very different attitude towards the earth: the verb “recycle” meant to repeat the same route on a bike; green was a colour, not an issue; environmental was a description that related more to geography than health, and the greenhouse effect was a means of using a glass house to cultivate non-hardy plants.

In 1970 huge, gas guzzling cars were preferred as a status symbol, nuclear energy was shrouded in mystery, the Apollo space mission was still being launched to the moon and the US was preoccupied with the conflict in Vietnam.

In comparison, many politicians regarded environmental issues as a less pressing concern.

Earth Day was first celebrated at the time of the March equinox, which usually falls around March 20th when the sun is directly above the equator resulting in equal amounts of daylight in both hemispheres, and the tradition evolved at the UN of ringing the Japanese Peace Bell to herald in the day.

With its logo of an ecology symbol combining the letters E and O, taken from the words Environment and Organism, and green and white striped flag, the movement began to be celebrated worldwide.

The coming of the new millennium brought a change in direction as the Earth Day campaign began to focus on global warming, the phasing out of fossil fuels and finding alternative, clean sources of energy.

People can participate as an individual or as part of a group, with suggestions and advice on the website ranging from something as simple as changing a light bulb to learning how to drive cars more energy efficiently or organising events.

To become part of this united effort to bring about historic changes and preserve the world for generations to come, prospective participants can find events and register at www.earthday.net.

If you would like to see your event here either email support@directoryofyork.net
or simply post a tweet @doyorkuk

To get much better exposure for your event why not write a short piece
with the details of what’s happening, when and where and send it to support@directoryofyork.net

This way we can get your event seen by many, many more people.

You May Also Be Interested In:

York Events 2010

Newcastle upon Tyne Events 2010

Leeds Events 2010

Liverpool Events 2010

Chester Events 2010

A whole evening’s television will be devoted to Sport Relief on Friday 19th March 2010 on BBC 1 with special programmes throughout the weekend, including a unique version of Let’s Dance for Sport Relief and tailored editions of Masterchef and Top Gear; Frank Skinner will host A Question of Sport Relief and James Cordon, from the popular Gavin and Stacey show, will introduce a brand new ‘Smithy’ sketch.

But the most important participants are the members of the public who will take part in the Sport Relief Mile event.

Designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sir Roger Bannister’s sub four-minute mile, the Mile events take place across the country when celebrities and public alike take up the challenge of completing their own mini marathon: in 2006 more than 423,000 people jogged, ran, walked, wheeled, bounced, hopped or bounced their way along one, three or six mile designated runs in an unprecedented run for charity.

This year, The Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile takes place on Sunday 21st March.

You can search for the event nearest to you and enter online at www.sportrelief.co.uk. With official T-shirts designed by all the Beckham family, this year’s affair promises to be the most stylish Sports Relief ever!

There are also plenty of ideas on the site as to how you can go about organising an event, getting sponsors and advice about becoming one yourself. If you decide to take part in the Sport Relief Mile, there are loads of ways in which you can maximise your success by using emails, texts, tweets, Facebook or local newspaper to publicise your attempt.

To put things in perspective: the sum of £110 could enable four people living in remote villages in Uganda to be trained in medical techniques to help save the lives of children with malaria.

Sport Relief: 19 March – 21 March 2010

If you’ve been putting off doing something physically active for a while, then the 19th to 21st March 2010 could be the time to don your trainers and your trackeys and help raise some money for disadvantaged people in the UK and across the world.

Sport Relief is a biennial event that has become one of Britain’s biggest fundraisers, and in 2008 raised £19.5 million for deserving causes.

There are big names in sport and entertainment who are rising to the challenge and inspiring people across the UK to do the same – so why don’t you?

Taking part is a real opportunity to change people’s lives – it’s also fun, it’s a day off work, and it’s an excuse to wear some amazing Sport Relief stripy socks!

Sport Relief Events

Founded by the BBC in 2002 in association with the charity Comic Relief, Sport Relief brings together famous faces from the worlds of sport and entertainment to help vulnerable people everywhere.

In the past we’ve witnessed amazing feats and challenges on TV: events in 2002 took a surprise swing when a tennis match was televised live between Ilie Nastase, Alistair McGowan, Pat Cash and none other than the UK’s prime minister at the time, Tony Blair.

He went on to win four sets to one!

In 2006 Chris Evans, Nick Faldo and Gary Lineker took part in a hilarious pitching competition on the roof of the TV studio, when the target for their balls were giant cut-outs of the mouths of Jimmy Tarbuck and Bruce Forsyth – say no more.

And who could ever forget Sport Relief 2008 when the star of Little Britain, David Walliams, swam the channel and raised over £1 million in donations? We were with him every chilling inch of the way as we watched from the safety of our armchairs.

In 2010, celebrities are embarking on some of the most adventurous and extraordinary challenges to date: Christine Bleakley from The One Show will attempt to water-ski across the English Channel powered by Thomson Sport – by her own admission she can neither Water ski nor swim “particularly well”, but what the heck!; Blue Peter’s Helen Skelton is making a bid to become the first woman to kayak the Amazon River, whilst rugby legend Lawrence Dallaglio is cycling 2,800 km around the rugby Six Nations stadiums – in just 24 days.

Shangthai Restaurant

Church Cottage,
Escrick,
York, YO19 6EX

Shangthai Valentine’s Menu - £28 per person   

The Ivy Lounge

The Grange Hotel

1 Clifton
York
YO30 6AA

The Ivy Lounge Valentine’s Menu – Five courses for £55 per person

Hotel 53

53 Piccadilly, York YO1 9PL

Hotel 53 Valentine’s Menu – three courses for £29.50

Strada York

75 Low Petergate, York, YO1 7HY

Enjoy the passion of the Italian’s this Valentine’s Day. Strada Leeds Valentine’s Menu costs just £25 per person for three courses complimented with a glass of Prosecco

J Bakers

7 Fossgate, York, YO1 9TA

Valentine’s Night at J Bakers – £50 per person

 

Burythorpe House

 
Burythorpe
Malton
North Yorkshire
YO17 9LB

Burythorpe Valentine’s Menu – £47.50 per person
 

The Churchill Hotel

65 Bootham, York, YO30 7DQ

The Churchill Hotel Valentine’s Menu - Seven courses for £49.95

 

Loch Fyne York

12 Walmgate, York, YO1 9TJ

Loch Fyne Valentine’s Menu – £30 per head

Cafe Rouge York

52 Low Petergate, York, YO1 7HZ

Cafe Rouge is donating £1 from every three course Valentine’s Menu, running from Friday to Sunday, bought across all its restaurants in the UK to the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity ‘Kiss it Better’ Campaign.

The Cafe Rouge Valentine’s Menu offers a great choice of enjoying a delicious brunch menu (before 12 noon) for just £12.95 per person. The ideal way to start the day.

Or you can opt for lunch/dinner for £24.95 per person.

Melton’s Too

25 Walmgate, York, YO1 9TX

Melton’s Too Valentine Menu - £21 per person

La Tasca

21 Back Swinegate, York , YO1 8AD

La Tasca Valentine’s Menu

(pdf download) – £16.95 or £21.95 per person

Castlegate Restaurant

 
31 Castlegate, York, YO1 9RN

Castlegate Restaurant Valentine’s Menu - £29.50 per person

Leeds Valentine’s Restaurant Menus

Chester Valentine’s Restaurant Menus

Liverpool Valentine’s Restaurant Menus

Newcastle Valentine’s Restaurant Menus

Directory of York for Local Events and Local Businesses

9th and 10th October 2010 | Wedding & Lifestyle Bridal Exhibition, Great Yorkshire Show Ground, Harrogate

Looking for a wedding exhibition that puts you in touch with 70+ very exclusive wedding suppliers from across the North of England?

Then look no further – the Wedding and Lifestyle Spring Brides, two day consumer show, takes place at The Great Yorkshire Showground on 9th & 10th October 2010  

http://www.weddingandlifestyle.co.uk/

If you would like to see your event here email support@directoryofyork.net

 

A Short History of Barley Hall

The oldest parts of Barley Hall date back to 1360, when it was constructed as a townhouse for the Augustinian Priory of St Oswald at Nostell near Wakefield, so that priors could attend important ceremonies and services.

When the Priory fell on hard times, the canons were forced to make money by renting out properties.

A new wing was added to the house in 1430, and it subsequently passed into the ownership of William Snawsell, who was a goldsmith to the Minster canons and owned considerable property in the surrounding area. You can view William’s workshop in The Gallery of the townhouse where at least three craftsmen, known as journeymen because they were paid by the day, would have been employed. On three year apprenticeships, most of their trade would have been in silver or silver gilt.

As you wander around Barley Hall, there is a sense of history coming to life starting from the moment you stumble across the structure: accessed from Stonegate at the point where the cast iron Red Devil sits, just before you come across the banner for the Olde Starre Inn, you enter a snickleway into Coffee Yard; as the building is dissected by this thoroughfare, a large pane of glass has been placed at the end of the Great Hall so that you are suddenly transported from the dark alleyway through a looking glass, as it were, into the heart of medieval life.

Inside you will discover the room, dating from 1430, where meals took place as the family sat at the raised high table at the end flanked by the common people at either side and feasted on banquets of such delicacies as beef and herb pottage, brawn in mustard sauce, thrushes in salt and cinnamon or curlew in a sauce of salt, sugar and river water, washed down with sweet wine or spiced hippocras (wine) and figs with cheese. Fine linen wall hangings adorn the hall made using natural dyes and woad and there is a smoke hole above the fireplace.

Elsewhere the house contains fascinating glimpses of the past – in the Store Room, now the admissions area and shop, which also served as a sleeping place for servants, the timber dates back to 1360. It is still possible to see the original carpenter’s mark in the main beam where it joins the wall – four straight lines and a diagonal etched into the surface – a coded instruction to builders to place the timber in the fourth main bay from the east on the north side of the building.

All furniture and utensils have been authentically recreated with reproduction pieces based on items seen in Flemish paintings, owing to the fact that many medieval dwellings contained objects connected to the Low Countries, and include brass chandeliers, metal trenchers and 20 different types of pottery based on originals found around York featuring purple Humberware and local Hambleton Greenware.

In The Gallery added to the back of Barley Hall during the late 1500s, there is a window made of horn strips: this was commonly used in medieval times, as horn was cheaper than glass and involved soaking cows’ horns in water, cutting and rolling them into strips; only the semi transparent central section of the horn could be used.

Alderman Snawsell retired in 1492 and died at the grand old age of 80 when Barley Hall began its decline and was divided into smaller and smaller units.
Although the York Archaeological Society has successfully completed the restoration work, the building is still one of York’s lesser known assets and additional revenue is required to complete its furnishing.

Supported by a number of enthusiastic volunteers and societies, Barley Hall has become an important part of York’s heritage and is set to be one of the city’s major tourist attractions.


Opening Times:
Open throughout the year from 4 days to all week during school holidays.
From 10.00am till 4.00pm or 5.00pm
Last admission an hour before closing.

Address:
Barley Hall
2 Coffee Yard
Off Stonegate
York
YO1 8AR

Tel: 01904 610275 
Barley Hall Website

Yorkshire Horseracing Tracks

Yorkshire is well known for horseracing: wherever you go in Yorkshire you are sure to be close to one of the many horseracing tracks in the county.

Catterick Racecourse

Catterick Horseracing track is open all year round with jump racing from December to March and flat racing from April to November.

Admission:

Grandstand & Paddock – £14.00
Course Enclosure £4.00
Punters Package £21.00

By Car: the Catterick racecourse is found a few miles of the A1 close to Scotch Corner. The racecourse is clearly signposted from the A1.

By Public Transport: there are regular bus services from Darlington which is located fifteen miles away. If you are travelling from further afield you can go by train to Darlington and get a bus from there.

Address:
The Catterick Racecourse Co. Ltd.
Catterick Bridge
Richmond
North Yorkshire
DL10 7PE

Ripon Racecourse

Ripon Racecourse is open from April to September every year and hosts many evening and weekend races of all types.

Admission:

Club Stand – £18
Paddock Enclosure – £12
Course Enclosure – £5
Accompanied children under 16 admitted free
 
By Car: you can find the racecourse on the Boroughbridge Road (B6265) to the east of Ripon.

Address:
Ripon Race Co. Ltd
The Racecourse
Boroughbridge Road
Ripon
North Yorkshire

Tel: 01765 530530 

Thirsk Racecourse

Thirsk racecourse has evening and weekend fixtures between April and September every year.

Admission:

Paddock – £13
Family Ring – £5
Accompanied children under 16 admitted free

By Car: you can find the Thirsk Racecourse on the A61 road to Ripon just west of Thirsk town centre.

By Public Transport: the racecourse is only a half mile walk from Thirsk railway station.

Address:
Thirsk Racecourse Ltd.
Station Road
Thirsk
North Yorkshire
YO7 1QL

Tel: 01845 522276

Beverley Racecourse

Beverley Racecourse is open for evenings and weekend events through the spring and summer months of April to September.

Admission:

Premier £19
Grandstand & Paddock – £12
Course Enclosure/Picnic Park – £5
Under 18 (accompanied) admittance FREE



The best way to visit Beverley Racecourse is by car. The racecourse is found off Junction 38 of the M62 and is clearly signposted.

Address:
Beverley Race Company Ltd.
The Racecourse
York Road
Beverley
East Yorkshire
HU17 8QZ

Wetherby Racecourse

Wetherby racecourse has races all year round from January to December.

Admission:

Premier Enclosure: Standard Meeting £19 Feature Meeting £21 Feature Plus Day £27

Paddock Enclosure: Standard Meeting £13 Feature Meeting £14 Feature Plus Day £16

Course Enclosure: Standard Meeting £4 Feature meeting £4 Feature Plus Day £5

By Car: the Wetherby racecourse is found just outside the town of Wetherby and is on the B1224 York Road.

Address:
Wetherby Racecourse
York Road
Wetherby
West Yorkshire
LS22 5EJ

Pontefract Racecourse

Races run from April to October at Pontefract racecourse. The races are evenings and weekends.

Admission:

Premier Enclosure – £20
Grandstand & Paddock – £13
Silver Ring – £6
Third Enclosure – £4

The Pontefract racecourse is found just off junction 32 of the M62 not far from the A1. The racecourse is clearly signposted from the M62.

Address:
Pontefract Park Race Company Ltd.
Pontefract Park
Pontefract
West Yorkshire
WF8 1LE

York Racecourse

York Racecourse is the most well known of the racecourse in York because of the international standard races found at the racecourse. Evening and weekend races run at York racecourse from May to October.

There are three stands at York racecourse, the County Stand, Grandstand (and Paddock) and Course Enclosure. The prices vary for each stand and for each race so admission prices are not listed.

By Car: follow the A64 before coming off at the A1036 Tadcaster Road. Travel down Tadcaster Road continuing as it becomes Mount Vale and take the right turning on to Knavesmire Road. Travel down Knavesmire Road on to Racecourse Road where the York Racecourse is located on your right.

By Public Transport: the racecourse is only one mile outside York city centre and one and a half miles from York railway station, so is easily accessible via York railway station.

You can also travel by one of the regular bus routes going to the racecourse, get a taxi or even take a leisurely walk from the centre.

Address:
York Racecourse
The Racecourse
York
YO23 1EX

NOTE: All Prices Correct At Time Of Going To Press

External Links:
Catterick Racecourse
Ripon Racecourse
Thirsk Racecourse
Beverley Racecourse
Wetherby Racecourse
Pontefract Racecourse
York Racecourse

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Association of Voluntary Guides to the City of York

This free walking tour of York commences at 10.15am from outside the City Art Gallery in Exhibition Square.

During the summer months an additional tour takes place in the afternoon at 2.15pm from 1st April to 30th October, and a further tour at 6.45pm from June to August. There’s no need to book – tours depart promptly from outside the Art Gallery in Exhibition Square. 

For two hours history is brought to life as you take a gentle stroll around Roman York’s city walls, medieval streets and churches.

The visit incorporates the Roman Multangular Tower, St Mary’s Abbey, Kings Manor, Bootham Bar, the magnificent York Minster, Treasurer’s House, Trinity Church with its famous ‘box’ pews and the Shrine of Saint Margaret Clitherow.

All the Association’s tours are extremely informative and conducted by a specially trained guide. Even better, they’re FREE – so you can save your money to buy tea and buns from Betty’s Tearooms later.

The telephone number to contact for Group Bookings is 01904550098, otherwise, simply don your most comfortable walking shoes and turn up outside the Art Gallery.

Address:
1 Museum Street
York,
YO1 7DT

Telephone: 01904550098

Email: avg1951@hotmail.com

Association of Voluntary Guides to the City of York

And of course no tour would be complete without a visit to the incomparably narrow thoroughfares of The Shambles, where it’s possible for someone in one upstairs window to lean out and shake hands across the street with the person opposite!

Private tours and group bookings can also be arranged with a donation to cover costs.

If you know of a tour or guide that should mentioned on the Directory of York, then drop us a line at support@directoryofyork.net

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You May Also Be Interested In:

Historic Tours in York

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Association of Voluntary Guides to the City of York – Personal Recommendation

Discover what medieval life was really like in Barley Hall – a living, breathing and authentically renovated 15th century townhouse, as inhabited by the Snawsell family headed by William Snawsell, a goldsmith and Master of the King’s Mint, Alderman, Sheriff and ultimately Mayor of the City of York.

The house offers a fascinating glimpse into the past and into the lives of this prosperous middle class family, who lived when Richard III was on the throne and contains many examples of medieval architecture: high ceilinged rooms, original timber frames, an authentically reconstructed Great Hall, and possibly the only example of a horn window in England.

With lovingly reconstructed medieval furnishings and artefacts that you can touch, open, peer into and even sit on, Barley Hall offers much more than a museum, and a vibrant calendar of events means that you could well find yourself in a Medieval Market complete with costumed craftsmen selling their wares, or plunged into celebrations of Christmas in a candlelit Great Hall festooned with yuletide decorations and full of festive cheer.

One of the most amazing things about Barley Hall is the fact that for hundreds of years it lay hidden in the heart of York, disguised by a jumble of brick structures and even used at one time as a plumbers’ showroom.

Fortunately the York Archaeological Trust stepped in to rescue the building in 1987, and Barley Hall underwent a full archaeological excavation back to the 14th century levels which revealed the original floor of the Great Hall and the remains of an exterior stairway to the first floor.
 

On other special days there will be costumed informative guides who can take you on a tour round the townhouse, describing functions of rooms and objects, or you can follow the excellent audio guide narrated by Robert Hardy and Judi Dench at your own pace. You can even don medieval garb yourself if the mood so takes you!

Ironically, many inhabitants and tourists in York literally walked right through one of the internal corridors of the house as they traversed from Stonegate to Swinegate and Grape Lane via the Coffee Yard snickleway; it wasn’t until the 1980s when the entire building was designated a dangerous structure and recommended for demolition that its medieval origins were revealed.

Restored to replicate how it would have looked around 1483 as the inhabitants would themselves have known it, paying incredible attention to detail and authenticity, Barley House has now become one of the few examples of a furnished medieval house in the country. The name Barley House has nothing to do with the crop, but is so called after the Archaeological Trust’s first chairman, the late Professor Maurice Barley.

Opening Times:
Open throughout the year from 4 days to all week during school holidays.
From 10.00am till 4.00pm or 5.00pm
Last admission an hour before closing.

Address:
Barley Hall
2 Coffee Yard
Off Stonegate
York
YO1 8AR

Tel: 01904 610275
Barley Hall Website

New Years Eve 2009/2010 @ Burn Hall Hotel

CELEBRATE YOUR NEW YEAR IN STYLE AT BURN HALL

A five course dinner is served from 7.00pm with dancing until 1.00am with resident DJ and a glass of champagne to see in the New Year.