Tour the Galleries
by Torchlight
@ Yorkshire Museum

Torchlit Tours…

…to Hallowe’en!

Explore the new galleries and objects of the Yorkshire Museum by torchlight in a special series of tours.

This event is £5 per person, no need to book.

Time:
6.00pm, 7.00pm
Date:
Sunday 24th October 2010
Monday 25th October 2010
Tuesday 26th October 2010
Wednesday 27th October 2010
Thursday 28th October 2010
Friday 29th October 2010
Saturday 30th October 2010
Sunday 31st October 2010

Opening Hours:
Monday – Sunday, 10.00am – 5.00pm

Gardens
Monday – Sunday, 7.30am to 5.30pm
(from late March until late October the gardens open later into the evening)
The Gardens are closed on the mornings of Royal Salute ceremonies.

Observatory
Every Saturday, 11.30am – 2.30pm

Admission: Visit website for prices, buy one ticket for YEAR-LONG entry
Entry to the Gardens is FREE
Entry to the Observatory is FREE
 

 

Address:

Yorkshire Museum

Exhibition Square

York

North Yorkshire

YO1 7EW

Tel: 01904 687 687

Yorkshire Museum on Directory of York
Yorkshire Museum website

Tour the Gardens
@ Yorkshire Museum

Tour: The Gardens in Autumn

A guided tour of the Museum Gardens with Sjaak Kastelijn, gardens manager, to look at the autumn horticultural highlights.

This is a FREE event.

To make a booking, call 01904 650333

Time:
2.00pm – 3.00pm
Date:
Wednesday 6th October 2010

The 10-acre botanical Museum Gardens were planted in the 1830s and sit around the Yorkshire Museum, stretching from the River Ouse up to the back of York Art Galley, and from Marygate on one side to Museum Street on the other. Many of the historic buildings within them date back to Medieval and Roman times.

Opening Hours:
Monday – Sunday, 10.00am – 5.00pm

Gardens
Monday – Sunday, 7.30am to 5.30pm
(from late March until late October the gardens open later into the evening)
The Gardens are closed on the mornings of Royal Salute ceremonies.

Observatory
Every Saturday, 11.30am – 2.30pm

Admission: Visit website for prices, buy one ticket for YEAR-LONG entry
Entry to the Gardens is FREE
Entry to the Observatory is FREE
 

 

Address:

Yorkshire Museum

Exhibition Square

York

North Yorkshire

YO1 7EW

Tel: 01904 687 687

Yorkshire Museum on Directory of York
Yorkshire Museum website

Happy Happy Hallowe’en:
Torchlight Tours
@ York Castle Museum

Hallowe’en 2010: Torch-Lit Tours

Delve into the murky history of York Castle Museum in this rare glimpse of its hidden darker side.

By torchlight, you will explore the inner depth of the site that has been at the hear of York’s crime and punishment for almost 1,000 years…

…uncovering some of the many gruesome stories of its former inhabitants.

Time:
7.00pm – 9.30pm
Date:
Friday 29th October 2010
Saturday 30th October 2010
Sunday 31st October 2010

£10 per person (including light refreshments). To book a place, telephone 01904 650333.

Opening Hours:
Monday 9.30am – 5.00pm
Tuesday 9.30am – 5.00pm
Wednesday 9.30am – 5.00pm
Thursday 9.30am – 5.00pm
Friday 9.30am – 5.00pm
Saturday 9.30am – 5.00pm
Sunday 9.30am – 5.00pm

Admission: Children under 16 years FREE, see website for other prices

 

Address:

York Castle Museum

The Eye of York

York

North Yorkshire

YO1 9RY

Tel: 01904 687 687

York Castle Museum on Directory of York
York Castle Museum website

See Historic York with an Open Top Bus Tour

If you’re short of time or with young children or are simply tired of walking, what better way to see the city of York than from the top of an Open Top Bus?

The service, which is a family run business, works on a hop-on and hop-off basis from 9.08am in autumn and 9.20am in winter, running every 15 to 20 minutes (with no buses operating between 21st December and 8th January).

Travelling in a full circle around York City centre, the bus journeys via Exhibition Square, Gillygate, Monk Bar, Sainsbury’s, Peasholme Green, Stonebow, Cliffords Tower, Margaret Street, Walmgate Bar, Fawcett Street, Fishergate, Nunnery Lane, Railway Station, Memorial Gardens and Museum Gardens – a full timetable and map are available from Visitor Information Centres.

Tickets can be bought from the visitor centre at York Railway Station, and Exhibition Square, from the booking office, or can be purchased on the bus at any departure point.

24 Hour Tickets:
Adults £7.50
Concessions £6.00
Children (5yrs – 15yrs) £3.50
Adult and Child £9.50
Family (2 + 3) £18.00Adults £8.50
Concessions £7.00
Children (5yrs – 15yrs) £4.50
Adult and Child £11.00
Family (2 + 3) £20.00

Further concessions are available for large groups.

You can also hire an open top bus or a modern luxury coach for a host of activities including weddings – for which there’s a specialist Vintage Open Top Bus – conferences and private tours, or simply to transport a large party from A to B.


Address:
York Pullman Bus Company
Bootham Tower
Exhibition Square
York YO30 7EW

Tel: 01904 622992

York Pullman Bus Company

Once on board, there’s a full informative commentary with historical details about famous landmarks and the drivers are knowledgeable and experienced. With 16 stops all the major attractions are covered, including The Shambles, Cliffords Tower and York Minster.

Although the vehicles are open top, most have a covered front so it’s possible to enjoy the tour whatever the weather. The staff are very helpful too and tickets are valid for 24 or 48 hours.

48 Hour Tickets:

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

City of York Brewery Tour

Tours of York Brewery take place daily with a chance to sample some of the real ales on offer included in the package.

Situated at in Micklegate, York’s one and only independent brewery was founded 15 years ago by Tony Smith and Tony Thompson. Beer is brewed using traditional methods and 30 – minute guided visits set off throughout the day when the whole mysterious brewing process is explained to enthusiastic imbibers.

But back to the beer: the tour includes half a pint before embarking on the tour and a second half at the end. This means that you get the chance to sample at least two of the exceptional beverages on offer!

For those who want to whet their appetite even further, it is possible to make a visit to the Brewery’s three city centre pubs:

And if you’d like to take a memento of your tour home with you, there’s a gift shop at 10 Stonegate where brewery merchandise and off sales are available, these can also be purchased from the Visitors’ Centre – open daily from 11.00am to 6.00pm.

Tours around the York Brewery take place Monday to Saturday at 12.30, 2.00pm, 3.30pm and 5.00pm, and on Sundays from May to September.

If you don’t know a Grist Case from a Mash Tun this could be the tour for you. There’s also a chance to learn about the stages of fermentation with demonstrations of loading the Grist Case, boiling the hops in the copper, cleaning the Mash Tun and racking.

Flagship ales include iconic brews such as the award-winning Yorkshire Terrier – a premium bitter with a rich, creamy malt and a full hop palate, Centurion’s Ghost – a warming, dark bitter ale with a roasted malt taste and the aptly named Guzzler – a well-balanced and refreshing light beer with Pale Malt character. There are always special and seasonal brews available too.

The Last Drop Inn
27 Colliergate
York YO1 8BN

The Three-Legged Mare
15 High Petergate
York YO1 7EN

The Yorkshire Terrier Inn
10 Stonegate
York YO1 8AS

…where you may be able to take part in a quiz, visit the gift shop on the premises of the Yorkshire Terrier and listen to live music, or dine whilst surfing the internet courtesy of the Wi-Fi access.

Whilst children aren’t allowed in The Last Drop Inn or The Three Legged Mare, The Yorkshire Terrier has a family restaurant upstairs from 12noon to 5.00pm. Otherwise food is served in all three establishments from 12noon to 9.00pm.

Prices are £6 for adults, £3 for 14 – 17 year olds and £5 for Senior Citizens. Children are also welcome if well supervised. 

Address:
York Brewery
12 Toft Green
Micklegate
York YO1 6JT

Tel: 01904 621162

York Brewery

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 

The York Rowntree Walk

This walk is not only a celebration of one of the most famous chocolate factories in England – where such iconic confectionery as Smarties, Fruit Pastilles, Kit Kats and Polos are produced – but is also a tribute to the Rowntree family, and in particular the founder Joseph Rowntree, whose many philanthropic works helped to pave the way for the modern welfare state.

Starting at Lady Peckitt’s Yard and Black Horse Passage on Pavement, and ending at No 28 Pavement where Joseph was born, the walk takes you on a tour of 19th- and early 20th-century York: illustrating the social issues of the time of poverty and mass immigration; visiting the houses where the Rowntree family lived and of course, the famous chocolate factories!

Joseph Rowntree is much loved in the city of York and was recently voted Man of the Millennium by readers of the York Evening Press. For anyone who lived such a long time ago to leave such a lasting influence on the city in which he lived and worked is evidence of his extraordinary achievement.

The son of a high-class grocer, Joseph started life teaching poor people how to read and write. Later visits to Ireland at the time of the potato famine left a lasting impression on the young man that influenced his actions in later life. When he eventually went into partnership with his brother Henry Isaac at the struggling Cocoa, Chocolate and Chicory Works, Joseph turned Rowntrees chocolate into a household name, though ironically the business was saved initially by the techniques of French pastille making.

Joseph never looked back: he not only developed the works into one of England’s most famous chocolate factories, but also became a progressive employer, devoting time to public works, providing parks and schools and a social innovator who established pension funds and free education for workers, and provided houses for low-income families.

Members of the Rowntree family were equally extraordinary: Joseph’s son Seebohm, who was obviously from the same mould, studied poverty and worked towards the founding of the welfare state after the Second World War; Joseph’s nephew Arnold Rowntree became a prominent Liberal Member of Parliament for York, eventually voted out because of his anti-war sentiments.

There are nine listed points of interest on the walk which takes one to two hours to complete, including the Black Horse Passage – the former location of slums where Irish refugees were forced to live in dreadful deprivation – Rowntree Wharf where Rowntree and Co had their Navigation Warehouse, and Penn House, Joseph’s home for nearly 40 years.

A comprehensive leaflet of the walk with a map, directions and history of each point of interest can be picked up at the Visitor Information Centres in York or at the Central Library.

One thing’s certain – once you’ve taken the Rowntree Tour, you’ll never be able to eat a Kit Kat again without remembering the history that went into their making.

York Visitor Information
De Grey Rooms
Exhibition Square
York YO1 7HB

Tel: 01904 550099

The Rowntree Society

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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Historic Tours in York

York Walls Audio Tour

Any trip to York has to include an excursion along the walls. Dating back 2000 years the ancient fortifications are perhaps – with the exception of York Minster – the defining monument of the city and are recognised as a major landmark throughout the world.

In fact there were once 108 walled towns and cities in England with less than a third now retaining a single gateway. The York Walls Audio Tour allows you to traverse the two-mile circuit of the walls at your own pace, with a fascinating commentary that ensures you don’t miss out on any of the history that encompasses examples of Roman, Dark Age, Viking and Medieval defences.

Telling the story of the walls and the city they protected, the historical commentary has been extensively researched through Roman to Victorian times. In addition to the narration, history is brought to life on the tour via a host of characters from the past including the first Christian Emperor Constantine, the medieval stonemason Thomas De Staunton and Elizabeth Caverley, who was the lifelong companion of the artist William Etty who campaigned tirelessly against the city council in the 1800s – when it was proposed to demolish the walls entirely.

There are 26 stopping points along the tour varying in length from three to ten minutes, plus an audio guide for the Richard lll Museum at Monk Bar with FREE entry as part of the tour.

Five background tracks cover different eras including Roman York, the Dark Ages and Viking York, the Civil War, Medieval York and the Final Battle and provides a great opportunity to increase not only knowledge about York but about history in general. There’ll also be a few mysterious secrets revealed along the way!

Even better, seven interesting venues are provided on the tour where you can stop for refreshment, including York’s most haunted pub and some fine restaurants.

Suitable for both children and adults, the commentary is delivered via an easy-to-operate personal media player with headphones provided – these can be kept afterwards, or your own headphones can be used should you prefer.

A refundable deposit of £5 is required and prices are £6.99 per adult, £4.50 for children and a family of two adults and two children £20.

The audio equipment can be picked up from:

York Visitor Information
De Grey Rooms
Exhibition Square
York YO1 7HB

Tel: 01904 550099

Richard III Museum
Monk Bar
York YO1 7LQ

Tel: 01904 634191

The Punch Bowl
7 Stonegate
York YO1 8AN

Tel: 01904 655147

York Walls

York Visitor Information Centre

Richard III Museum

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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Historic Tours in York

The York Historic Pub Tour

The price of the tour is £7.95 to include some liquid refreshment with special group rates available and it’s closed from December 24th to January 1st.

A total of four of York’s historic pubs are visited so it could well be that the walk back may take a little longer whilst the dark alleyways could take on a somewhat rosy hue.

York Historic Pub Tour

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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Historic Tours in York

The York Viking Walk

For those in the mood for a bit of good old fashioned raiding and pillage, the York Viking Walk is an hour’s tour around the city showing in graphic detail how the Vikings invaded, lived, fought and were eventually defeated.

In the ninth and tenth centuries, York was the capital city of Viking England with a population higher than any other city in England.

There will also be gruesome stories galore about the terrible reign of Erik Bloodaxe, King of York, and of the formidable Viking Berserkers (or Norse Warriors) who howled like wild animals and fought in an uncontrollable trance-like rage, their name ultimately giving rise to the word “berserk.”

The tours are led by local children’s author and historian S.P. Grey, writer of the bestselling books The Last Vikings and Return of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer, who presents a dramatic and graphic picture of this bloodthirsty period of history that will stay with you for some time.

The York Viking Walk takes place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening at 6.00pm, kicking off from behind All Saints Church on Parliament Street across the road from the Marks & Spencer’s clock tower entrance. Look out for the boards identifying the setting off point.

With prices at £4 per adult, children and concessions at £2.50 and discounts available for groups, there’s no need for prior booking and the walk takes place in sunshine, rain, sleet or snow – in fact, whatever the weather.

York Visitor Information
De Grey Rooms
Exhibition Square
York YO1 7HB

Tel: 01904 550099

York Viking Walk

The York Viking Walk represents an opportunity to find out all about the ruthless battle tactics and weapons of this fierce race, and how they fought a cunning campaign in 867ad and overcame the ruling Saxon kings with a visit to the very spot on which the combat took place.

As the official website says: “[The Viking Walk is] not a tour for the fainthearted.”

“My aim is to bring Viking York back to life,” explains Simon Grey; “To allow my guests to walk in the Vikings’ footsteps – where they lived, worked and where they fought.”

There is also an added bonus: if you buy a ticket at the Tourist Information Shop in the De Grey Rooms, Exhibition Square, you can exchange the stub for £2 off any of the S.P.Grey books sold in the shop.

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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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