Pic spam and Birthday greetings.

[curiouswombat]

Happy Birthday to wisemack.

Under the cut are some nicely historic pictures of York, which I know you will appreciate!


In the centre of the city of York are The Museum Gardens - a public green space, one of a good number in the city.




The Museum Gardens date back to the 1830s. They contain the ruins of St Mary's Abbey, first built in 1088, all that remains of one of the wealthiest and most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England - 'dissolved' when King Henry VIII banned all monasteries in England in 1530s. The monks at St Mary's were pensioned off in 1540 and the abbey buildings were converted into a palace for the King when he visited York(!).

Gradually they fell into ruins so that now they make a romantic setting for familt outings and picnics if my walks through the gardens are anything to go by.





The hospitium remains in one piece - this is where the monks offered hospitality to visitors -


I was most amused to see that these days you can hire the Hospitium for 'Weddings, Family parties and Hog Roasts'!!

Much to my amusement and pleasure the Museum gardens are home to squirrels -





We have no squirrels on the Isle of Man so to me they are cute and unusual!

Comments

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. The whole city is a series of terrific settings for mysteries, to be honest.

[keswindhover.livejournal.com]

Cue me mentioning the York Mystery Plays, which I'd love to go and see one July. You should take advantage of D-D having accommodation, and go along.

And I went to those gardens last year - they're lovely!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The gardens provided a short-cut between my B&B and the middle of town on this visit, so I saw rather a lot of them. We even went to the museum.

D-d is home in July - but next summer she will be home leaving an empty flat....

[keswindhover.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, they don't seem to be put on every year, having looked it up. They were performed in 2006, but no firm plans for another until 2010.

Pah.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Hmm - I shall have to hope for her to decide to do a post-grad then...