York Minster’s PANEful Marital Advice!

You could have lived a lifetime in York and walked The Shambles a thousand times but, however many strides you take through what is certainly one of the UK’s finest Roman cities, you will never be short of things to do.

If your marriage, for example, is in trouble, then the city’s stunning Minister might just be the tonic required to give your love life the perfect boost!

There you can locate the west window, part of which features a heart just above the stained medieval glass panels.

Kiss your loved one below this ‘beating’ symbol of love and the story goes that you will be guaranteed wedded bless to the end of your days!

And, in that tale, York reveals itself as the storyteller’s paradise, and a place where ghosts live in equal number alongside tourists, tall tales fill the air, and even Harry Potter has found his place among the city’s saints, soldiers and scholars.

But, before you can enjoy everything this fascinating Roman ‘city-in-the-North’ has to offer, quality lodgings and vittles’ are a must.

And, what better place to stay than the Indigo Hotel on Walmgate, not only a short walk from the historic Shambles, home to its very own Harry Potter retail outlet, but a hidden treasure where York’s confectionery heritage is celebrated with award-winning design, dark chocolate shaped panelling, antique ‘jelly mould’ lampshades and ‘Smartie’ cushion covers…

…..or, for the more discerning, the superb Grand Hotel on Station Rise, York’s only five-star property in the city, former headquarters building of the North Eastern Railway Company but now Grade II listed and home to two superb dining options.

But first, the infamous Castle Museum is the place where you can fine tune your taste for the gruesome!

There you can still visit the grade I listed former Debtor’s Prison where Britain’s most infamous highwayman, Dick Turpin, spent his final days before being executed for horse theft!

And, at this time of year, there’s another resident likely to thrill – or send a chill down your spine – no other than Charles Dickens’ Scrooge, or an actor at least, who will make your stay in the museum’s wonderful Victorian Street more thoughtful, as you contemplate the various period wares that might have played havoc with your insides had you had the misfortune to consume some of them!

Still reeling from the thoughts of Black Bess and York’s most notorious bad boy – Turpin was hanged at Knavesmire – we donned our finest garments for an evening of top-notch dining at the Grand Hotel’s Legacy where Head Chef, Ahmed Abdalla, has created a menu dedicated to local provenance and designed to showcase some of the county’s classic produce on his seven- course tasting menu, featuring cuisine at its finest.

Shiitake mushroom custard, glazed veal cheek, salt-aged Yorkshire beef fillet and Atlantic Halibut were just four of the dishes that confirmed this was no ordinary dining experience but, when our waiter grinned at my comment about the small but exquisite portions, his reply left me in little doubt that we were still in Yorkshire: “Aye, but at the end of the night you’ll still be full and you won’t need a McDonald’s on the way home!”

The restaurant’s interior pays homage to the pioneering spirit of the inspiring engineers and architects of York’s past. Legacy boasts innovative cuisine with locality, sustainability and great northern hospitality at its core.

The setting is bold yet elegant, with interiors demonstrating the building’s iconic and historic features with modern twists, including blueprint murals, oak panelling, sculptural lighting, industrial ironwork and crisp colour contrasts.

It is a place to relax and enjoy. We did both.

However, that night we stayed at the Indigo, grateful for the 20-minutes’ walk back to Walmgate, as we allowed Mr Abdalla’s cuisine to settle so that we were ready for an evening’s calm kip ahead of another busy day of sightseeing.

We didn’t need a McDonald’s, just a walking frame!

The Indigo’s breakfast was equally hearty and the atmosphere pleasant.

However, with limited time to linger in the hotel’s breakfast room, we were quickly on our way and thankful for our ‘all entry’ Visit York passes, which fast-track you around the city’s attractions brilliantly.

Our first meeting with history was at 27 Castlegate and Fairfax House, billed as the finest Georgian town house in England. Constructed in the mid 1750’s for a local merchant, it was purchased by Charles Gregory Fairfax, 9th Viscount Fairfax of Emley, in 1759 as a home
for his daughter from his first marriage, Ann Fairfax.

Nearby there is the York Army Museum – your pass will greenlight you straight into York’s long military history - whilst the adjacent St Mary’s Abbey, also on Castlegate, will introduce you to the truly stunning Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience York.

The Dutch master was dead at 37 but, during his short life, produced more than 2,000 paintings, selling just one whilst he was alive. Now, many not only sell for upwards of £60m, but you can see hundreds of them projected onto the walls of this ancient church as you watch the artist’s life pass before you in pictures. Truly amazing.

Chocoholic Heaven!
Round the corner another York tale waits to be told: the story of Joseph Rowntree at York’s Chocolate Story.

Here we ate our bodyweight in free samples, and tried to prove that we were confectionary connoisseurs, whilst endeavouring to set a new world record for chocolate gobbling!

Minutes later we just had time to take in a bird’s eye view of York courtesy of English Heritage’s Clifford’s Tower, originally built to subdue the rebellious north by William the Conqueror, but now home to an amazing 360-degree roof deck with stunning vistas of the city.

But not before we had learned about the city’s 14th century merchant class, instrumental in growing York’s reputation as an economic powerhouse, courtesy of the magnificent Merchant Adventurers’ Hall.

It is Britain’s oldest surviving half-timbered guildhall with its three main rooms, the Undercroft, Chapel and Great Hall still intact.

Later that day, and now checked in at The Grand for our second night’s stay, we were able to learn about the hotel’s resident ‘bees’ which are twinned with their African counterparts: £1 is donated from the sale of each ‘Straight from the Hive’ honey-tinged cocktail sold at the hotel’s opulent bars!

We were also able to partake in the beautifully prepared but more down to earth dining of The Rise, the Grand’s contemporary British modern cuisine offering.

Tales To Remember
It had been a whistlestop tour of local history but, as we left York for Leeds and home, Van Gogh’s words echoed in my mind: “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

We personally had done so much in such a short time, been treated like Royalty by York’s Grand Hotel and its sister property, the Hotel Indigo.

But, more than that, this Yorkshireman and visitor to York a thousand times, still had a clutch of new stories and, thanks to our secretive kiss under the Minster’s west window, I was able to drive Mrs H home knowing that our love was destined to last a lifetime!

FAST FACTS
Grand Hotel: www.thegrandyork.co.uk
Hotel Indigo: here
Visit York Pass
Start at £59 a day for adults and £35 for children. Visit ideas and further details: or www.visityork.org