York has existed as a significant settlement since 71 AD, although in those days it went by the name of ‘Eboracum’, which probably meant either ‘place of the yew trees’ or ‘field of Eboras’. It was established by the Romans and shared with London the role of capital of Roman Britain.

After the Romans cleared out, it was renamed ‘Eoferwic’ in the seventh century by the Angles. At this time it was capital of the Kingdom of Northumbria.

In AD627, the first Minster church was built to commemorate the baptism of King Edwin, following his conversion to Christianity. At this time it was just a small wooden affair. His successor, Oswald, had it rebuilt in stone in AD633. The Minster was damaged, destroyed and rebuilt several times in its history, so that the version you see today is a bit of a pick and mix of the centuries.

AD866 - The Vikings captured the city, and in order to follow the trend, renamed it ‘Jórvik’. Again it was the capital of most of Northern England.

AD1000 - After many variations of Jórvik had been tried, the city finally decided to settle on the far more pleasing ‘York’. It remains as the capital of the North of England, and had much political importance.

AD1190 - The year of an appalling pogrom (racial massacre) of Jews; some 150 Jews died in a fire in Clifford’s Tower, where they had sought refuge.

AD1660 - The Restoration begins with the return of the monarchy, and York diminishes in importance, though the Province of York remains today as one of two ecclesiastical provinces, the other being Canterbury.

York is renowned for its chocolatiers, particularly Seebohm Rowntree, who famously carried out research into poverty levels in York in 1899, thus proving to the government the need for reform, and Terry’s, a site used for the production of chocolate since 1767, but sadly closing in 2005, though the building can still be seen and is a work of art in itself.

1963 was, of course, the most important year in York’s illustrious history when our very own University was formed.

Today York is a beehive of tourism, winning European Tourism city of the Year 2007. Sights not to miss include the Shambles, European’s best preserved medieval street, which was a street of slaughter houses and butchers right up until the mid-nineteenth century, and of course York Minster, which sets itself apart on the landscape of York. In addition, tourists can walk around the snaking city walls and marvel at the ‘gates’, the entrances to the city, which are all wonderfully castle-like.