Pubs in York: take a historic pub crawl

England is well known for its historical pubs, some dating back to the middle ages. What better place to do a historic pub crawl than York?

As one of England’s most historical cities, there are plenty of pubs in York worth a visit.

Ye Olde Starre Inn which is in Stonegate, a quaint narrow paved street, is one of our favourite pubs in York. It’s hard to walk past it without popping in for a pint of cider, or Theakston’s Old Peculiar (a Yorkshire beer). They also do great ‘pub’ lunches, and the atmosphere is not too bad either You’ll have the time of your life.

Not only that, but being the oldest pub in the city, Ye Olde Starre Inn holds real historical significance. It dates back to 1644 – the time of King Henry VIII’s reign – and is the subject of many ghost stories. The Battle of Marston Moor was fought near York in the English Civil War and the Inn’s cellar was used as an operating room for the wounded. It is said their screams of pain can still sometimes be heard throughout the pub. Another interesting story is that of the two cats who were apparently bricked into the pillar between the door and the bar. It is said the cats can be heard scampering through the pubs and that dogs bark and hit their heads against the pillar trying to get to the cats.

Another pub in York that is of particular interest is the Kings Arms. This is one of, if not the best known, of the pubs in York. As you wander inside to the warm, friendly atmosphere take a moment to look around. As you are greeted by the smiling staff and a friendly open fire (in the colder months) you will notice the pub’s inside décor of stone and wood features plaques of water heights.

The Kings Arms is best known for its capacity to flood. Being located on the banks of the River Ouse, every time the river bursts its banks the famous York pub goes under water. When it’s not flooded they serves up a fantastic king-sized meal. Sit inside by the fire, or on the banks of the River Ouse and have a pint or two and a bite (well a lot of bites) to eat.

York and the surrounding area is said to contain one pub for every day of the year, although this now probably a little exaggerated. It is said, with poetic licence, that there is no point within the city walls where one can stand and not be able to see at least one pub and at least one church. So if you like English beer to York.

by Kate Wiley

Radcliffe Camera Oxford

The Radcliffe Camera (colloquially, “Rad Cam” or “Radders”) is a building in Oxford, England, designed by James Gibbs in the English Palladian style and built in 1737–1749 to house the Radcliffe Science Library. The building was funded by a £40,000 bequest from John Radcliffe, who died in 1714. Nicholas Hawksmoor originally proposed making the building round, although the final plans designed by Gibbs were quite different from those planned by Hawksmoor.

After the Radcliffe Science Library moved into another building in about 1860, the Radcliffe Library was taken over by the Bodleian and renamed the Radcliffe Camera (the word camera translates from Latin as “room” or “chamber”.). The upper-floor library became a reading room, used mainly by undergraduates, who had been admitted to the Bodleian since 1856, and the ground floor was turned into a book-stack (it was converted into a second reading room in 1941). In taking over the Radcliffe, the Bodleian library acquired its first major addition of space for readers since the building of Selden End in 1634. And by the beginning of the twentieth century an average of a hundred people a day were using it. It now holds books from the English, history, and theology collections, mostly secondary sources found on Undergraduate and Graduate reading lists. There is space for around 600,000 books in rooms beneath Radcliffe Square.

The Bodleian Library, which is the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in England is second in size only to the British Library. These days, many students choose to order books up to Radcliffe Camera’s reading rooms to enjoy the picturesque surroundings. Annoyingly for staff, it is also one of the harder Bodleian sites to deliver items to

Oxford’s libraries are among the most celebrated in the world, not only for their incomparable collections of books and manuscripts, but also for their buildings. Some of which have remained in continuous use since the Middle Ages. These buildings are still used by students and scholars from all over the world, and they attract an ever-increasing number of visitors.

The Bodleian, the chief among the University’s libraries, has a special place.

First opened to scholars in 1602, it incorporates an earlier library erected by the University in the fifteenth century to house books donated by Humfrey, Duke of Gloucester. Since 1602 it has expanded, slowly at first but with increasing momentum over the last 150 years, to keep pace with the ever-growing accumulation of books and papers, but the core of the old buildings has remained intact.

Before being granted access to the library, new readers are required to agree to a formal declaration. This declaration was traditionally oral, but is now usually made by signing a letter to the same effect — ceremonies in which readers recite the declaration are still performed for those who wish to take them, these occur primarily at the start of the University’s Michaelmas term. The English text of the declaration is as follows:

I hereby undertake not to remove from the Library, nor to mark, deface, or injure in any way, any volume, document or other object belonging to it or in its custody; not to bring into the Library, or kindle therein, any fire or flame, and not to smoke in the Library; and I promise to obey all rules of the Library.

This is a translation of the following traditional Latin oath:

Do fidem me nullum librum vel instrumentum aliamve quam rem ad bibliothecam pertinentem, vel ibi custodiae causa depositam, aut e bibliotheca sublaturum esse, aut foedaturum deformaturum aliove quo modo laesurum; item neque ignem nec flammam in bibliothecam inlaturum vel in ea accensurum, neque fumo nicotiano aliove quovis ibi usurum; item promitto me omnes leges ad bibliothecam Bodleianam attinentes semper observaturum esse. (Leges bibliothecae bodleianae alta voce prae legendae custodis iussu).

Here’s a short video of the libraries of Bodleian.

If you’d like to read more about the Bodleian you can find the official history of the Bodleian here, or browse a richly illustrated full colour .pdf brochure.

And if you’d like access to the online section of the library you can find a range of resources at that link. Some sections though are limited to registered students of Oxford universities.