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York is frequently called the 'City of Churches', for there are no fewer than 17 pre-Reformation churches within the city boundaries. However, this is a mere handful when compared with the Middle Ages, when York boasted 50 parish churches, two large abbeys and several smaller religious houses. The spirit of medieval York lingers on perhaps most of all in the ancient streets where the upper storeys of the houses lean precariously towards each other across the roadway. The names are fascinating - Stonegate, Goodramgate, Whip-ma-Whop-ma-Gate, and Shambles, the old butchers quarter. The four great Bars or gates of the City, Micklegate, Bootham, Monk, and Walmgate Bars still command the main roads and are a remainder of grimmer days when the strength of the city lay in its walls. Today these streets contain a fascinating variety of shops, among which can be found some of the leading antique furniture, jewelry and silver specialists of the North of England. Although very much aware of its long and fascinating history, York is a thriving city with excellent facilities for entertainment and sport. It is perhaps above all a city which to wander and make one's own discoveries.
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