Welcome to my home town: Returning to a divided York

Joanna Whitehead considers the impact of Covid-19 on this top tourist destination

York makes for the ultimate UK city break destination

During lockdown, many of us made the pilgrimage back to our family homes – and rediscovered them through fresh eyes. Part guide, part love letter, “Home towns” is a new series in which we celebrate where we’re from. After all, it could be a while before we can go anywhere else…

When I tell people I’m from York, it’s usually to a chorus of delight (which in turn triggers a not-insignificant surge of pride on my part). This ancient and romantic cathedral city was founded by the Romans in 71AD and is packed with medieval buildings, cobbled streets to rival Diagon Alley and a swelling food and drink scene, all encircled by city walls. Over the past 20 years, this eminently walkable part of North Yorkshire has become the ultimate UK city break destination for those seeking a combination of old-world charm and bon viveur ambience.

I grew up on a council estate on the city’s outskirts. Not unlike Oxford, York’s “chocolate box” image only tells parts of its story; in 2019, research published by the End Child Poverty coalition showed that nearly 25 per cent of children in the city were living in poverty. In the same year, the York Human Rights Indicator revealed that the use of food banks in the city had surged by 25 per cent. The gap between the haves and the have-nots was widening.  

Low wages largely concentrated in the retail and service industries, high housing costs and government cuts to services and benefits have all impacted residents, many of whom report being unable to afford accommodation in the city. Pre-Covid, around 30,000 jobs here were reliant on tourism – approximately a quarter of the entire workforce. It’s unsurprising, then, that the city has taken a major hit in recent months.  

Meanwhile, in 2018, The Sunday Times named York the “best place to live in Britain”, the crown jewel in the coronet of the city’s gentrification drive. Areas such as Bishopthorpe “Bishy” Road and Fulford have witnessed an influx of “artisan” coffee shops and restaurants – and soaring house prices to match. “Anyone who’s anyone brunches at the Polish restaurant Barbakan and buys organic sourdough at Haxby Bakehouse,” gushed The Sunday Times, while another ex-native wrote on Twitter that “York IS a bit N16, isn’t it”, a reference to London’s bougie Stoke Newington neighbourhood.

Thankfully, York’s evolution isn’t just confined to fine dining and expensive boutiques, although these are undeniably fun for those who can afford them. In 2017, York was declared the UK’s first human rights city, with the noble aim of embracing “a vision of a vibrant, diverse, fair and safe community built on the foundations of universal human rights”.  

And, in October this year, it was announced that York was hoping to welcome its first rabbi since the Middle Ages, following the worst massacre of Jewish people in British history in 1190.    

Not unlike Oxford, York’s ‘chocolate box’ image only tells parts of its story

While I remained in London for lockdown for health reasons, returning to the city this autumn has been unsettling. On an early Friday evening, I found the cobbled streets, usually full for 12 months of the year, disconcertingly quiet. Peering through windows in the many pubs and bars, however, I was surprised to see how busy things were, evidence that you can’t keep a good city down. For now, lockdown 2.0 restrictions mean these are standing empty once again. But I hope that better times are ahead – and that my home town, once divided, can reunite in a post-Covid world.

England is under national lockdown from 5 November until 2 December. During that time all non-essential travel, both domestic and international, is banned, while all non-essential shops will have to close. Pubs, cafes and restaurants will also be shut except for takeaway food. For more details on the rules around travel, see our lockdown guide.  

Take a stroll

Although the city walls remain one of the best ways to see the city, an alternative and unique route through York is via its snickleways. This series of ancient alleys, ginnels and lanes that connect the city are great fun to explore, whatever your age. Author Mark Jones coined the term snickleway in 1983 in his illustrated book A Walk Around the Snickleways of York. The route takes in the medieval red light district, ghostly sightings and the shortest street in the city with the longest name (Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate). Due to the limited space available in many of the snickleways and the subsequent challenges in social distancing, this is a journey worth doing either early in the morning or after the crowds have dispersed in the evening. A map can be found here.  

Go exploring down York’s snickleways (Getty/iStock)

Have a pint

Any York native will attest to the city’s claim to have a pub for every day of the year. Exact figures aside, there’s no disputing that this is a major destination for drinkers. While the city has long excelled in olde worlde “proper” pubs, craft ale establishments have been popping up more frequently in recent years. 

Stroll down to Fossgate for a craft ale trail to rival those found in cities double York’s size. Begin with a swift snifter at the Fossgate Tap, before crossing the road to The Hop. Serving award-winning ales from West Yorkshire’s independent Ossett Brewery, the interior’s original tiles and glass-roofed atrium make this a pleasant spot to linger in. Directly opposite is The Blue Bell, York’s smallest pub and a Grade II listed building featuring wood panelling and a drinking corridor. Mere metres away, drinkers can venture on to (deep breath) The Cosy Club, The Fossgate Social, Walmgate Ale House and Brew York Craft Brewery and Tap Room for socially distanced supping.

A bite to eat

Launched in 2018, Spark: York transformed a derelict city centre site into a thriving hub of shipping containers offering low-cost rents to independent businesses and community ventures. The social enterprise aims to “transform Piccadilly and achieve social change”, and judging by the queues of people lining up outside, visitors and locals alike have been won over by the vast array of food available, with offerings including Colombian, Italian and gourmet burger dishes.  

York has plenty of dining options (Getty)

The queues continue at Flori, a heavenly bakery located round the corner at 66 Walmgate. Young mother, proprietor and baker, Lotte Rodgers, was putting the finishing touches to the new site earlier this year when the national lockdown hit. Rodgers pivoted to home deliveries to keep the business alive and cites the support from her local community as integral to its survival. With an emphasis on “locally grown, not flown”, all bakes are made in the tiny shop, which opens from Thursday to Sunday.  

Bed down

Winner of the VisitEngland Award for Small Hotel of the Year 2020, Grays Court Hotel really is old York at its luxurious, romantic best. Standing on the site of a Roman legionary fortress, history thrums through the very foundations of this property, which has hosted kings, seen knighthoods bestowed and even witnessed a duel to the death. York’s oldest inhabited house – and allegedly the oldest continuously occupied house in Britain – features a Victorian dining room, library and wood-panelled Jacobean gallery (The Long Room), all of which include views onto pristine gardens complete with private access to the city walls. The Bow Room Restaurant, holder of two AA Rosettes, serves up bold and imaginative dishes in a blind tasting menu sourced from ingredients grown in the hotel gardens. Doubles from £200.

Grays Court Hotel (Grays Court Hotel)

Escape to the country

The North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales, the Yorkshire Wolds, the Peak District… those looking to escape the Covid crowds are spoilt for choice in this beautiful part of the world. Pull on a pair of walking boots and start to explore the miles of moorland, mountains and dales on offer – there really is something for all abilities and tastes. I’m a fan of this easy circular walk which takes in Malham Cove and the magical Janet’s Foss waterfall.