York, England. Founded in 71-AD - Demolished in 1924 - Current Restoration Began in 1940.

The other day we rode a train into York—a popular destination when traveling in the northern region of The UK. While I was taking pictures of the ruins I’m about to show you, I assumed they were in their current state because of time. It wasn’t until I began digging into the history of York to write this article I learned the collapsing of these nearly 2,000 year old architectural marvels isn’t natural.

The entire city of York is encompassed by a 13 foot tall by 6 foot wide Yorkshire Stone wall constructed by the Romans ‘around’ 71 AD. This is one of the corners of the wall believed to have stood taller than its surrounding structures and served as a look out point for enemy invasions. It’s now amongst the medieval ruins bordering the York Museum Gardens.

Time and the elements are contributing to the collapse of these historical structures but they’re in their current state courtesy of World War 2. Hitler’s strategy for retaliation against England for being so successful attacking Germany during World War 2 was to establish the Baedeker Blitz—an all-out air assault where targets were chosen based on cultural and historical value rather than military benefit. York, located in North Yorkshire, England, fell victim to that air assault.

This is a section of the 13 by 6 foot wall still standing and, looking strong as ever, completely surrounding York.

To make the 31 mile journey to York, from Bradford, we hopped on the 607 bus and caught a ride to Bradford Interchange. From the interchange, we caught the yellow line train on platform 11 to Leeds, England. We exited the Leeds train and grabbed a cup of coffee prior to boarding the outbound blue line train on platform 3 from Leeds to York—I was able to capture a few landscape images of England along the way.

Welcome to York—a picturesque city in North Yorkshire, England, home to more than 200,000 people and most popular for its historical landmarks, wide variety of cultural activities, and magnificent architecture.

A short walk about 100 yards to the right of town square in the above image is York Minster—a gorgeous cathedral devoted to Saint Peter in 1338. I got several pictures of the church, both inside and out but first, the ruins, what’s left of them.

St. Mary’s Abbey—once the richest Abbey in Northern England. The church was originally founded in 1055 by Saint Olaf II of Norway and refounded in 1088 by King William Rufus of England who dedicated the church to the Virgin Mary the following year.

The Multiangular Tower—what remains of the York Wall surrounding the Roman fort of Eboracum, constructed between 71 and 74 AD.

Hospitium—located a few hundred yards to the east of St Mary’s Abbey was constructed to give pilgrims and “lesser guests” hospitality when passing through Fort Eboracum.

Just on the other side of these ruins, less than 200 yards away, is 21st century York where you’ll find all of your current retailers such as Apple and H&M, along with multiple mom n pop type shops, several tea cafes and a wide variety of restaurants.

Directly in the center of York is York Minster—a Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter. Constructed between 1338 and 1408, it’s the largest church of its kind in Northern Europe and survived the World War 2 attacks by Germany in 1942.

Our final stop on this tour is a look at what the city of York is mostly known for today—tourism. With countless shops and eateries lining the single lane, cobblestone roads, built around existing thousand year old structures, the photo capacity seemed endless—York is full of nostalgia. @jlsplatts, when was the last time you installed a light fixture like the one in this first image?