York walks: 2004

This section of the walls is most famous for the views it gives of the Minster. For me personally it is all about the railway – the railway offices within the walls, and York railway station just outside them.

The railway offices are a mix of 19th and 20th century buildings. The modern offices, pictured above, tend to dominate the view. They're not beautiful, but they're inoffensively functional in appearance and at least aren't covered in unnecessary twiddly bits.

The photo on the left shows the modern offices with an older railway building in red brick just visible behind them.

Further along the walls, the two older railway office buildings, seen from the walls, with the war memorial in front.

For more on these offices and the war memorial, see York Walks /3: Station Rise. For more information on the railway in York in general (including the station) see York Walks /3: Railway city.

The railway station, from the walls

The roof of the station is a much-admired construction, and looks most impressive from inside the station looking out. Here's a view of it from the outside, taken from the bar walls. (On another day I would have descended from the walls and gone into the station to take more pictures, but it was lunchtime, as the clock above shows, and I was more interested in getting my lunch.)

Update, August 2004: Photos of the railway station are now included – see York Walks /3: Railway city

This black and white image was taken from inside the station 20 years ago.

I couldn't just ignore the Minster, of course. The usual photo from this stretch of walls shows the grassed bank on the right side of the walls, with the wall on the left, running on towards the Minster. I like this slightly different angle, with the walls running down the centre, as it gives more of an impression of the busy, slightly higgledy-piggledy city I love.