Look to your right down this narrow street, framed by flat red brick facades with traditional shopfronts, all drawing the eye toward a sharply pointed, pale stone church spire reaching into the sky.
Leaving the dark tales of the York Dungeon behind us, we are now standing at Castlegate, the historic approach to York Castle. This little stretch of road actually follows an ancient Roman route that once linked the great Roman fortress of Eboracum down to the River Ouse. Archaeologists have dug up old Roman homes here, and even unburied a glittering hoard of Viking treasure from the Jorvik period.
During the Middle Ages, Castlegate served as the vital link between the everyday city and the castle bailey... the bailey being the enclosed, fortified courtyard surrounding the main castle structure. By the Georgian era, this became a highly desirable address. Wealthy families built elegant mansions right along this stretch, and you can still see handsome brick buildings from the 1730s, like the one housing the Blue Boar pub.
But high society living did not last forever. In 1826, the street was abruptly cut short. The nearby castle prison needed to expand, so they simply extended the jail walls right into the neighborhood. Imagine living in a grand Georgian mansion and having a growing prison as your new neighbor.
Today, it is a much more peaceful pedestrian route, home to cozy homes and even a small chocolate factory. It is a lovely, quiet survivor of the city's sweeping changes. Take all the time you need to admire the architecture, and let's wander up to the castle itself whenever you feel like moving on.
