England’s Most Haunted City: Let's Explore Medieval York

Said to be Europe's most haunted city with 700-year-old walls and a former slaughterhouse now selling magic wands, York feels like stepping straight into the Middle Ages. York is located in the northeast of England, roughly two hours from Manchester. It was one of the most powerful cities in medieval Britain. You can feel the city's history once you pass through its gates. It feels like it has barely changed at all since the 14th, apart from the maybe the things for sale, but it feels like the buildings have barely changed. There's not many places that look like this, I feel like, or like many cities that like have this aesthetic, you know. We went to a coffee spot and we're like, are we in the 1600s right now? What's your favorite thing about York? Pubs. Speaking of which, in the Middle Ages you wouldn't simply stroll into York, you'd pass through one of its bars. Not places for a drink, but the city's medieval gates, parts of which hail from the 14th century. The word comes from Old French, bar meaning barrier. Four main bars protected York, Bootham Bar, Micklegate, Monk and Walmgate Bar. These served as the city's main entrances and defensive structures. Stretching over three kilometers, they're the longest surviving medieval city walls in England. As you walk along them, you follow in the footsteps of Roman legions, Vikings and medieval kings. York was so fiercely contested because whoever controlled it effectively controlled the north. In the heart of York's historic old town stands York Minster, one of the tallest medieval and gothic churches in England, and the largest gothic cathedral in northern Europe after Cologne Cathedral in Germany. Built over 250 years, the church is decorated with hundreds of figures, from medieval kings and saints to mythical statues. No visit to York is complete without Clifford's Tower. It's the last surviving part of York Castle, which was built under William the Conqueror around 1068 and has a long and complex history. Now let's head to the York Museum Gardens and the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey. So these ruins are all that is now left of what was the great and powerful St. Mary's Abbey. And although it was torn down in 1539 by Henry VIII during the Reformation, he left it as a ruin to symbolize the power of the monarchy over the power of the church. And that's one of the things that he wanted to establish with the Reformation was that the Pope and Rome don't control what happens in England, the King of England does. Founded in 1089, it was once one of England's richest and most powerful monasteries. Following the rule of Saint Benedict, the abbot answered only to the king, not even the Archbishop of York could control him. The monks were landlords, bankers, politicians, the engines of the medieval economy. Religion, education, health care, that was all in the control of the monks. So most people in medieval England couldn't read or write. So it was mainly the monks who controlled the sources of knowledge so they could decide what went and didn't go in the history books. A short walk from St. Mary's Abbey, you'll find the Shambles, one of Europe's best preserved medieval shopping streets. But you won't find big-name stores here. Its quirky shops sell everything from ghosts to magic potions. And if it seems familiar to you, it might be because the Shambles is rumoured to have inspired Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter films. You'll even find a peculiar shop here, one that we cannot name. If you're in need of a sorting hat, a special wand or a magical pet, they've got you covered. I think it was inspired, the set designers definitely got their inspiration from our medieval street, the Shambles. It looks very much like Diagon Alley and it lends itself well to anything spooky, magical and old. Very medieval. Yet peel back the enchantment and you discover the street's rather messy origins. Shambles means open-air slaughterhouse. These were once butcher shops. Notice the houses, timber framed with jettied upper floors that lean over the narrow lane, designed to expand living space without increasing ground rent and to shade the meat from the sun. Look out for the wide window shelves along the buildings. These were once used to display meat. York is often called the most haunted city in Europe, with around 500 alleged ghost sightings. But if you want to take a friendly ghost home with you, there's somewhere you should visit. We handcraft all the ghosts here in York and we sell them to the lovely people who come to visit. They aren't haunted. If anything, they are meant to bring you a little bit of good fortune and fortitude. Everything we do is with that in inspiration. We wouldn't want to give anyone any poltergeists. But if you're on the lookout for real ghosts, we couldn't leave York without speaking to someone whose job is to share their stories on guided ghost tours for visitors. I've seen shapes and shadows which people claim are ghosts. I've also heard voices, but I've never definitely seen a ghost. I think you've got to want to. Even if Mark hasn't seen a ghost, others in York claim they have. Above here lived a tall, thin man and he haunts there quite happily because nobody lives there now. New owners wanted to make the upstairs into rooms of harmless and the more the owner did, the more he felt somebody watching him. He said he felt that feeling there was somebody or something in the room behind him. He thought he'd walk away, but the feeling was so strong, so powerful that he decided to turn around. And behind him was a tall, thin man who had his hand outstretched and who's a giant. He fell down the stairs, his tin of paint tumbling after him, causing a yellow streak on the stairs and he never went back. That's York. For every ghost story that makes you want to leave, there's something that makes you want to stay. Let us know which part of our tour you liked most.