The area of York known today as Hungate was for many years a run down and neglected area by the banks of the River Foss. In 1901 Seebohm Rowntree produced a study of poverty in York (Poverty: A study of town life) where Hungate was described as “one of the main slum districts in York.” The study was one of the stepping stones towards the founding of the welfare state.
Going back further in time, the area was part of a Viking settlement, known to them as Jorvik. Before redevelopment archaeological excavations discovered much from the Viking period, and from the Victorian slum period as well.
Major redevelopment began in 2009 with apartment blocks and offices forming a very different kind of environment. This view is a recent creation. The mirror building on the left is Hiscox Insurance, The building on the right is an only very recently completed office building. They frame a view of the distant Minster, perhaps the most famous landmark in York.
Beautiful shot and capture of the reflections. Pity they did not clear the area to show the remains of the old settlement and perhaps build a museum to demonstrate how people lived during the Viking occupation and even years later.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, which put this shot on the Popular Page.
Dissapointing news on Katharine's health in that she was taken back into hospital yesterday evening with severe abdomen and shoulder pain. It came as quite a shock that problems should restart after 5 weeks back at home, but hospital staff haven't found any new issues, however there is a bit of a build up of fluid around her lungs, which should be delt with on Friday morning.
@sangwann This is one of several sites where there have been archaeological excavations in recent years. One of these, Coppergate, had a shopping arcade built over it, but with a large Viking museum in the basement, with an impressive recreation of what life would have been like in Viking York. There are also recent plans to demolish a 1960s office block built over the Roman town, carry out an archaeological dig, and then build a new hotel with a basement Roman museum below it.
@will_wooderson This would be a fascinating building to look round - there is a large missile on display inside the building near the entrance - I'm assuming it has been disarmed!
Ian
January 9th, 2020
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Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, which put this shot on the Popular Page.
Dissapointing news on Katharine's health in that she was taken back into hospital yesterday evening with severe abdomen and shoulder pain. It came as quite a shock that problems should restart after 5 weeks back at home, but hospital staff haven't found any new issues, however there is a bit of a build up of fluid around her lungs, which should be delt with on Friday morning.
Ian
Ian
Ian