Today, we smashed the record for photos - 658 in a day! Of course,
it took a very long time to sort and edit them. This process has
left 137 photos to be included! As you will find below, I have split
the day into three different webpages.
After a tasty breakfast at McDonald's, we visited the Jorvik Viking Centre.
Jorvik was on our schedule in 2016 but it was flooded in 2015. From
1976-1981, an old factory in York was demolished to make way for a
shopping centre. Archeologists were able to excavate the site during
this time and found 40,000 items from the time of the Vikings. A
museum to exhibit some of these artefacts was opened in 1984. Today,
the museum is the three parts: a re-creation of some of the dig, a
12-minute ride during which visitors pass lifelike mannequins and
life-size dioramas depicting Viking life about 900AD.
One can walk on the glass covering the
recreated "dig".
I hope the videos and photos below will convey to you the
excellence of the "ride" section of the museum.
This is the "capsule" that takes one around the dioramas. Each
one incudes audio with customisable language.
The last section of the centre contains some of
the artefacts found during the "dig".
Leather shoes were preserved because
they were in clay with no oxygen.
There were combs made from bone and antlers.
Some silver jewellery
It is thought that these spoons were for measuring rather
than used at the table.
This is the only Viking-age sock found in England and it
is probably from Scandinavia. The sock is almost complete
although worn, with holes at the toe and heel and signs of
patching. It is made of undyed wool with a red band at the
top. The sock may have stopped at the ankle to form a shoe
liner, or continued as a red stocking.
Very near to the Jorvik viking Centre is All Saints',
Pavement. This is a 14th century church and, as it was
open...
The door to the church
Sometimes known as a sanctuary ring, the bronze door
knocker features a bearded man's head disappearing
into a lion's mouth. It is a 20th century replica of a
late 12th century Doom Knocker representing the mouth
of hell. The original is housed in the York Minster
Treasury.
The lectern was originally a
music stand. The upper part is 15th century. On one
side is a curious carving of a man with a floppy hat
and a lolling tongue. The base, with its carved
figures of the four evangelists, is 19th century.
Sts Oswald, Alban and George
St Mary Magdalene (with her jar of ointment she used
to wash the feet of Jesus with her hair), the Virgin
Mary, and St John.
The pulpit is from 1684. John Wesley, the co-founder
of Methodism, once preached from it.
The organ was installed in 1965.
The west window has some glass from the 14th century -
how amazing to think that something so fragile could
last so long!
Thi section of the window above depicts the Ascension.
Can you spot the feet of Jesus?
The ceiling is 15th century
From All Saints', we made our way to the
National Railway Museum. Please click the "Forward"
button below to join us there!