York: More than just the Minster

Royal Air Force personnel past and present celebrated the Force's ninetieth birthday, yesterday, on Tuesday 01 April, 2008. Veterans gathered in the historic city of York to witness a fly-past, by nine RAF aircraft from Linton-on-Ouse, over the famous Minster.

Group Captain Mark Hopkins from nearby RAF Linton-on-Ouse then symbolically turned a page in a book of commemoration that contains the names of 18,000 airmen who died in the Second World War, while stationed at airfields in Yorkshire and the North East of England.

The Minster, the largest venue for Christain worship north of the Alps, was fitting place to hold such a ceremony.

The first Minster, dedicated to St Peter, was constructed from wood and opened in the seventh century. Later various stone incarnations of the Minster were built. The Minster we see today was built on the instructions of Walter Gray, an archbishop of York for forty years, in the thirteenth century. Visitors to York or interested locals can discover the Minster's history in full with a Walk Talk Tour audio downloadable travel guide that customers can listen to via their iPod, MP3/MP4 player or mobile phone.

The Minster is the final commentary point on the Best of York Walk Talk Tour. The tour offers plenty of interest for the undercover tourist or the DIY visitor. The tour begins on St Helen's Square close to Betty's and Porta Praetoria the south-west entrance to York's Roman Fortress. The square takes its names from the St Helen's Church. (The Church is pictured at the top of this page). A chapel is said to have stood on the site before the church was built which was named after Helena, the wife of Roman Emperor Constantinius Chlorus who died in York in AD 306. The tour then continues to the King's Manor - by way of the eighteenth century Assembly Rooms - where listners with a Walk Talk Tour mp3 guided tour will hear how one of Henry VIII's wives ran into trouble in the rose garden. The tour continues through the Museum Gardens, before crossing the Ouse via Lendal Bridge where tour takers will hear about the Rowntree's legacy.

To find out more about the Best of York tour please click here To hear an audio sample from the Best of York tour please click here