Photos

This satellite photo shows Northwest Europe. Visible are the Republic of Ireland (top leftmost), the United Kingdom (top left), France (middle left), Belgium (middle), the Netherlands (top middle), Germany (right), Denmark (top right), Luxembourg (between France, Germany, and Belgium), Switzerland (bottom middle), Italy (bottom middle), and Austria (bottom right); the latter three all cloud covered. The city of Paris is the gray area in northern France. Image courtesy of NASA.

Dust from North Africa mingled with other aerosols in the skies over the United Kingdom (left of center) and Ireland (farther west) on 18 April 2003. In this scene, the dust is more prominent to the north over the Atlantic, where it can be seen as a tan swirl west of Norway. West of Ireland, the haze is grayer, and is more likely pollution. In the United Kingdom, a few bright plumes of white could be associated with fires. Photo courtesy of NASA.

Dramatic satellite image of Britain taken 7 January 2010 shows the island completely snow covered during the record-breaking European winter of 2009-10. Image courtesy of NASA.

Many of the timber-framed buildings in York have been restored and converted to restaurants, shops, or boutiques.

Ruins of St. Mary's Abbey in the garden adjoining the Yorkshire Museum in York. The former Benedictine abbey was the richest in northern England; it was destroyed on orders of Henry VIII during the "Dissolution of the Monasteries" in the 16th century.

Ruins in the Museum Gardens adjacent to the Yorkshire Museum in York.

Promenade along the River Ouse in York. Lendal Bridge appears in the background.

The Merchant Adventurers' Hall was one of the most important buildings in medieval York. The majority of the structure was built in 1357; its Great Hall was where merchants gathered to conduct business and socialize, while its Undercroft served as a hospital and almshouse for the poor. The Merchant Adventurers today no longer conduct mercantile activities but are a charitable group. The Hall is the largest timber-framed building in the UK still standing and used for its original purpose.

The ruined keep of the medieval Norman castle in York is referred to as Clifford's Tower.

Much of York's ancient walls still survive; they are punctuated by four main gatehouses (referred to as "bars"). Bootham Bar has some of the oldest surviving stonework - dating to the 11th century A.D. It was built almost exactly on the site of the northwestern gate of Eboracum, the Roman settlement that evolved into York. This view, taken from Exhibition Square, shows York Minster, the city's famous cathedral, in the background.

Substantial portions of York's city walls have been preserved. Although the Romans first constructed walls around the city (which they called Eboracum), most of the current walls date to medieval (12th-14th century) times.

Layers showing the build up of York's defenses through the ages.