Not quite a triumphal entry!

Tuesday, 06 July 2010 20:00

The non-tidal Ouse in York - a bridge and bits tour

Entrance to a city by water is always the best experience - especially when the river flows through the centre. York is no exception.

York is at the junction of the River Ouse and the River Foss. William the Conqueror dammed this river in 1069 to create a moat around York Castle. It became part of the city's defences and was known as the Kings Fish Pond! It also provided fresh fish for the market and the marsh created was impassable.

Entrance to the Foss River, the Blue Bridge

It is now navigable for about 2 miles but is has to be booked, there are no moorings and no winding hole. It was once the main access route for goods into York and canalised in the late 1700s.

Skeldergate Bridge was opened in 1881. As so many people were using the ferry there (800 a day), it was obvious a new bridge was needed! It is an iron bridge and has Gothic details such as trefoils, stars and the white rose. The north east span once opened to let large ships through to the quays beyond and it was a toll bridge until 1914.

Skeldergate Bridge and impressive eastern buttress

The Grade ll listed Bonding Warehouse has been variously used as a pub, for band rehearsals and by a Peace Collective. It was seriously flooded in 2000 and is now offices and flats.

The Bonding Warehouse

Woodsmill Quay and Queens Staithe was a working quay as recently as the 1960s. Today it has gone the way of many of these old warehouses - it is apartments. But at least they have preserved the "feel" of the Quay with the crane and cobbles.

Woodsmill Quay through our cratch cover

The next bridge is the Ouse Bridge - this is the fourth one to be built. Once there was a Roman Bridge - nearer the Guildhall; this was replaced by a wooden one built by the Vikings. In turn, this was replaced by a stone bridge, but it was swept away by floods in the mid 1500s. The current bridge, built in the early 1800s, is the one seen today.

Ouse Bridge

Beside the bridge is the Kings Arms; it is obviously popular with the nearby riverside terrace. It has been flooded frequently and the flood marks are displayed in the pub. Have a look here for the 2000 flood (the worst in 400 years) - I am glad we missed this! clickety click

The Kings Arms

Between Ouse Bridge and Lendal Bridge are the old Yorkshire Herald buildings and the Guildhall on the east bank. A rope ferry once crossed the river here. Note the towers at either end of Lendal Bridge.

Lendal Bridge and Guildhall

Through the bridge, the visiting pleasure boat moorings can just be seen. This is a really good place to moor and central for visits to all the attractions of York, the rail station, buses and shops.

Beyond the moorings is Scarborough Railway Bridge (built 1845 to carry the York to Scarborough line) with a footpath alongside. This is the quickest route to the station and Railway Museum from our mooring.