00:01Said to be Europe's most haunted city, with 700-year-old walls and a former
00:07slaughterhouse now selling magic wands, York feels like stepping straight into
00:12the Middle Ages. During this era it was one of the most powerful cities in
00:17medieval Britain, a history you can sense the moment you pass through its gates.
00:24It feels like it has barely changed at all since the 40th, apart from the maybe
00:28the things for sale, but it feels like the buildings have barely changed.
00:31There's not many places that look like this, I feel like, or many cities that have this aesthetic, you know.
00:36We went to a coffee spot and we're like, are we in the 1600s right now?
00:40What's your favourite thing about York?
00:42Boobs.
00:45Speaking of which, in the Middle Ages you wouldn't simply stroll into York, you'd pass through one of its bars.
00:52Not places for a drink, but the city's medieval gates, parts of which are from the 14th century.
00:59The word comes from Old French, bar meaning barrier. Four main bars protected York.
01:06Booth and Bar, Micklegate, Monk and Walngate. These were the city's main entrances and defensive structures.
01:16They're the longest surviving medieval city walls in England. They follow the footsteps of Roman legions,
01:23Vikings, Vikings and medieval kings. York was so fiercely contested because whoever controlled it effectively controlled the North.
01:34In the heart of York's historic Old Town stands York Minster, one of the largest Gothic churches in Northern Europe.
01:47Built over 250 years, the church is decorated with hundreds of figures,
01:53from medieval kings and saints to mythical statues.
02:00No visit to York is complete without Clifford's Tower.
02:03It's the last surviving part of York Castle, which was built under William the Conqueror around 1068,
02:11and has a long and complex history.
02:19A short walk away you'll find the Shambles, one of Europe's best preserved medieval shopping streets.
02:26But there aren't any big-name stores here, just quirky shops that sell everything from ghosts to magic potions.
02:33And if it seems familiar to you, it might be because the Shambles is rumored to have inspired Diagon Alley
02:40in the Harry Potter films.
02:44Shambles means open-air slaughterhouse.
02:47These were once butcher shops.
02:52The houses are notable, timber framed with jettied upper floors that lean over the narrow lane,
03:00each designed to expand living space and shade the meat from the sun.
03:05And look out for the wide window shelves along the buildings.
03:08These were once used to display meat.
03:12York is often called the most haunted city in Europe,
03:15with around 500 alleged ghost sightings.
03:22For the best chance of seeing one,
03:25some advice from a man who takes visitors on guided ghostly walks of the city.
03:33I've seen shapes and shadows which people claim are ghosts.
03:37I've also heard voices, but I've never definitely seen a ghost.
03:40I think you've got to want to.
03:43Even if Mark hasn't seen a ghost, others in York claim they have.
03:48Above here lived a tall, thin man and he haunts there quite happily because nobody lives there now.
03:55New owners wanted to make the upstairs into rooms, apartments.
03:58And the more the owner did, the more he felt somebody watching him.
04:03He said he felt that feeling that there was somebody or something in the room behind him.
04:08He thought he'd walk away, but the feeling was so strong, so powerful that he decided to turn round.
04:13And behind him was a tall, thin man, who had his hand outstretched.
04:19And who was a gown, he fell down the stairs, with this tin of paint tumbling after him.
04:24Causing a yellow streak on the stairs.
04:26And he never went back.
04:31That's York.
04:32For every ghost story that makes you want to run away,
04:35there's still something that makes you want to stay.
04:38And there's still something that makes you want to stay.
04:39I think so.
04:40Bye.
04:41Bye.
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