![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SEI_295921778-150d.jpg\")
\n\t\tYork, a 2,000-year-old roman city, is steeped in ancient history (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tYork, a 2,000-year-old roman city, is steeped in ancient history (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
When you think of ancient English<\/a> cities, the mind usually goes to places like\u00a0Cambridge<\/a>\u00a0or Bath<\/a>.<\/p>\n But as a history graduate, I am here to make the case for\u00a0why York<\/a> \u2013 a 2,000-year-old Roman city \u2013 is the most historically fascinating place in the country.<\/p>\n And, more specifically, why a Bridgerton-style Grade II-listed manor on its fringes is the perfect base for exploring it.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how I got the best of York\u2019s history in a weekend visit.<\/p>\n A slice of times gone by<\/p>\n We start our journey to the past at Middlethorpe Hall<\/a>, a William and Mary-style country house that dates back to 1699.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tBest of Metro Deals\t\t\t<\/p>\n Get exclusive\u00a0discounts\u00a0with\u00a0Metro Deals<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 save on getaways and spa days.\u00a0Powered by Wowcher<\/p>\n Bannatyne Spa<\/strong>: Spa day for two with treatments, lunch & prosecco \u2014\u00a0save up to 57%\u00a0off.<\/p>\n Get deal now<\/a><\/p>\n Mystery Escape<\/strong>: Hotel stay with return flights from as low as \u00a392pp \u2014\u00a0save on worldwide holiday packages.<\/p>\n Get deal now<\/a><\/p>\n Beach Retreat (Lanzarote)<\/strong>: 4* Lanzarote beach holiday with flights \u2014\u00a0save up to 58%.<\/p>\n Get deal now<\/a><\/p>\n From antique-filled drawing rooms and nods to diarist Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who saved the place from dereliction in the 18th century, it is a brilliantly preserved slice of\u00a0times gone by.<\/p>\n \t\t Originally built for Sheffield ironmaster Thomas Barlow, who wanted a country home near the then-fashionable city of York, the building was restored as a luxury hotel in 1980.<\/p>\n Set in 20 acres of parkland, the 29-bedroom hotel and spa still retains its 18th-century appearance with high ceilings, chandeliers and fine paintings that make the place feel more like a private residence.<\/p>\n It exudes stately home, old-world glamour, from the huge four-poster bedrooms to the immaculate landscaped gardens.<\/p>\n Setting up for the day<\/p>\n A spectacular Yorkshire breakfast (including the best black pudding I have ever eaten) steels for a day of learning, and then it\u2019s on to the city.<\/p>\n \t\t Middlethorpe is a 15-minute drive to York\u2019s ancient centre, a treasure trove of medieval streets and Viking legacy that is catnip for history lovers.<\/p>\n First stop: The Shambles. York\u2019s most iconic street is famous for its preserved 14th-century timber-framed buildings with overhanging upper floors.<\/p>\n Now a trendy Instagram<\/a> spot, the Shambles have a gruesome past, dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, when the streets and intersecting alleys were used as an open-air slaughterhouse that hosted many butcher\u2019s shops.<\/p>\n Its winding cobbled alleys are said to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in\u00a0Harry Potter<\/a>, but these days, perhaps the less said about that the better. <\/p>\n Towering over the city, York Minster is impossible to ignore. This imposing church has been a centre of faith and devotion since the 7th century, so long ago it\u2019s difficult to fathom.<\/p>\n \t\t Another vantage point is Clifford\u2019s Tower, the largest remaining part of York Castle, which captures sweeping views of the streets below.<\/p>\n Wrap up the history lesson with a stroll around York\u2019s 800-year-old-ish city walls. These Roman walls, erected in 71AD and said to be the oldest in\u00a0England, encircle the city like a fortress.<\/p>\n While you can easily walk them in a day \u2013 it\u2019s 3.4km the whole way round \u2013 take a coat and brolly, even if the weather app says there is sunshine. In York, it often rains. I learned the hard way.<\/p>\n Ghosts and feasts<\/p>\n Brain bursting with knowledge, it\u2019s back to Middlethorpe for a feast of a three-course tasting menu (\u00a385).<\/p>\n Service is taken seriously at Middlethorpe Hall. There is a real sense of history in the dining room, with its original panelling and candlelit settings.<\/p>\n All is sublime, but the crab tortellini and the Guinness brown bread stand out.<\/p>\n It would be wrong to visit York and skip its much-loved ghost tour.<\/p>\n \t\t The city is said to be the most haunted in Europe<\/a>, and as you walk the narrow alleyways after dark, you really do have to remind yourself that ghosts are not lurking behind ever corner.<\/p>\n I am told that in one bar, staff are too scared to lock up alone. Windows and doors often slam shut in the early hours when no one\u2019s around.<\/p>\n Settle the nerves with a tipple at The Red Lion, a 16th-century black-beamed boozer. It\u2019s quintessential York, a city once rumoured to have a pub for every day of the year.<\/p>\n Then it\u2019s out on the town to enjoy a music scene that (nearly) rivals Dublin.<\/p>\n York is a bit like the lobby of the Rock Hall of Fame. The Killers, Kasabian, Biffy Clyro and Peter Doherty all gigged here before they made it big.<\/p>\n The Fulford Arms and The Stone Roses Bar are not to be missed.<\/p>\n After a night of good food, buzzy bars and ghostly tales, it\u2019s time to retire back to Middlethorpe Hall, which \u2013 illuminated in the dark \u2013 looks like something out of a fairytale.<\/p>\n As I cast the ghost stories from my mind, I doze off, imagining what life must have been like here, hundreds of years ago.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tMore UK staycation inspiration for 2026\t\t\t<\/p>\n Milo Pope was a guest of Middlethorpe Hall, but don\u2019t expect us to sugarcoat anything \u2014 our reviews are 100% independent.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Middlethorpe](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SEI_293392552-3398.jpg\")
\n\t\tMiddlethorpe House (Picture: Annapurna Mellor)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_8177-ef0b-e1777981668522.jpg\")
\n\t\tStately home glamour (Picture: Milo Pope)<\/p>\n![\"Tourists](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SEI_295921782-e81f.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe Shambles (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_8199-1-857d-e1777981896914.jpg\")
\n\t\tA real sense of history (Picture: Milo Pope)<\/p>\n
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