History & Attractions

Cawood

1069 Selby Abbey was founded. One of the most defining honours conferred on the Abbey was the grant of the Mitre. This was bestowed on 31st May, 1256. After 1256 Selby was therefore a “Mitred Abbey,” an honour which it shared in the north with St Mary’s Abbey, York.

It’s Palm Sunday and on this day in 1461 one of the bloodiest battles of the Wars of the Roses at Towton. The two rival Kings were Henry VI of the House of Lancaster and Edward IV of the House of York and on that day the future of their dynasties would be decided.

Contact the Towton Battlefield Society for guided walks.

At 3.4km long, the city’s Bar Walls are the longest and best preserved town walls in England.

Voted the most haunted city in Europe, York boasts nightly Ghost Walks at a number of sites around the city.  Steeped in history, there are plenty of ghostly haunts to visit. Why not try the ever popular York Dungeon whilst you are here!

Something for all interests

York plays host to numerous museums and cultural historic sites including York Minster, Yorkshire Air Museum, The National Railway Museum, Jorvik Viking Centre, The Castle Museum, Cliffords Tower and The Yorkshire Museum to name but a few.

Elvington Air Museum, Eden Camp World War II Museum and the Yorkshire Museum of Farming are all easily accessible.

Being located in North Yorkshire, you have access to a whole host of Yorkshire’s beautiful historic estate houses and gardens, including nearby Castle Howard, Harewood House, Newby Hall and Fountains Abbey.