2020

Online Content

The online films, talks and blogs for the 2020 festival are below.

The short films have been produced by Sharpstick Films.

Sharpstick Films YouTube channel

https://youtu.be/6V5_6Cj0Z2A

Here is our video in conjunction with the River Foss Society.

York’s second river once looked very different – find out why there is a gap in the City Walls, and learn about the history of this area.

 

For the 2020 Festival a short film was made with the York Liberal Jewish Community, to discuss the history and future of York Castle. In 1190 York’s Jewish community were massacred at the site that is now Clifford’s Tower, and with plans in progress to redevelop the ‘Eye of York’, Shannon Kirshner talks about the events of 1190, and the Jewish community’s views on developing the memorial in the proposed community area around the tower.

English Heritage kindly gave the Festival and Sharpstick Films permission to hold the interview in Clifford’s Tower, which also afforded the opportunity to record the tower as it appeared before the redevelopment of the inside of the tower by English Heritage in 2021.

Friends of York Walls (link) have been promoting the City Walls for almost a decade now. Thanks to City of York Council we were granted access to two of the towers that are usually closed to the public.

Fishergate Corner Tower (Tower 39) is near Fishergate Postern Tower.

Sadler Tower (Tower 7) is near Victoria Bar.

https://youtu.be/igpt9eP_Dfg
https://youtu.be/G2Qow7GRJAs

Flickr Gallery of York Walls images, from the Explore York Archive.

Click on the image to explore 29 photos of the City Walls throughout the past centuries.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127532267@N05/albums/72157714636306572

Even more content here:

  • Check out our blog page for an insight into what it is like to care for the City Walls. Dr. Louisa Hood, Bar Walls Manager, explores the topic of conservation here.
  • Ian Tempest presents ‘Red Brick York’. This talk was held on  Zoom on Weds 12th August. Don’t worry if you missed it though, as a pdf version of the talk is linked below. It features many well-known York buildings such as King’s Manor and Red Tower.

Red Brick Tour 2020 Walls Festival Final 12 Aug 2020

  • York’s World Heritage Site Steering Group presentation is linked below. Ian Tempest, a member of the steering committee, will be at Red Tower on festival weekend if you have any questions. This was first shown at the Festival of Ideas in June 2020.

WHS Presentation

2019

News coverage

Here is a selection of the press articles on the second festival, plus a video from the local TV station.

York Press – preview article

Yorkshire Post – preview article

York Press – review of Saturday

York Press – review of Sunday

That’s York TV – what’s on

There is a full review of the 2019 York Walls Festival here: York Walls Festival 2019 – review newsletter final

A video review of the festival is here:

The 2019 festival attracted 2,250 visitors across the weekend, well up on the 1,200 that attended the first festival.

Information Point

Rebecca and Holly, 2019 interns, with Martin (organiser) and Brian (charity fundraiser) at the Museum Gardens Information Point.

 

Pre-festival talks

Before the main festival weekend in 2019, three talks took place in York to help inform people about the walls, and plans for a World Heritage Site bid for the city.

Pictured below is Barry Crump of the University of York at one of the King’s Manor talks on 27th July.

His talk is covered at the end of our blog post here: Walls weekly 8

On July 9th the first event of the festival saw City Archaelogist John Oxley and former Lord Mayor Janet Hopton discuss the past bid to make York a World Heritage Site, and preparations for a new bid. This talk took place at York Explore. Pictured below is Festival Organiser Bill Hill in discussion with John and Janet.

A review of the talk is at the end of the blog Walls weekly 6

2018

The first York Walls Festival took place in August 2018, and is reviewed in the Friends of York Walls newsletter here

News coverage in 2018:

Yorkshire Post

York Press

York Mix

Minster FM