Yorkshire

It makes sense that the central city of the Yorkshire Dales is, of course, York. An ancient city, it has been variously occupied by Brigantes, who were conquered by the Romans who were driven out by Vikings. York has quite a bloody history in spite of its pastoral locale. What you see here is a section of town called "The Shambles," dating to the early Middle Ages. These are the real-deal, not cute recreations

The city was a fortress and much of the original wall still exists (I'll show you a picture in a day or two); it is wide enough to walk around the town on the top of it.

Walls are endemic to this environment--physical and personal. The Dales have spectacular runs of dry stone walls that go for miles. Their aesthetic is always intriguing to me--they are beautiful but don't invite you to get too near them....



Yet, they create a safe and peaceful environment.


Walls of other sorts serve different important and aesthetic functions, too: