OK, so I’m not actually based in York city centre, but I certainly wish I was! I love York, and the surrounding area of North Yorkshire. My main office is actually in Leeds, but as a Yorkshire based independent financial advisor I’ve had the pleasure of working with many clients in York.
So, if you need a hand with your savings and investments, why not consider using an IFA rather than your existing bank or financial provider? I work with clients across the UK, advising them on mortgages, pensions and much more.
To speak to a me in complete confidence and with no obligation, please call me on 0113 829 3465 or complete the enquiry form below to request a call back.
York
Found on the foot of the Yorkshire Moors, York is one of the UK’s smallest cities, but size aside, it is also one of the most impressive; steeped in history, high quality education and thriving creativity, there simply is no other city like it.
Although most people associate York with the Romans and Vikings, its history goes even further than that with evidence of settlements stretching back as far as 8,000BC. By the time the Roman’s invaded in AD 43, the area was occupied by the tribe known as the Brigantes.
The official foundation of the city is set on the year AD 71 when the Ninth Legion conquered the Brigantes and constructed a military fortress in the confluence between the River Ouse and River Floss. It is thought that the later stone fortress built by the Romans was enough to service 6,000 soldiers.
The site of the fortress is now under the foundations of York Minster, although some excavations have taken place in the past to reveal some of the original walls.
For those who wonder about York as a capital city, it was actually Emperor Severus who proclaimed York to be the capital of the province of Britannia Inferior. It is also interesting to note that later on, Constantius I actually died in the city in AD 306 and his son, Constantine the Great, was proclaimed Emperor by his troops.
Much like the rest of Britain (with the exception of Scotland), York suffered greatly upon the departure of the Romans and was left open to plundering and capture by the Vikings. Under Viking rule the city became a major inland port.
Things didn’t fare any better upon the Norman Conquest of Britain either as, after an initial successful rebellion, the city along with the rest of the North, faced the brutal genocide of the ‘harrying of the North’.
York’s first charter was granted by King John in 1212, confirming its right to trade throughout England and Europe. Before long the city established itself as a key market town with merchants importing French wine, cloth, wax and oats from the Low Countries and fur from the Baltic. York itself was famous for producing cloth.
Although the city’s economy saw a decline during the Tudor period (mostly thanks to Henry VIII’s dissolution of the Monasteries), it was thriving once more by 1660 thanks to the restoration of the monarchy.
Like many cities in the North, York enjoyed growth during the Industrial Revolution and the railway was brought to the city in 1839. It later proved crucial to the expansion of Rowntree’s Cocoa Works, located to the east of the city centre.
Today it is no surprise to learn that York’s biggest industry is tourism, with millions flocking to see and experience its ancient, quaint and mystifying buildings.
