First Day of Class

A rather brilliant first day of class, though the first in recent memory without the sun shining.  We had lecture in the morning and then a tour of city parish churches in the afternoon.  Above, the class assembled on top of Clifford's tower with the Minster, All Saints Pavement and Saint Mary's Castlegate in the background.

The Trinity, C15.

In 1400, York had 45 Parish churches.  Nineteen of these remain, and we managed a quick look at nine of them on a tour that ended in the park to the north of the Minster.  Holy Trinity Goodramgate appeared to be closed (as it always seems to  be when I bring a class around to see it), but this time we scored a private session: it was reopened specially for us by a compassionate church warden who heard me beefing outside the gate.  From him we learned something I'd forgotten, that the central light of the east window depicts the eponymous Holy Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The Father head is an insert in both this depiction and it the one we saw earlier at Saint Martin le Grand, Coney Street.

It's simply amazing how much there is to see and learn in this city.