Anne Lister in York Walking Tours

20/02/2024

Hello , as some of you may know I run several walking tours in Yorkshire. To make life abit easier I am bringing them all together under one roof. The Anne Lister in York Walking Tour can now be found on my page -

Love Yorkshire - Sarah Cowling Blue Badge Tourist Guide

If you could pop over and give my page a follow, that would be great. Can't wait to share more Anne Lister history amongst other things with you.

Sarah

05/02/2024

Great day today on a trip to Halifax with the York committee. Lots of research to be done on the artist’s brief for the decoration of the Tansy Beetle to be located at Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York - Yes! you read that correctly!! Can’t wait to see the finished artwork. In the meantime - thank you to Rachel from ALBF, Ruth The Piece Hall, Ruth West Yorkshire Archive Service , and Angela Bankfield Museum

14/01/2024

Would you like the opportunity to be part of York Trailblazers event? All all artists should see below

Calling all artists! Here is a chance to work with a whole host of lovely organisations across York (ourselves included) to commemorate York’s Trailblazers.

Full details here - https://www.makeityork.com/events/york-trailblazers/artist-call-out/

Deadline 30 January 2024.

14/01/2024

Calling all artists! Here is a chance to work with a whole host of lovely organisations across York (ourselves included) to commemorate York’s Trailblazers.

Full details here - https://www.makeityork.com/events/york-trailblazers/artist-call-out/

Deadline 30 January 2024.

08/10/2023

29/08/2023

Reminder that you can (re)watch lots of our Festival talks on our YouTube channel, York Ideas 🥳

Want to learn more about Anne Lister's diaries from Jill Liddington, whose book inspired the popular TV series 'Gentleman Jack'? Then watch Jill's Festival talk now: https://ow.ly/vFAc50OUItf

27/08/2023

Just started Emma Donoghue’s book, . Lovely descriptions of the Manor School, where Anne and Eliza met, started their relationship and developed the crypt hand. Lucky enough to have been in some of the classrooms and by hanging out of the window ( rather perilously) and holding a white paper behind it - was able to take some pictures of the etched graffiti on the windows. Couldn’t reach the most famous one - but these are interesting. I wonder who Violet was? ‘I like Miss Walker, Miss Parker and Miss Brown -tres bien” Also a picture of the Huntingdon Room, which was one of the classrooms in the Manor School - you can see the plaster frieze, with the bear and the pomegranates.

03/05/2023

What a great view of the magnificent York Minster! You might recognise this view from Season 1, last episode of as Anne and Ann swept off in their carriage together after taking the sacrament together
was a huge fan of . All the major ecclesiastical buildings she visited were compared to York ......
Westminster Abbey - 'nothing to the fine minster in York'
Lincoln Cathedral - 'very inferior to York'
St Paul's - 'the choristers not so good as at York'
Rheims Cathedral - 'not so fine as York Minster'
Amiens Cathedral came out quite well - 'finest I have seen in France - the only church to be named with York'
But overall, in a letter to Aunt Anne she tells her 'no ecclesiastical building I have ever seen equals York Cathedral'

And I certainly agree with her

26/04/2023

Like time travel walking into this beautiful church yard. Still places on the Anne LIster in York Walking Tour this Sunday 30th April

20/04/2023

On Tuesday 14th October 1828, Mariana and Anne went 'into and all over the new museum - just roofed. Working at the doric columns of the portico' Bet the builders were really pleased see them.
Unlike Halifax Philosophical Society, Women were not allowed to be members of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society (who founded The Yorkshire Museum) until 1850. Donations by them were welcome though and in 1824 Tib's mum, Mrs Anne Norcliffe, made donations of fossils, roman items and other specimens. Tib's father, Mr Thomas Norcliffe, had died 4 years earlier, so I suspect she was having a clearout!
The Yorkshire Museum

10/04/2023

In the Museum Gardens in York, close to where Anne Lister went to the Manor School and the Manor Shore where she took the ferry across the ouse, you can see a stunning example of a ribes sanguineum - or an ornamental redcurrant bush. This must have been a favourite of Anne's as in March 1834 she bought 3 of them from Backhouse's Nursery. The nursery was in the Toft Green area of York and was there for decades before compulsory purchase by the railway companies in 1839 to build the first station in York. Has anyone seen them in at Shibden Hall? do their descendants survive? would love to know

04/04/2023

This is New Walk, where in May 1833 Anne Lister walked with Henrietta Crompton to hear the band play - apparently there were several ladies there!
New Walk was created 100 years before Anne was strolling down it - a tree lined avenue for Georgian socialites to see and be seen.
Today there is no band playing, but a lovely walk away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

NEXT WALKING TOUR SUNDAY 9TH APRIL 10.30AM - see website for details

01/04/2023

Visitors enjoying Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York special Anne Lister Anniversary Tea and a special close up of our 'Top-hatted' Plum Cake made by the - Whats lovely day

01/04/2023

So we went to visit the Crompton's today - there was sadly no duet from Miss Margaret and Miss Mary ( tolerable) but we had a nice time. . Walking tour with lovely guests visiting Halifax and Yorkshire to celebrate Anne Lister's Birthday on 3rd April

30/03/2023

A lovely day at Holy Trinity!

Thanks for everyone who called in for our Anne Lister Tea in the Pews today - it was lovely to see you all! Special thanks to Donna and Vera below who came all the way from the USA and to for making it happen.

25/03/2023

If you visit the wonderful city of , follow in the footsteps of and take a visit to TODDS Bookshop - now on Stonegate. A wonderful emporium full of quirky rooms, staircases, panelled walls, fabulously wonky floors and 18th C fittings that Anne would have been familiar with. With no shortage of bookshops around the minster, this was just one of the buildings on Stonegate that Anne would have visited. Todds, at the sign of the Bible, was a bookshop from 1682 - 1873. An illustration by Henry Cave from 1813 shows that little has changed - 2 steps up to the front door, basement grills and the 1st floor oriel window - very much the shop Anne would have known. Go inside and have a browse, just as she would've done - you can feel her sense of anticipation of a new book ( and bargain hopefully) as she went up the steps

15/03/2023

Some days you just can't escape Anne Lister.... celebrating with the lovely Team of Volunteers from Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York (as we have been nominated for an award from the Churches Conservation Trust) in the York Medical Society and who should be looking over us......a huge portrait of Dr Henry Stefan , brother of , (who was lover of ) and physician of . He was president of the York Medical Society on two occasions.

14/03/2023

The York Civic Trust Rainbow Blue Plaque commemorates and taking the sacrament together on 30th March 1834. Celebrate the 189th anniversary of this event by enjoying for Tea and Plumcake in the pews

14/03/2023

How lovely is this? Tea and plum cake in the pews!

Tea anyone? Celebrate Anne Lister’s birthday weekend and the anniversary of her and Ann Walker attending Holy Trinity together with an afternoon tea purchased from The Old York Tearoom and enjoyed in our pews on Thursday 30 March between 11am and 3pm.

14/03/2023

Very excited today! My good friend and fellow guide Mad Alice The Bloody Tour of York has found me a ceiling! not just any ceiling! This is the ceiling of Mr and Mrs 's Dining Room, guardians of who was the first lover of . Anne Lister regularly stayed here.
I've known for some time that today's 58 Micklegate couldn't possibly be the house of Mr Duffin. Much research made me 99.9% certain that it was on the site of BrewDog York, but the key to it would be if the ceiling of the exquisite painting by matched up. I had mistakenly thought the painting was called 'Mrs Duffin's Drawing Room' and was desperate to get into that 1st floor flat - but it's the dining room -
on the ground floor - and there it is - a perfect match after nearly 200 years. So, if you are visiting York and want to soak up a bit of atmosphere, pop in to Brew Dog on Micklegate, marvel at the ceiling and imagine Anne, Eliza, Miss Marsh ( the second mrs Duffin) and Mr Duffin enjoying a little bit of mutton. I'm so excited!

01/03/2023

Come and volunteer at Holy Trinity - wonderful place, fantastic group of volunteers and brilliant visitors to chat to!

Holy Trinity is always a magical place, but sometimes you can find us at the end of the rainbow! Rest of the time, we are just at 70 Goodramgate. Come and join us as a volunteer and help extend our opening hours. Pot of gold not guaranteed, but a pot of tea is a certainty.

01/03/2023

Had a lovely group for the Anne Lister Walking Tour on Sunday 26th February. Thank you to Sue Lister for these great pics! Clockwise form Top Left: Holy Trinity Micklegate - where the preacher preached 'stupidly' ( on one of many occasions......), Visiting the Cromptons, Benjamin Horner the Dentist, Tib's House, Wolstenholme the Book Sellers and the Minerva. Book now for 26th March. Yorkshire's Best Guides

26/02/2023

Lots of events taking place a in to celebrate Anne Lister's Birthday weekend 27th March - 3rd April

🎩 Look out for our Anne Lister Birthday Festival Brochures packed with all the events to celebrate the life of our extraordinary Anne ‘Gentleman Jack’ Lister of Shibden Hall.

Events start on 23rd March and we will be taking a look at each of the events in the coming weeks, if you want to find out more, take a look here 👉 https://www.visitcalderdale.com/anne-lister-birthday-festival-2023/

26/02/2023

🎩 Look out for our Anne Lister Birthday Festival Brochures packed with all the events to celebrate the life of our extraordinary Anne ‘Gentleman Jack’ Lister of Shibden Hall.

Events start on 23rd March and we will be taking a look at each of the events in the coming weeks, if you want to find out more, take a look here 👉 https://www.visitcalderdale.com/anne-lister-birthday-festival-2023/

18/02/2023

Celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month with an Anne Lister in York Walking Tour next Sunday 26th February. Discover who lived in Micklegate House (CLUE: "not elegant enough for me!" "all rather vulgarish!"), let's drill down and meet Benjamin Horner the dentist, and visit THE most elegant place for parties in the city. BOOK NOW 🎩

🕥10.30am
📆Sunday 26th February
📌Micklegate Bar

BOOK NOW www.annelistertoursyork.co.uk