North Yorkshire and the Humber

It covers most of the historic county of Yorkshire, along with the part of northern Lincolnshire that was, from 1974 to 1996, within the former shire county of Humberside. The population of this region in 2011 was 5, 284,000.

The region is drained by several rivers. In western and central Yorkshire many rivers empty their waters into the River Ouse which reaches the North Sea via the Humber Estuary. The most northerly of the rivers in the Ouse system is the River Swale, which drains Swaledale before passing through Richmond. Next, draining Wensleydale, is the River Ure, which joins the Swale east of Boroughbridge. The River Nidd rises on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and flows along Nidderdale before reaching the Vale of York.

The highest point of the region is Whemside, in the Yorkshire Dales, at 737 meters (2, 418 ft). The largest freshwater lake is Homsea Mere in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

This region of England generally has cool summers and relatively mild winters with the upland areas of the North York Moors and the Pennines experiencing the coolest weather and the Vale of York the warmest. For its latitude this area is mild in winter and cooler in summer due to the influence of the Gulf Stream in the northern Atlantic Ocean. Cities such as Sheffield, Leeds and Bradford are generally cooler due to their inland and upland location, while York, Hull, and Wakefield are warmer due to their lowland location. January is the coolest time of the year and July is usually the warmest month. Snow is not uncommon in the winter; Yorkshire is mostly hilly or mountainous, and the Yorkshire Dales and the Pennines can experience extreme snowstorms with high snowdrifts. Snow in coastal towns such as Hull and Scarborough are not as common because they are moderated by the ocean, while both inland and upland settlements such as Skipton or Ilkley experience more snow.

There are seven cities in Yorkshire and the Humber: Bradford, Kingston upon Hull, Leeds, Ripon, Sheffield, Wakefield and York. There are many other large towns in the area such as Doncaster, Grimsbey, Halifax, Huddersfield and Scunthorpe. Leeds is the largest settlement being the largest part of an urban area with a population of 1.5 million. It is also one of the largest financial centres in the UK now. Sheffield is the second largest settlement and is a large manufacturing centre. Bradford is the third largest city and was traditionally a textile city, the decline of these industries has left Bradford’s economy more diverse. Kingston upon Hull is the main port in the region and also a notable fishing harbour. While cities such Bradford, Leeds and Sheffield grew during the Industrial Revolution, there are older cities in the region such as Wakefield and York. Stainless steel was invented in 1913 by Harry Brearley of Sheffield, working for Firth Brown Steels. The region’s most popular city for tourists is York. The Bronte family who lived in the village of Haworth are the regions’ most famous authors.

The oldest and the most famous city of the region is York. It is a walled city, located at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. The city offers a wealth of historic sights, of which York Minster, the Bars, York Castle and the remains of St.Mary’s Abbey Church, are the most prominent. York was founded by the Romans in 71 AD under the Latin name of Eboracum and became in turn the capital of the kingdoms of Northumbria and Yorvik. Anglo-Saxon York, Eoforwic, was the capital of Northumbria and the first Minster was built for its king, Edwin. As Yorvik it was a Danish trading centre and many present-day names of streets still have their Danish suffix “-gate”. William I used force to subdue the unruly north – he built two castles at York by the Ouse. The medieval people built the great Gothic Minster, wealthy St. Mary’s Abbey and other religious houses and around their city they constructed a strong defensive wall with four massive gateways - Bootham Bar, Micklegate Bar, Barbican, or Walmgate Bar, and Monk Bar – to command the main roads. At that time York was commercially prosperous with guilds for every trade to protect members. In 1392 Richard II conferred upon the Chief Magistrate the title of Lord Mayor. York is still the second city in England and though other cities have their Lord Mayor only those of London and York may use the prefix “the Right Honourable”. Charles I had his headquarters at King’s Manor in York in 1639 and 1642. In the Middle Ages it grew as a major wool trading centre, in the 18^th century, York was the Georgians’ social capital of the north. In Victorian times, George Hudson, a York citizen, helped to make the city the chief northern railway centre, and 20^th century York was, among, other things, the home of world-famous chocolate, and today’s York is known for its festival of music and arts held every summer, which includes the famous miracle plays. These are religious plays which were performed in the streets of medieval York and which are still enjoyed in York today. For while industry and commerce are important to York’s progress it is the historic past which gives the city its unique character.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16