YORK HISTORY BLOG

York's chocolate industry is central to the city's modern history and tourism. However, a critical look at the networks that shaped cocoa trade bring forward conversations about race, exploitation and colonialism.

Anne Lister has become an important name in York's queer tourism. However the history of Anne Lister, a 19th-century trailblazer, diarist, and LGBTQ+ icon, is strewn with controversy.

York's Jewish history includes persecution and violence in medieval pogroms. Remembering their resilience, through memorials and walking tours, is important for reconciliation.

Captain Cook is a name associated with global travel and navigation. This post bridges Captain Cook's heritage in North Yorkshire, Pacific colonial controversies and clashes over Middlesbrough's local museums.

York is famous for its ghost tours and stories of haunting. Yet, such ghost stories also evoke postcolonial theory and legacies of violence.

Accessibility costs are impacting one of York’s iconic buildings, but this isn’t the first time it has struggled to accommodate disability.

In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, we look at another historic struggle to assign blame for shocking neglect and a deadly fire, an uncomfortable story from York's past.

The Wars of the Roses have been replaced by the Wars of the Bones, fought by York and Leicester, and between amateurs and archaeologists over the interpretation of the past.