Ghost Layout:Ghost Layout.qxd
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34 fortress like wall that seemed to run forever to either side. I walked right along the wall until reaching an entrance called Mickelgate Bar. This spot is famed as “The Headless Earl Ghost Spot", as my English friend Helen informed me. The story goes that Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland, was executed for treason in York: as a staunch Catholic he had plotted against the Protestant Elizabeth I. He was beheaded in 1572, and his head stuck on a large spike on Mickelgate Bar as a warning to anyone else with similar ideas. There it remained for many years until eventually recovered and buried in the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church in Goodramgate. The body of the Earl has been seen on many a night staggering between the graves, searching for his mislaid head. Thankfully, I did not spot it that night. Out here I climbed up and walked along the wide and thick walls towards York Minster and the city centre. These walls, I guess, would be about 15 feet or more thick and about 30 feet high. It is easy to see how they would keep the undesirables out or in — depending on what one perceives. After checking in at The Park Inn Hotel and a quick shower later, I curled in my bed for a surprisingly good sleep in a ghost city. A visit to York is incomplete if you don’t walk on the many walls that exist in the city and since I didn’t wanted to be the one with an “incomplete” visit, off I went the next morning on a guided tour of the haunted city. We started with the walls, of course, and as we passed by a church in the shadow of the Minster my guide told another interesting ghost story. One morning, in 1953, apprentice plumber Harry Martindale was installing a new central heating system in the cellars of the Treasurer’s House in the shadow of the Minster. Suddenly, he heard the distant sound of a horn, which gradually became louder. Soon, a great carthorse emerged through the brick wall, ridden by a dishevelled Roman soldier. He was followed by several more soldiers, dressed in green tunics and plumed helmets. It looked as YORK IN SPRINGTIME
JUNE 2010 TRAVELX
YORKSHIRE PASS The Yorkshire Pass is the first regional sightseeing pass in the UK Once purchased, the pass offers you a choice of over 70 visitor attractions across the region, plus lots of restaurant, shopping and evening entertainment offers, including ghost walks and tickets. You can buy a 1, 2, 3 or 6-day pass, making it a superb addition to your leisure break. To buy a pass: Tel: 01904550099 E-mail: info@yorkshirepass.com or visit www.yorkshirepass.com. One day pass costs 28 GBP, two days pass 38 GBP, three days 44 GBP and six days 68 GBP (child prices apply as well). MINSTER WITH SIGNPOSTS