Light and shade in The Great City: photos showing the different faces of York

His local authority chartered a train to take schoolchildren across the Pennines for a day out in the Yorkshire capital.

"I can still recall details from that day trip," he writes in the introduction to his new book of photographs, York: The Great City. "A tour of the Castle Museum and National Railway Museum; a sunny picnic in the gardens between Leeman Road and the River Ouse; and climbing up to Clifford's Tower.

"We must have been studying medieval or Tudor history... and our teachers probably thought York would be a great place to absorb some of what we were studying."

They weren't wrong, he adds. "I can't think of a better place in the British Isles that so encapsulates British history, particularly the sort young children are interested in. Roman, Vikings, the medieval period, the Tudors and the Wars of the Roses, the Civil War and all these great icons (heroes and villains) of childhood history lessons: Henry VII, Richard III, Guy Fawkes, Dick Turpin. And they make chocolate here, too."

Fast forward 30 years and the former Lancastrian schoolboy now finds himself living in the city he first visited as a boy.

The rooftops of Low Petergate, High Petergate and Stonegate catch the October sunshine. Photo: Chris Gee

A manager with Network Rail, his job brought him here four years ago: and he's fallen in love with York all over again. He now lives in Wheldrake with his wife Jo. "And I think we'll stay here!" the 45-year-old says.

He loves the intimacy of York - the small scale of it compared to his native Salford. He loves the restaurants, the museums and the culture. And, having been a keen amateur photographer since the age of 15, he loves it as a place to take photographs.

He's been here four years now, and he's never once got tired of exploring the city on foot, camera in hand. "Every visit reveals something new," he writes in York: The Great City. "I'm still finding hidden gems, little surprises as I turn a corner or duck down an alleyway. "

The Rose Window from Minster Gates. Photo: Chris Gee

There are the obvious attractions, such as York Minster, Clifford's Tower and Shambles. And then there are the less obvious ones: "Hidden backstreets that can reveal overhanging medieval buildings and numerous...snickets, ginnels and alleyways. There is wonder in the detail, too, from old shop signs and street furniture that have somehow survived the ages, to the remains of a Norman house, the foundations of a Saxon church and old Roman walls."

For a photographer, the city changes with the seasons and with the light, too, he says. "Sometimes the sun can light up a view in a different way, shining a light on something I haven't spotted before. Knowing where to look is the key - and looking up is important too. Raising your eyes above street level can reveal detail easily missed if you rush across the city with your head down."

He likes the light of early morning, best - walking into work at 7am when the streets are almost empty apart from a few delivery drivers is very special, he says. And for taking photographs, he's found that the months between October and April are best. The summer crowds are gone. "And this is when the light is at its best and the colours, too, from the autumn hues, to the frosty mornings and the first colours of spring."

Skeldergate Bridge, with trees on New Walk autumn-hued in the October sunshine. Photo: Chris Gee

York: The Great City contains almost 150 pages of Chris's sumptuous photographs. They take you into every corner and back alley of the city, capturing the well-known views and some surprising angles and viewpoints too - along with some close-ups of fascinating details, such as a gilded statue set into the wall of St Sampson's Church.

Perhaps one of the most striking photographs is the view down onto the rooftops of High Petergate, Stonegate and Low Petergate, presumably from the top of the Minster. The tightly-huddled red rooftops, glowing warmly beneath an autumn sun, reveal the city centre's medieval roots like almost nothing else.

"York has to be one of our finest preserved cities in the UK," Chris writes in his introduction. "We should treasure York, it's our heritage and our history. It's a great city."

Indeed it is.

• York: The Great City by Chris Gee is published in hardback by Halsgrove, priced £16.99