MAXINE GORDON looks back to 1971 and a jousting tournament at Knavesmire

LONG before we established our love affair with Game of Thrones, York had its own fling with medieval fun and games.

Back in 1971, the city hosted a jousting tournament on the Knavesmire.

It was just one part of a year of celebrations to mark the 1900th anniversary of York – commemorating the anniversary of the founding of the Roman city of Eboracum in AD71.

The jousting tournament took place between June 16 and 18.

Photographs from our archive show how seriously all the parties involved prepared for the event.

There are pictures from a dress rehearsal held in Heslington a few days before.

Knights, maidens, queens and horses are dressed in formal wear and battle regalia – and a shield bears the emblem of an iron fist.

At the tournament, crowds at Knavesmire enjoyed the spectacle of the knights parading in their colourful and ornate costumes.

The actual jousts must have been thrilling to watch. These men of honour and their horses charged at each other at speeds of up to 40 mph – lances poised to attack the opponent and knock him off his horse.

Our photographs capture the drama of it all as mounted knights thunder across the racecourse, energetically lunging at each other in efforts to dismount the other.

Not to be outdone, some contestants took to hand-to-hand combat, swapping lances for swords.

The tournament was just one attraction in a packed programme of events throughout the year. These included art exhibitions, theatre performances, concerts, recitals, lectures, sporting fixtures, and an international festival of youth as well as open-air pop concerts.

A military tattoo was also held at Knavesmire in the September and the year of celebrations came to a close with a Grand New Year's Eve Ball in the Assembly Rooms.