HERE is the Eye of York as you will never have seen it before.

The composite image - three separate photographs linked together to create a panoramic view - was taken some time before the prison, and prison governor’s house, were demolished in 1934. The photograph clearly shows both, squatting in grim Victorian splendour on what is now the Castle car park, with Clifford’s Tower on its mound rising behind.

This extraordinary photograph comes from the wonderful collection of historic images of York held by YAYAS - the Yorkshire Architectural and York Archaeological Society.

YAYAS is 175 years old this month - in fact, as The Press reported in a recent feature on the organisation, the first-ever meeting was held at what is now the Yorkshire Museum exactly 175 years ago on October 7.

The society has been fighting to preserve the best of York’s heritage and history ever since - and holds a wonderful collection of historic images of the city dating from the early 1900s.

YAYAS has been generous enough to share many of its images with The Press in recent weeks - and all the photos here come from its archive.

In addition to the panorama of the Eye of York, there are two great photographs showing St William’s College in the days before its restoration in 1902.

York Press:

The inner courtyard of St William's College before restoration (above) and exterior view of St William's College (below). Photos: YAYAS

York Press:

Originally built as accommodation for priests attached to chantry chapels at York Minster in the 1460s, it was converted to a house after the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in the 1540s.

During Victorian times it fell into neglect and was used for a while as tenement housing for the city’s poor. But in 1902, it was bought by the Province of York, and restored. These photographs, however, appear to date from before the restoration, and show the shocking state of neglect into which the building had fallen.

Next up is a photograph of recently-opened Piccadilly, as seen from Merchantgate in 1915.

York Press:

Newly-opened Piccadilly, seen from Merchantgate in about 1915

The photo shows the new bridge over the Foss and Castlegate School. “Piccadilly was an entirely new street for York, opened about 1912, to provide for easier electric-tram access to the Walmgate and Hull Road routes,” says local historian Peter Stanhope, commenting on this photo. “To the right of the school is a gap in construction where a wonderful new super-cinema, the Regal, would be built and opened in September 1937. Further to the right but out of camera view, would be a row of small shops beneath the rebuilt White Swan Hotel which was on the corner of Piccadilly and Coppergate.”

And finally, we have a photograph of the York Ford dealership FE Wasling & Son.

York Press:

FE Wasling & Son, Blake Street, York. Photo: YAYAS

The showroom was in Blake Street. There is no date on this photograph, but judging from the cars featured, it looks as though it could have been about 1915 or 1916. We’d love to hear from anyone who knows more about FE Wasling - or who can identify the Ford models in the photo...