COULD this be York's first-ever publicly-owned civilian motorised ambulance? The York Health Department, to whom it was registered in late April 1921, certainly seem to have been proud enough of it. They arranged for two photographs of the ambulance to be taken outside York Minster - in one of which, the ambulance was artfully posed with its back door open to show the neat bed and table inside.

There will almost certainly have been motorised ambulances in the city before this - they began to be brought in 20 years earlier, and there must have been some around during the First World War. But there was obviously something very special about this ambulance. We'd love to hear from any readers who know more...

The ambulance photographs, like the others on these pages today, come from Explore York's wonderful Imagine York archive. One amazing photo shows the south door of York Minster in the 1860s. Lift your eyes upwards, and you'll see the huge clock above the door, which was removed during remodelling work a decade later.

Other photographs on these pages today show:

- The old Lowis's White Swan Hotel on Pavement, pictured shortly before it was demolished so that Piccadilly could be extended to link up with Pavement and Parliament Street in 1912. The extension had first been proposed in May 1907. It was suggested that the new street would give new frontages and the city sheriff, Councillor Meyer, believed that the street could be laid out in such a way that the new frontage would pay for the improvements. Deputy Mayor Alderman Agar and Councillor Walker are recorded as being opposed to the scheme as they feared it would ruin Fossgate

- Part of the White Swan's yard, which was also demolished to allow for the extension of Piccadilly

- The 'new' public library, which was built in Museum Street by local firm F. Shepherd and Son in 1926. It cost £25,600 and was possibly one of the first large projects which the firm undertook. The land had previously been occupied by livery stables. The ruins of St Leonard's hospital are to the left

- Shops are at Nos 91 and 89 Walmgate in 1955.

Stephen Lewis

BLOB All the photos on these pages, and thousands more, are held on Explore York’s wonderful Imagine York archive. You can browse it yourself for free just by visiting imagineyork.co.uk/