Recognise this scene? No, we thought not...
Look a little closer. In the middle distance, you can see a river, with its far bank lined with barges and sailing boats. That river is the Ouse, and the riverbank you’re looking at is Skeldergate. Which means, of course, that the building site in the foreground on the near side of the river is off Clifford Street.
Yes, this photograph really does show work beginning in 1890 on York’s new law courts - what is today the magistrates court. It comes from Explore York Libraries and Archives’ wonderful Imagine York online collection of old photos (www.imagineyork.co.uk).
We have actually featured this photograph on the Yesterday Once More pages of the Press before now. But we thought it deserved a better showing.
Using it as a full-sized poster photo gives you a chance to enjoy the detail - including the lettering on the front of the warehouse on the other side of the river on the far right of the photo.
“Guano, oil-cake and seed merchant,” it says. Guano is, of course, compacted sea-bird droppings much prized as a fertiliser. A warehouse for storing sea-bird droppings in the heart of York? Who’d have thought it...
Stephen Lewis
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here