TODAY we are dialling back our time clock half a century to 1973.

What was life like back then - do you remember?

Let us paint the scene. Like today, we had a Conservative Prime Minister in Ted Heath, but unlike today we had strong links with Europe: in January 1973, the UK joined the EEC, heralding the arrival of VAT.

Spurs won the football league cup, Roger Moore became James Bond for the first time in the movie Live and Let Die, Princess Anne got engaged to Mark Phillips, Last of the Summer Wine started on the BBC, and the late Martin Amis's novel, The Rachel Papers, was published.

In York, people were shopping at long-gone stores such as Leak and Thorp, having lunch at the Harlequin Restaurant in the former Co-op at George Hudson Street. At the White Swan hotel in Piccaddilly (now Piccadilly Vaults) you could try pizza at its Tartina Restaurant. Lunch cost 95p, and dinner £1.15!

York Press: Queen's Staith in York iin 1973Queen's Staith in York iin 1973 (Image: NQ)

Of course, one of the biggest stories in York of 1973 was the discovery of the city's rich Viking past.

A Viking house was uncovered during excavations under a coffee house in Pavement 1973. This find paved the way for the creation of our modern day Jorvik Viking Centre.

Around this time, the average UK property was valued at just £5,158. Adjusted for inflation, this would amount to £49,333 by today's standards, where today, the average property costs £285,000, but £332,000 in York.

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Read next:

* Remember when York looked like this in 1980? 10 photos to spark memories

* A hospital for everyone - remember when York Hospital was being built in 1970s?

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Our archive photos give us a flavour of what York looked like too.

We begin with an aerial view over York taken in June 1973. It shows Layerthorpe Bridge with Foss Islands Road in the bottom left and Stonebow above. Jewbury and St Maurice's Road lead up to the top right.

We have another images showing traffic - or very little of it - on the A64 including the York Bypass in 1973.

And we love the one we found of the city's most famous export, actress Dame Judi Dench who grew up in Heworth, with her late husband Michael Williams; they are photographed outside York Art Gallery in 1973 in York. The couple had married in 1971.

York Press: Actress Judi Dench in York in 1973Actress Judi Dench in York in 1973 (Image: NQ)

Other photos from our archive show:

* Inside Reynards, the self drive car hire garage and car parking business, in Piccadilly which is now occupied by SPARK: York

* Crowds gathering outside the Mansion House for the 1973 Christmas Eve carols' service, with the Christmas tree in St Helen's Square in the background

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What are your memories of York's in 1970s? Get in touch via email: maxine.gordon@thepress.co.uk. You can also join our nostalgia group on Facebook, Why We Love York - Memories. Find us at: www.facebook.com/groups/yorknostalgia/

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* York Theatre Royal stage being constructed in 1973

* Work in progress to restore three derelict 15th century cottages in North Street which had been standing empty for years. The decision to restore them as homes was in line with Lord Esher's recommendations for the conservation of the historic centre of York. There should be 'more living accommodation' within the city walls, the report said

* Barges cluster alongside Queen's Staith, York, to unload their sacks of Illipe nuts shipped from Borneo and Sarawak

* The photo shows Number 41 Blossom Street on October 21, 1973. Photo: York Corporation/ Explore York Libraries and Archives