Old York in photos from 1980s from Rowntrees to Minster

These are not scenes readers today might expect but The Press archives are a treasure trove of reminders of a very different past.

Go back more than 40 years and certain well-known York locations look surprisingly unfamiliar.

1982 - Parliament Street when cars ruled the roads.

Some of the changes in these photos from 1982 to 1984 are dramatic, showing buildings under construction and the city’s roofline overshadowed by cranes.

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Others are more subtle. A photograph of Bishopthorpe Road in 1983 captures the street long before today’s distinctive identity which has made 'Bishy Road', with its colourful flags, so familiar to a new generation.

1983: Bishopthorpe Road long before the bunting and the rise of today's bustling 'Bishy Road'.

Among the most striking dates from the selection is 1984, when Margaret Thatcher was photographed during a visit to the National Railway Museum.

1984: Margaret Thatcher during a visit to York's National Railway Museum.

The same year produced a very different and extraordinary sight at York Minster. Following the devastating fire, a temporary roof covered the South Transept, transforming the appearance of one of the city’s most famous landmarks.

1984: A temporary roof covers the South Transept of York Minster following the devastating fire.

A year earlier, York was changing in other ways. In 1983, construction work was under way on the new Coppergate Centre.

The cranes and building work provide a remarkable contrast with the shopping area generations of York residents and visitors have since come to know.

1983: Cranes tower over York as construction of the new Coppergate Centre gets under way.

Elsewhere, another enormous structure was taking shape.

A photograph records the construction of a huge new warehouse for storing Rowntree sweets, a reminder of the scale of the confectionery industry in the city.

1983 - A massive new warehouse for storing Rowntree sweets takes shape.

Sometimes the apparently ordinary photographs offer the strongest sense of how much York has changed.

In 1982, children were pictured simply playing at Clifton Ings, capturing an everyday childhood scene that might prompt plenty of memories among Press readers.

1982: Children enjoy the great outdoors as they play at Clifton Ings.

Other photographs record moments when the eyes of the world were on York.

Huge crowds gathered outside York Railway Station in 1982 for the visit of the Pope, creating a scene far removed from the normal comings and goings of rail passengers.

1982: Huge crowds gather outside York Station for the visit of the Pope.

That same year also brought severe flooding - one archive image shows a rider on horseback heading through flood water on Tower Street.

1982: A horse and rider make their way through deep floodwater on Tower Street after severe flooding hit York.

Taken individually, they are snapshots of events, streets and everyday life.

Together, they form a portrait of a York that is close enough to be remembered by many readers, but distant enough for some of the scenes to look decidedly unexpected today.

From political figures and papal visits to cranes, floods, childhood games and a very different Bishy Road, these photographs show just how much can change in four decades.

How many of these York scenes do you remember? We'd love to hear your memories.