THESE views of York date from a different era of photography. Forget digital cameras, and even rolls of film. The York scenes above were captured on glass negatives. They were very kindly given to the Evening Press by Lilian Vear, who lives off Rawcliffe Lane in York. The father of her late husband Neville, Fred Vear, was a keen amateur photographer, and the glass plates were among his large collection.

Mr Vear, who died in 1951, worked at the telephone exchange. He was also a well-known local naturalist, and many of his pictures were beautiful studies of gulls and other birds.

He gave illustrated talks to many interested local groups. Mrs Vear also possesses many scrap books with newspaper cuttings chronicling Mr Vear's regular success at winning national press photographic competitions.

The pictures on the glass negatives, which we have reproduced using modern scanning technology, date from the second half of the 19th century to the first half of this.

Some show York street scenes so deserted that they have an eerie quality. This may be deliberate. To take the photographs, the camera had to be set on a long exposure, which reduced any movement to a blur.

Among the pictures in the collection are scenes from:

Parliament Street

The wide, pedestrianised thoroughfare we know today, complete with fountain, was a car park at the time of this photograph, although only one car is visible.

Among the many shops visible are Clarks Boot Store; Verity's, which boasted the dubious slogan, "Where Spending Means Saving!"; Rowland's; and F Hawkins, shirt maker.

F Hawkins had been in the same family since 1921.

When it was sold to a London company 60 years later, it was reported that this was the loss of Parliament Street's last family firm.

In the background of the photograph, St Sampson's Square can be seen. That famous retail landmark WP Browns sits alongside the Golden Lion hotel, which it later swallowed up, and Dukes Brothers.

Parliament Street was also home to York market for many years. Or, to be precise, 127 years ten months, until it was moved to its present site in Newgate in 1964. Once lit by acetylene flares, Parliament Street market teemed with characters. Generations of shoppers knew George Howson, fishmonger and fruiterer from Hull, simply as "Wrap-it-up George".

When he made a sale, he would turn to an assistant with the cry: "Sold! Wrap it up, George."

Many traders resisted the move to Newgate, just as their predecessors had battled the move from Pavement to Parliament Street in 1836. On the day of the switch, they formed a procession, piled all their goods on wheelbarrows and handcarts, and returned to Pavement where they set up their stalls.

They were summoned by the court for their defiance and fined. The next day, just to show there were no hard feelings, they made an effigy of the magistrate, chained it up and burnt it.

Lendal

The picture of Lendal is said to date from about 1860. To the left is the Mansion House, built more than a century earlier.

Lendal, used as a main Roman road 1,500 years ago, has long been the hub of York's postal services.

The York post office was established here in 1703, during the reign of Queen Anne when many post office reforms were introduced.

Eighty-one years later, a system of Royal Mail coaches was established across the country.

The Mail Coach office and yard, with stables for about 100 horses, was situated next to the York post office, adjoining the York Tavern.

A timetable from 1818 shows the journey time of a Royal Mail Coach from York Tavern to London was 29 hours; to Liverpool 18 hours; to Manchester 12 hours; and to Scarborough seven hours.

According to Charles Knight in his History Of The City Of York, William Oldfield, a Lendal wine merchant, was the York postmaster when the Penny Post came into operation in 1840.

"To meet the requirements of the great increase in postal business brought about by the new act a new post office was built on an enlarged site which included that of the old one...

"In the early days of the electric telegraph, private installations were not uncommon.

"The first such installation at York was fixed in May 1861, between the site of the new Lendal Bridge works and the residence of the engineer of that undertaking on The Mount."

Jubbergate

The picturesque shop of A Wells, Broker, is known from a number of old pictures. Next door is G Cook & Son, "Boots and Shoes Neatly & Promptly Repaired".

On the left of the picture can be seen the rather grandly titled Leeds House, a ramshackle building, home to J Dalby, General Outfitter.

Church Street

This wonderful view taken, according to the label, in 1890, has Humphrey, Army Contractor in the foreground. Jewellers Kaisers - "great variety in clocks & silver & electro plate" is next door to the Golden Lion, still flourishing today - although it no longer displays the vast board sign claiming it as a pub from the estate of York brewer John J Hunt.

On the other side is The Umbrella Shop.

Updated: 10:43 Monday, January 28, 2002