York Literary Audio Tour

York enjoys a rich and varied literary history that still feels intimately tied to the modern city thanks to its heritage and the preservation of many of its medieval buildings.

During the Festival, a brand-new audio tour created by University of York students will bring this literary history to life. As you walk through the city’s streets, pause at audio stops and explore the literature of York over 1000 years of history - from stories and plays set and performed here to the fascinating works by authors and poets who were born or lived in York.

The audio tour starts outside the Blue Boar Pub on Castlegate, so head there if you would like to do the tour in order. However, you can skip any stops or rearrange the order of the tour in any way you wish. The later stops are at Micklegate and the York Museum Gardens, then the Minster, Monkgate and King’s Square, before the tour ends at the Pavement.

Just click on our map and audio files to get started and enjoy the tour! 

York Literary Audio Tour map (PDF , 771kb)

Introduction

Stop 1 - the Blue Boar

Stop 2 - Micklegate Bar

Stop 3 - City Walls

Stop 4 - Museum Gardens

Stop 5 - Stonegate

Stop 6 - York Minster (1) 

Stop 7 - York Minster (2) 

Stop 8 - Monkgate

Stop 9 - King's Square

Stop 10 - Pavement

Conclusion

Please note: The tour takes around one hour to complete. Not all points of the tour are wheelchair accessible.

About the creators

Alexander Lewis is a final year student of English and History at the University of York.

Amelie Griffiths is a final year student of English and Related Literature at the University of York. 

Kelly Kwok is a second year English Literature student at the University of York. 

Claudia Woods-Cano is a second year student of English and Related Literature at the University of York.