YORK – BRITAIN’S HOME OF

CHOCOLATE

Media Pack

INDULGE YOURSELF IN YORK – HOME

OF CHOCOLATE “By this pleasing drink health is preserved, sickness diverted.

It cures Consumptions and Coughs of the Lungs; it expels

poison, cleanseth the teeth, And sweetneth the Breath;

provoketh Urine; cureth the stone and strangury, Maketh Fatt

and Corpulent, faire and amieable”

M. Sury’s Oxford Chocolate House pamphlet in 1660

HISTORY

Cacao tree – Theobroma Cacao – literally “cocoa food for the gods” – is mainly found growing in central

and eastern South American and West African areas. There is evidence that the pre -Mayan Olmecs

from 1500 BC up to about 400 BC already knew cacao, but it was the Mayans who cultivated,

manufactured and consumed chocolate, sometimes even spicing it with vanilla, honey or chilli

peppers. Cocoa has always been precious product – Mayans already traded with cocoa. One could pay

10 cocoa beans for a prostitute. The Aztec king Montezuma II adopted cocoa as currency, establishing

a bean bank and allowing payments in cocoa beans. He himself apparently drank about 50 cups on

cocoa every day. The early European visitors, blinded by their search for gold, failed on first sight to

realise the true value of cocoa beans. Columbus took a few back to Spain, where they raised not even

the slightest curiosity. A legend has it that a crew of pirates stumbled across a horde of the dark gold, but thinking the beans must be rabbit droppings they threw the beans overboard.

CHOCOLATE IN YORK

Even though Chocolate arrived to London in the mid-17th century,

York has long had a reputation as the City of Chocolate, partially due

to the sizable factories created by Rowntree’s and Terry’s during the

20th century. York’s sitting on the river brought many ingredients

and raw materials into the city from afar, but it was the boom of the

railway industry that sent chocolate products rapidly around the

country, making Terry’s and Rowntree’s household names

nationwide. Many of York’s industrial neighbours found wealth in

cotton mills, steel and coal during the Industrial Revolution, York’s

democratic structure and ruling merchants prevented many of these businesses from locating to York, except for chocolate.

In 18th and 19th century York was a fashionable place with Royal Manors, grand Assembly Rooms for sociable dinners and balls, and a Lord Mayor with a stately residence.

Surrounded by a public of such discerning taste, Terry’s and Rowntree’s both found success and the

perfect audience for their confectionery products. The world of steam power and railways brought

many workers to the city, enabling York chocolate empires to grow with product distribution.

Today York is left with a lasting legacy seen in the buildings around the city, created to service our

demands for sweets, in the social change pioneered by the chocolate makers, in the products that still

adorn the supermarket shelves and in the culinary taste, artisan producers, restaurants and growers

that operate in the city now.

DID YOU KNOW THIS ABOUT YORK?

5 million Kit Kats are produced in York every day – over 1

billion every year.

Top chocolate brands such as Kit Kat, Aero, Smarties, After

Eight, Yorkie, Chocolate Orange and Black Magic were all

created in York

The Rowntree factory once employed 14,000 staff,

employing teachers and gardeners as well as the factory

workers

New Earswick is located on the outskirts of York, it was

created by Joseph Rowntree as a “Model Village” as an alternative to the slums of York and

housed many of his workers. Still today there are no pubs in New Earswick.

Rowntree’s owned York’s first motor car, which they used to promote the brand by creating a

giant can of Elect Cocoa and putting it on the car. The public would come from miles around to

see the spectacle. The car once broke down in Sheffield city centre getting the drivers arrested for

being a nuisance. The giant tin of cocoa would often fall over as it was too heavy.

Terry’s first created the Chocolate Apple before the iconic Chocolate Orange. There was al so a

Chocolate Lemon in the 1980s.

The competitive rivalry between Cadbury and Rowntree’s is thought to have inspired Roald Dahl

to create Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dahl went to school in Derbyshire. It might have been

the school trip to the Rowntree factory that shaped his imagination.

In 1921 Rowntree very generously bought a piece of land next to the Terry’s factory and donated

it to the City of York as a public park.

In 1926 Terry’s moved to a larger factory site next to The Knavesmire as someone had bought the

land next to their factory, preventing them from expanding.

The Terry’s clock tower is an iconic building frequently featured on race days as it lies next to York

Racecourse.

The relocation of the Craven’s Sweet factory

from Coppergate to a location outside of the

city led to the excavation of Coppergate.

During the excavation the remains of York

Vikings were discovered – now collated in

the Jorvik Viking Centre.

At Christmas 1914 The Lord Mayor and

Sheriff generously sent a bar of Rowntrees

chocolate to every York man fighting in the

Great War. One of these tins with the original chocolate bar inside can be seen at the Mansion

House.

A tin of Rowntree’s Elect Cocoa was taken by Shackleton to the Antarctic in 1908. It was discovered

completely intact 50 years later and is now housed in the Nestlé archives in York, its taste has

been pronounced to be in “excellent condition”.

Rowntree’s two children were mascots for the company: “The Cocoa Nibs”

Plain ‘Mr York’ was an iconic automated character introduced in the 1920s. Mr York of York, was

featured in the first animated advertisement with sound and promoted the Motoring Chocolate

bar with a wide range of merchandise created to promote Mr York and Rowntree’s. Mr York is

today housed in the Nestlé archive in York.

A York bar of chocolate was once presented to the then Princess Elizabeth. It was made with

cocoa, sugar and vanilla all grown in the atrium at the Rowntree factory.

As part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012, York’s Chocolate Story launched a

campaign to ask the people of York for their memories of working in the chocolate factories of

Rowntree's, Terry's and Craven's.

The Queen was the first person to ever receive a bar of entirely English chocolate, made from

cocoa beans grown in the Rowntree's hot house in York. Nestlé in York also has some rare footage

of the Queen's father on a visit to the Rowntree's works in 1920 and the factory has had the Royal

Warrant since the days of Queen Victoria.

York produces 80,000 tonnes of confectionery a year.

Kit Kat is very popular in Japan where the name sounds like ‘kitto katsu’ – a Japanese phrase that

means “surely you will succeed”.

FAMOUS CHOCOLATE NAMES IN YORK

“Surely this is one of the biggest factories in the World!”

HRH the Prince of Wales, 31 May 1923 whilst flying over the factory in a biplane.

Rowntree

Joseph Rowntree was a Quaker who is remembered and revered

both for his outstanding work towards improving the life of

working people (including his own employees) and for his work in

the famous Rowntree confectionery company. In 1827 his father

set up a grocer’s shop in Pavement (now a Pizza Hut restaurant),

where Joseph learnt the trade. Joseph's younger brother Henry,

knowing that he would never inherit the grocery business, went to

work as an apprentice for his cousins – the Tuke family, who were

dealing with tea, coffee and cocoa. Mary Tuke had set up the

grocer shop in Walmgate in 1725. The business grew, and began

importing tea, coffee and cocoa on a large scale. By 1862 the cocoa

side of the business had become so big that the Tukes decided to

pass it on to Rowntrees. In 1862, Henry Isaac Rowntree acquired

the cocoa side of his cousins business. Henry was not a brilliant

businessman and he was nearly in bankruptcy when in 1869 his elder brother Joseph was sent to

assess its finances and rescue his business. Henry died in 1883 and the business passed to his brother

who, in time, expanded the business to the chocolate factory on Haxby Road that we know today. He

set up three influential Trusts (which is extended to four) that still bear his name today, and which

continue his legacy in the fields of poverty, housing, international peace, social justice and democratic

reform. Rowntree later merged with Mackintosh, and the joint company became part of Nestlé in

1988. Many sweets and chocolate bars that are a much-loved part of British life are manufactured in the York factory, like Kit Kat, Aero, Milkybar and Yorkie.

Terry’s

York’s other great chocolate name is Terry’s. The firm began in 1767 and was

founded by Mr Bayldon and Mr Berry. The Terry’s name first appeared when

Joseph Terry became a partner in 1823. The site in Bishopthorpe Road

remained the hub of Terry’s confectionery production in Britain until its

closure in 2005. At peak seasons over 700 people were employed at the plant

to produce world-renowned delights such as Terry’s All Gold. The Terry family

has been involved in the highly successful business for generations, and the

present-day representative, Peter Terry, is honorary president of what is now

a £140 million business. Terry’s has operated under the ownership of Kraft Jacobs Suchard since 1993.

Craven’s

In 1822, when Joseph Hick opened a confectionery business at 48

Coney Street, York. Thomas Craven became apprenticed to the firm of

Berry and Hide, where he was to learn the art of confectionery. By

1843, and by now a Master Confectioner, he was in a position to take

over the business and married Joseph’s youngest daughter, Mary Ann

Hick in 1851. This was a shrewd move as Mary inherited her father’s

confectionery business when he died in 1860. Alas, their good fortune

was to be short lived as Thomas died just two years later. Widowed,

and with several children to support, she had no choice but to roll up

her sleeves and get involved in the running of the Craven’s confectionery business. Just four years

later she was listed in Melville’s Directory of Business for York as a ‘manufacturing confectioner with

premises in Coney Street, Pavement and Coppergate’, a remarkable achievement in an age when

women were rarely involved in business. Craven’s became the world's largest boiled sweet

manufacturer and is now owned by a global confectionery company, Tangerine. Tangerine is based at

one of the original Craven’s factory sites on the outskirts of York where it manufactures sugar and

toffee-based confectionery including Jameson’s Raspberry Ruffles, Tavener’s Toffees and Barratt Refresher lollies.

Nestlé Archive

An advertising robot, a stained-glass window and the tin of cocoa

that was with Scott of the Antarctic when he died - these are only

a few of the items which form part of a new Nestlé UK archive

created at the company’s factory complex in York. The state -of-the-

art facility has been built to preserve documents, films, artefacts

and artworks from all of Nestlé’s UK sites, with climate and humidity

controls to preserve its contents, and specially f itted lights designed

to filter out harmful UV rays. Highlights of the archive include a

collection of more than 300 Nestlé films that were recently

uncovered in a wall cavity at the company’s base in Croydon, the

original pre-war artwork for the classic Black Magic advertising

campaigns, a rare collection of hundreds of 1920s chocolate moulds

and thousands of photographs, magazines, catalogues and other

documents. The famous stained-glass window comes from the

Haxby Road site’s oldest office, while the robot dates back to an advertising campaign from the 1920s.

The archive was the brainchild of Nestlé UK archivist Alex Hutchinson, and its launch was attended by

Giles Naish, who works at Nestlé in York and is the great-great-grandson of Joseph Rowntree.

Cadbury, Fry, Rowntree & York Connection

George Cadbury and Lewis Fry were both apprenticed to Joseph Rowntree Senior (Lord Mayor of York)

at his grocers shop on Pavement where they learnt the trade along with his son Joseph Rowntree

Junior who became the famous chocolate magnate. Mssrs Cadbury and Fry seniors were both making chocolate before their sons went to York.

George Cadbury returned home to take over the business with his brother, built the new Garden

factory and the Garden Village and made the Cadbury business what it is today. Lewis Fry went into

politics. The sons learnt the grocery trade, the ancient and delicate art of tea blending, coffee roasting,

ketchup making, the buying and storing of perishable produce, patting of butter etc. This all happened

before 1860. In 1860 the Food and Drugs Act was passed which meant that manufacturers, grocers

and others in food industry could no longer tamper with food in order to make quick money.

Until that time, and for a short period after, it was common to find your tea leaves had been mixed

with old used tea leaves, wax in the chocolate or poisonous food colouring in sweets. All confectionery

roads in Britain appear to lead to York. York is not only home to the beginnings of three major

confectionery firms in York, but also the beginnings of three different attitudes to confectionery

(Rowntree’s grocery trade, Terry's medicinal and novelty trade and Craven's retail trade), which shaped the confectionery industry.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO

York Chocolate Trail

Take a mouth-watering wander through time, packed full of chocolate,

pioneers and famous confectionery. Pick up a free York Chocolate Trail

leaflet from the Visit York Visitor Information Centre on 1 Museum Street and follow the chocolate history around the city.

Terry’s Sweet Shop at the York Castle Museum

Terry’s of York was one of Britain’s oldest confectionery making

companies and was one of the first to make eating chocolate rather

than drinking chocolate. When its factory in York closed on 30

September, 2005, York Castle Museum received over 400 objects

including photographs, packaging, publicity catalogues – and chocolates, which they are now displaying at the Museum.

Joseph Rowntree Theatre

The Joseph Rowntree Theatre was designed by the well-known architect Barry Parker and built in

1935. Back then it was known as The Joseph Rowntree Hall, but was renamed The Joseph Rowntree

Theatre in 1946. The total cost of building the theatre was £12,000, which was provided by the Joseph

Rowntree Village Trustees. Simple architectural features, combined with a warm colour scheme and

hidden lighting, were designed to give an intimate and welcoming atmosphere to the 450 seater

auditorium. The hall was equipped with the most up to date acoustics, lighting and heating system

and a magnificent curved cyclorama. The hall was opened on 18 November 1935 by Seebohm

Rowntree, Chairman of the then Rowntree & Co Limited, with the aim of providing a hall which may

be a fitting centre for those recreational and educational activities which make for a full and happy life. www.jrtheatre.co.uk

Rowntree Park

Rowntree Park is a short walk from the city centre, situated on Terry Avenue by the River Ouse. The

park was a gift to the City of York by Messrs Rowntree & Co. in 1921 and is a memorial to the Cocoa

Works staff who fell and suffered during World War I. A set of listed gates off Terry Avenue were

added to the park in memory of those who fell in the World War II. Bronze plaques mark both

occasions within the centrally located Lych Gate. The park has woodland walks, tree trails, ornamental

lake with ducks and geese, half of the lake is available for use for model boats, two bowling greens, six tennis courts, skate park, basketball court and well equipped children's play area.

Mansion House

Mansion House was a home to Joseph Terry four times in his role as Lord Mayor of York. The Mansion

House was built as a home, and a place for the Lord Mayor to entertain visitors to the ci ty, and also to

house the wonderful civic collections. Still used today for the same purpose, the Mansion House is also open for exploring.

Terry’s Shop and Tea Rooms

Found in St Helen’s Square, the building once housed Terry’s Shop and Tea Rooms. The si gns can still be seen with the name being quite visible in the stonework.

Fairfax House

Fairfax House houses the exceptional Noel Terry Collection of English Furniture and Clocks. This

collection, which was given to York Civic Trust in 1980 following Noel Terry’s death, comprises some

of the best examples of British cabinet-making and horology. The superb Noel Terry collection of

furniture, clocks, paintings and decorative arts, has been described as one of the finest private collections of the twentieth century.

Pizza Hut, Pavement St

Now a Pizza Hut, the Pavement street venue was once The Rowntree store created by Joseph Rowntree senior.

Choccy & Sweetie Tour by YorkWalk

Join the Choccy & Sweetie Tour, explore the locations in York best known for their chocolate history

and hear the history of Terrys & Rowntree’s, visit Choccy and Sweetie shops and taste free samples. www.yorkwalk.co.uk

York’s Chocolate Story

York’s Chocolate Story is an entertaining and informative

guided tour through the history of York’s most famous

chocolate-making families and their finest creations. Discover

chocolate’s origins, how to make it, how to taste it like an

expert and even the sustainable future of chocolate. Uncover

a host of surprising secrets and fascinating facts behind York’s

greatest chocolate products, from the Chocolate Orange to

the globally famous KitKat. www.yorkschocolatestory.com

York Cocoa House Chocolate School

The art of chocolate making is a wonderful skill that will

always impress. There's very few things that don't taste

better with chocolate. The most fantastic thing is that it

can be perfected so very easily by all ages and abilities.

York Cocoa House has chocolate workshops at a range

of different levels, from their drop-in Chocolate Lollipop

activities and their one hour Taster Workshops to more

in-depth Chocolate Masterclasses. There’s always an

option to join their Chocolate Apprentice Course with a

dedicated week to work with chocolate. www.yorkcocoahouse.co.uk/chocolate-school

York’s Chocolate Story

York’s Chocolate Story offers educational workshops for children and fun chocolate Maste rclasses to

adults. Workshops last one hour and are hosted in a partner venue just a short walk away from York’s

Chocolate Story. For children there are different themed chocolate workshops – Chocolate

Masterclasses are the best place to learn the secrets of the York’s chocolatiers with a glass of choccy cocktail.

Betty’s Cookery School

Bettys has over 95 years of experience lovingly hand crafting a beautiful selection of chocolates. Led

by an expert Bettys chocolatier, this course is a great all -rounder, covering a wide range of chocolate-

making techniques. From the delicate art of hand-tempering and hand-dipping chocolate to creating indulgent fillings and different finishes. www.bettyscookeryschool.co.uk

Yorkshire Soap Company

Walking into the Yorkshire Soap Company shop in York would make anyone feel like Alice in

Wonderland with the Wizard of Oz music on the background and fantastic looking little cakes and

chocolates wonderfully presented on cake trays. But beware! Handmade on site, the Yorkshire So ap

Company makes these chocolate-scented soap bars and chocolate scented soap cupcakes to leave you smelling good enough to eat! www.yorkshiresoap.co.uk

Nestlé Chocolate Factory

Nestlé UK has been a part of life in the UK since the 1860s. The company has its roots in three big

organisations; Nestlé, the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company and Rowntree’s of York. The first two

merged in 1905 and then took over Rowntree’s in 1988. Nestlé Chocolate Factory is now situated on

Haxby Road in York but covers the whole city with the smells of chocolate reaching to the Racecourse.

If you’d like to track the delicious chocolate smell follow @YorkChocAroma on Twitter and see maps

highlighting the likely coverage based on wind speed and direction. www.twitter.com/yorkchocaroma www.nestle.co.uk

Goddard’s Garden, National Trust

The cherished family home of Noel Goddard Terry, owner of the famous

chocolate-making firm Terry’s of York is now opened to the public. It’s a

true hidden gem - only a stone's throw away from York City Centre. The

house has selected rooms displayed to give glimpses into the family

home and working chocolate factory. The garden includes yew-hedged

garden rooms, bowling green, wilderness gardens and plants for every

season; it is also an oasis for wildlife. A trip to Goddards is incomplete

without a visit to the Terry family’s beautiful Dining Room where

Goddard’s offers light lunch, refreshing drinks and the signature

chocolate orange cake. Or why not enjoy a glass of Sherry whilst relaxing

in the armchairs. On the Lavender Terrace snacks and sips are offered in

the beautiful 1920s style rattan chairs. Curl up with a gin and tonic,

bloody mary, Pimms or light snacks such as cheese and biscuits or scones

and enjoy the sun. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/goddards

York’s Chocolate Story Chocolate Bar Café

The perfect destination for chocolate lovers to pick up a deliciously decadent snack. Hot chocolate is

one for the chocolate connoisseur, made with only the highest quality chocolate with nine distinct

flavours to choose from. Or why not choose from their range of divinely decadent shakes. Simply pick

from the extensive range of delicious ice cream. They serve a sublime range of fresh chocolates

created in house by their chocolatiers every day and stock a huge range of fabulous handmade

brownies and tray bakes. For those looking to share, the legendary luxurious Chocolate Fondue for

Two is the perfect option!

York Cocoa House Afternoon Chocolate

York Cocoa House offers Chocolatada with the Afternoon Chocolate Menu, a combination of the

Cocoa House specialities all made with chocolate! It can’t get any more chocolatey! Chocolate was once regarded as a hot liquor along with tea and coffee, to be enjoyed in polite society.

CHOCOLATE SHOPS IN YORK

Bettys Café Tea Rooms

Hotel Chocolat

Monk Bar Chocolatiers

York Cocoa House York’s Chocolate Story

CHOCOLATE STAYS IN YORK

Hotel Indigo

Hotel Indigo York, on Walmgate, the city’s thriving

foodie destination and the birthplace of York’s chocolate

making empire, works with York Chocolate Story to offer

visitors an authentic taste of Britain’s chocolate

heritage. The 101 room boutique hotel is partnered with

one of York’s most popular attractions to offer visitors

leisure deals to include chocolate making workshops and

guided tours, taking them on a journey through York’s

rich chocolate history. Within easy walking distance

from the heart of York, the hotel is equally suitable for both business and leisure travellers. PR

contacts: Lisa Ronchetti. Email: lisa@adhocpr.com. Tel: 077903 869 669. Lara Huberman. Email:

lara@adhocpr.com. Tel: 07799 416 225. Ad Hoc PR.

Limes

The Limes is a beautiful family run late Victorian house. Book a chocolate break with Limes and enjoy delicious chocolates during your relaxing stay at this brilliant B&B.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory themed Afternoon Tea at The Grand Hotel

Enter into a wonderful world of pure imagination at this inspired Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

inspired tea. Taking place every second Sunday of the month. Contact: 01904 380038

YORK’S CHOCOLATE STORY

York’s Chocolate Story, located in the heart of York, is

an entertaining and informative guided tour through

the history of York’s most famous chocolate-making

families and their finest creations. Visitors can

discover chocolate’s origins, how to make it, how to

taste it like an expert and even the sustainable future

of chocolate. There is so much to see, including live

chocolate-making demonstrations from skilled

chocolatiers and a host of fascinating chocolate

artefacts. Visitors can even get hands-on and make

their own chocolates in the Factory Zone and create their very own chocolate delights. Once guests

have explored chocolate-making and its history, they can shop for and indulge in the finest chocolate

in the attraction’s café and shop.

The attraction is divided into three key zones:

Story Zone – engaging storytellers take visitors back thousands of years to the rainforests of

Central America where it all began. Moving through the history of chocolate’s founding

families visitors learn the fascinating facts and surprising secrets behind their finest creations.

Factory Zone – explore chocolate-making and its history in the Factory Zone. Learn how a

simple cocoa bean is transformed into the finest chocolate. Immerse yourself in displays and

exhibits of some of the most iconic confectionery brands in the world. Design your own

chocolate bar wrapper and discover your perfect chocolate bar with a fun chocolate

personality quiz.

Indulgence Zone – after the tour, put your new found knowledge into practice and choose

from a selection of the finest chocolates in the country. Buy peach and raspberry or orange

and geranium flavoured chocolates, or browse the many other chocolate delights produced

by some of the UK’s finest manufacturers in the shop. The Chocolate Bar café is renowned for its indulgent chocolate delights and the speciality hot chocolate.

Opening Times:

Open daily from 10am (last tour is at 5pm) - please allow 90 minutes for your visit.

Closed on 25th December, 26th December and 1st January. For more information please see www.yorkschocolatestory.com

YORK’S CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL

York invites you to indulge in the Home of Chocolate and a celebration of the industry, chocolate

lovers, artisan chocolatiers, museums and attractions share a piece of York's chocolate history.

Chocolate Contacts

Bettys Café Tea Rooms

Website: www.bettys.co.uk

Hotel Chocolat

Website: www.hotelchocolat.co.uk

Monk Bar Chocolatiers

Raymond Cardy

Tel: 01904 634999

Email: ray@monkbar.com

Website: www.monkbar.com

Nestlé

Tel: 020 8667 6005

Email: nestleukpressoffice@uk.nestle.com

Website: www.nestle.co.uk

York’s Chocolate Story

Ralph Hewitt

Tel: 01904 527721

Email: rhewitt@continuum-group.com

Website: www.yorkschocolatestory.com

YORK FACTFILE The following information will provide useful reference points for your readers and we kindly request you to include our website address www.visityork.org/chocolate

The York Pass – Once purchased the York Pass offers you a choice of free entry into over thirty York

attractions and tours as well as restaurant and shopping offers. You can buy a 1, 2 or 3 day pass

making it a superb addition to your leisure break. To buy a York Pass contact York Visitor Information Centre, Tel: 01904 550099, email: info@yorkpass.com or visit: www.yorkpass.com

How to get to York:

By car - York is situated only 20 minutes from the M1/M62 motorway network. Frequent Park and

Ride bus services operate into the city centre.

By train - York is on the East Coast mainline. It takes less than two hours to get to York from

London. York is served by East Coast and Grand Central Trains. National Rail enquiries call 08457

48 49 50 (in the UK) or +44 (0) 20 7278 5240 (overseas) or visit www.nationalrail.co.uk

- Virgin Trains East Coast runs fast, frequent train services from stations along the London-

Scotland East Coast route. VTEC operates 72 weekday services between London King’s

Cross and York, including a non-stop service each hour through the day, taking as little as

1 hour 49 minutes to complete the journey. VTEC also has direct trains to York from

Scotland, North East England and the East Midlands. York Station is a short walk from the

city centre. Visit www.virgintrainseastcoast.com

- Grand Central runs train services between the North East of England and London, calling

at Sunderland, Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe, Northallerton, Thirsk, York and London. For

information/reservations: call 0345 603 4852 or visit www.grandcentralrail.com

By coach - If you are travelling by coach, you will be able to get a direct service to York from many

UK cities. National Express coach services call 08717 81 81 81 or visit www.nationalexpress.com

Photo library

The Visit York team has a large library of photography available at www.visityorkimages.co.uk

Please note: The information provided in the media pack is subject to change. Please check the details.

For more information and to book your stay in York:

Visit www.visityork.org

Twitter @visityork #onlyinyork #yorkadventure #visityork

Media contact: Kay Hyde, Head of PR & Communications.

Tel: 01904 554451 Email: Kay.Hyde@makeityork.com