York’s Mayor and Sheriff came face-to-face with characters from York’s past when they made a visit to JORVIK Viking Centre for a special guided tour.
The visit was hosted by York Archaeology, which operates JORVIK Viking Centre, and included a tour by director of public engagement, Gareth Henry, and trustee Michael Schofield. The civic party explored the world-famous attraction, which brings together archaeological evidence from the Coppergate excavations with immersive interpretation to tell the story of Viking-age York.
Inside JORVIK: bringing Viking-age York to life
“Each Lord Mayor of York serves as honorary president of York Archaeology during their year of service, which generally just involves being invited along to our Annual General Meeting. When the incumbent Lord Mayor, Cllr Martin Rowley said he would love to visit JORVIK, we were very happy to oblige,” comments Gareth Henry. “JORVIK holds a very special place in the city, having welcomed over 21 million visitors through the doors since it opened in 1984, and it was wonderful to give the Civic Party a behind-the-scenes look at the latest technology we have introduced to make York’s Viking story even more exciting and accessible.”
This includes a new interactive time portal which functions as an introduction to York in the Viking Age, with an explorable digital window into the Blacksmith’s house that stood precisely where JORVIK Viking Centre is located today. The time portal was created by York-based Bright White, demonstrating the city’s prowess at digital interpretation – an important part of the city’s status as a UNESCO City of Media Arts.
The visit comes towards the end of Cllr Rowley and Mr Paul Doughty’s year leading the Civic Party as Lord Mayor and Sherriff respectively. This reflected the Civic Party’s ongoing support for York’s cultural and historic institutions, which play a vital role in the city’s identity, economy, and community life.
“It was the 1980s when I last visited, and I remember Magnus Magnusson’s commentary on the ride. It is almost unrecognisable since then – though the smells did bring back some memories! Experiencing so many different elements of York’s culture has been such a fascinating part of this year of office – really reminds you of how much York has to offer for residents and visitors alike,” comments the Lord Mayor, Cllr Rowley.
