A Prehistoric Tour of York City Centre

York's historic buildings are famously old, with some parts of the city being nearly 2000 years old. However, they also have an extraordinary prehistory, stretching back more than 2 billion years. On this special York's Hidden History walk, Dr Liam Herringshaw will take participants on a journey through deep time, showing how the city's streets reveal an amazing history of the Earth.

We'll admire Georgian-Jurassic buildings, watch out for volcanoes in St Leonard's Hospital and St Helen's Square, and find fossils, magma, and York's oldest building on Coney Street. We'll also learn why the three Rs are key to York's building history: Roman, reuse, and railways.

Sunday October 6th is not only part of York Unlocked weekend, it's also UNESCO International Geodiversity Day. What better opportunity to combine York's historic buildings with a dash of deep-time detective work?

The tour begins outside the Yorkshire Museum (https://what3words.com/cross.brave.cloud; Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZtjXyCDA8jFpoNUM6), lasts around one hour, and is step-free. The walk finishes on Church Lane, Spurriergate (https://what3words.com/album.gentle.posed; Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KB2KpSmL2QZT45v99).