York Places of Learning Through Time

tells the unknown story of York's role as a seat of learning and culture. It provides a snapshot of the city's universities, schools, learned societies, theatres, museums, and galleries — how they once were, and the way they are today.

It covers historical moments from the establishment of St Peter's School in AD 627 to the exhibition of David Hockney's Bigger Trees Near Warter in 2011. Authors Paul Chrystal and Simon Crossley offer today's residents a unique perspective on their city's pedagogical tradition.

They take in St Peter's, the Mount, Bootham, the Bluecoat School, Fulford Open Air School, and the ground-breaking Joseph Rowntree School. Also considered are the venerable Yorkshire Philosophical Society and York Medical Society, two famous theatres, and a wholly disproportionate share of the nation's best museums.