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BEVERLEY , nine miles north of Hull, ranks as one of northern
England's premier towns, its Minster the superior of many an English
cathedral, its tangle of old streets, cobbled lanes and elegant Georgian
and Victorian terraces the very picture of a traditional market town.
Over 350 buildings are listed as possessing historical or architectural
merit, and though you could see its first-rank offerings in a morning,
this is one of a handful of places in this part of the world that you
might want to stay in for its own sake.
Approaches to the town are dominated by the twin towers of Beverley
Minster (March, April, Sept & Oct Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; May-Aug Mon-Sat
9am-6pm; Nov-Feb Mon-Sat 9am-4pm; plus Sun year round, depending on
services, but usually noon-4pm; £2 donation requested), visible for
miles across the wolds and airy flatlands. Initiated as a modest chapel,
the minster became a monastery under John of Beverley, who was buried
here in 721 and canonized in 1037 - his body lies under the crossing at
the top of the nave. Fires and the collapse of the central tower in 1213
paved the way for two centuries of rebuilding, funded by bequests from
pilgrims paying homage to the saint, and the result was one of the
finest Gothic creations in the country. The west front , which crowned
the work in 1420, is widely considered without equal, its survival due
in large part to Baroque architect Nicholas Hawksmoor, who restored much
of the church in the eighteenth century. Similar outstanding work awaits
in the interior, most notably the fourteenth-century Percy Tomb on the
north side of the altar, its sumptuously carved canopy one of the
masterpieces of medieval European ecclesiastical art. Other incidental
carving throughout the church is magnificent, particularly the 68
misericords of the oak choir (1520-24), one of the largest and most
accomplished in England. Much of the decorative work here and elsewhere
is on a musical theme. Beverley had a renowned guild of itinerant
minstrels, which provided funds in the sixteenth century for the
carvings on the transept aisle capitals, where you'll be able to pick
out players of lutes, bagpipes, horns and tambourines.
Beverley's train station is beside Station Square, just a couple of
minutes' walk from the Minster; buses pull into Station Square. The
tourist office is at 34 Butcher Row in the main shopping area (June-Aug
Mon-Fri 9.30am-5.30pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-2pm; rest of year closed
Sun; tel 01482/391672). There's plenty of local accommodation ,
including the Eastgate , 7 Eastgate (tel 01482/868464; no credit cards;
£40-50), close to the Minster. Among the hotels, the top town-centre
choices are the Beverley Arms , North Bar Within (tel 01482/869241;
£70-90), and the North Bar Hotel , 28 North Bar Without (tel
01482/881375; £50-60). Of the pubs, try the Windmill Inn , 53 Lairgate
(tel 01482/862817; £40-50), which has a dozen rooms for rent. The youth
hostel (tel 01482/881751, ; closed Nov-March) occupies one of the town's
finer buildings, a restored Dominican friary that was mentioned in the
Canterbury Tales . It's located in Friar's Lane, off Eastgate. For food
, Cerutti's 2 , in Station Square (tel 01482/866700; closed Sun), is a
sister brasserie to that in Hull. Or you can eat in the pubs - the
celebrated White Horse on Hengate, near St Mary's, is a thoroughly
atmospheric traditional drinking den with folk music nights.
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