Eating in the Great Hall

Since coming to England, I've fallen in love. Not with a boy, don't worry now. Instead I've fallen in love with a city. Walk around York and you can't help but be aware of the rich fusion of historical periods around you. Architectural evidence around the city bears testament to York's Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Norman and Christian eras. Stroll along the city wall for example and an attentive eye can pick out the different eras represented in the layers of stones—some are from the old Roman fortress while others are from more recent reconstruction attempts. Or, if you are in the mood for shopping spattered with a little history, try walking around the Shambles. Wedged into York's city center are countless historical homes now converted into a variety of shops from butcher shops to tea rooms, from souvenir shops to second hand book stores. (Think Diagon Alley for an appropriate mental picture). Each of these buildings is unique; some date back many hundreds of years while others are less old; some are tall and narrow while others are stout; some buildings are constructed solely of brick, others of stone while still others are made of stucco and wood.
But perhaps the best example of the fusion of historical eras is the York Minster. The site of this cathedral dates as far back as Roman times when it was the location of the city's fortress. But since the conversion of the Anglo-Saxon King Edwin in the 7th century the old fortress became the site of York’s first Christian church. From its humble origins as a wooden Anglo-Saxon church it moved up the ranks to a Norman and then its present-day Gothic Cathedral. Go down into the crypt of today’s Minster and you can see the remains of both the Roman fortress and the Norman church. In addition to seeing the old foundations of the Roman fortress’ underground dike or old Norman pillars, one can read a great deal about the ongoing reconstruction work and archeological research still being conducted at the Minster. What is clear about such exhibits is that the reconstruction work is not at all easy; in fact it can take years simply to restore one small portion of this ancient structure. However, despite all the work involved, the commitment to maintain and preserve history is clearly evident as well.
So, other than serving to make you all jealous of my new lover, what do these descriptions have to do with anything of substance? Forgive me if I am making too far a stretch here but I think York’s array of historical architecture and its preservation may have some bearing upon British culture and values.
Think for a moment about North American buildings; despite the fact that English Western architecture predates that of North America by centuries, there are much fewer instances of historical architecture in North America even in regards to simple structures like residential housing. In North American when a building is old and falling apart it seems that the natural response is to demolish it unless it bears some already known historical significance. According to a number of housing surveys that I looked at for both North America and the UK, demolition rates for residential houses in North American were consistently higher than in the UK. However, while York is full of historical buildings and ancient architecture, it is not uncommon to walk down the street and see construction workers repairing various sections of York’s city wall, for example. Or, as I mentioned earlier, York Minster is constantly under restorative construction work. One side of the York Minster, for example, has been hidden beneath a great deal of scaffolding for the duration of my time in York. In short it takes a good deal of conscious effort to maintain old buildings, an effort that increases with age (not to mention price). Of course, when you see the beauty of these buildings it is not difficult to understand why such efforts are taken. But at some point in time, some of these buildings were not of the great historical value that they possess now. Yet, continually throughout the lifespan of these buildings city contractors have opted for the often more difficult route of maintenance and reconstruction.
It seems to me that the contrast between demolition in North America and maintenance in England indicate a subtle difference in the way each country views their past—both immediate and ancient. Judging from my conversations with other British students here and my observations of building trends, it seems to me that North Americans view the past as something more disposable—something that can be torn down like an out-of-date house and simply rebuilt in a more modern style. But in England the past seems to be viewed with a great deal of respect, as something to be built upon, preserved and learned from.
On Saturday, we traveled to Durham—a beautiful old river town. Part of our visit involved a trip to Durham University where we had the opportunity to speak with two professors and two students. Before this interview a few friends and I took a tour of Durham Castle. We soon discovered this castle had a modern 21st purpose. Since the latter part of the 19th century this medieval castle has been converted into a college residence. College students walk up an old oak floating staircase to reach their rooms and eat their meals in the castle’s Great Hall with rifles from the Napoleonic wars hanging protectively overhead. And each year the students continue to vote in favor of conducting at least two meals a week in formal attire accompanied by strict, traditional dining etiquette. Here in Durham, students seek to live harmoniously and respectfully in the gap between past and present. Such a picture is one from which we all might hope to learn to better respect and build up our pasts, both immediate and ancient.