1. While it’s famed for being the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, York Minster is also the site of an old Valentine’s Day tradition. By sharing a smooch underneath the Heart of Yorkshire window (located at the Great West Window), partners are said to secure everlasting love…
2. Thanks to its stunning architecture, plethora of pubs, and picturesque churches, York has long been favoured as a location for weddings, but did you know that almost half of all the wedding ceremonies conducted in the city mark the unions of non-residents? Famous non-Yorkies to have married here include Ellie Goulding, who was wed at the Minster in 2019!
3. Speaking of weddings, did you know that King’s Manor in York is thought to have been the site of an alleged secret wedding between Henry Percy and Anne Boleyn, around 1523? Anne Boleyn would unsuccessfully cite this union (which was never recognised legally) as grounds for dodging execution in 1536.
4. Lover’s Leap, a rock formation at nearby Brimham Rocks, is said to be the site of the romantic legend of Julia and Edwin, a couple whose union was forbidden by Julia’s father. The pair were said to have flung themselves off Lover’s Leap in a bid to end their lives, but were saved by some friendly Yorkshire fairies!
5. Made famous by the Yorkshire folk song On Ilkley Moor bar t’at, Ilkley Moor also plays host to another local romantic tradition, the Ilkley Moor Poetry Box, wherein lovers swap handwritten love notes and poems at a secret silver box, located somewhere on the moor…
6. Did you know that the famous York poet WH Auden (born at 54 Bootham in 1907) penned some of the best-loved romance poems ever written? His works The More Loving One, As I Walked Out One Evening, Funeral Blues, and O’ Tell Me the Truth About Love are still regarded as some of the finest lovey-dovey poems on record.
7. Castle Howard is the most famous country house in North Yorkshire, but did you know that this much-loved local building has served as a shooting location for a variety of romantic film and TV works? These include Brideshead Revisited (1981), Bridgerton (2020-present), Lady L (1965), and dating show The Courtship (2022).
8. Did you know that Black Grouse, recognised as a conservation species in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, are famous for their elaborate ‘lekking’ displays, wherein male grouse strut their stuff to attract females?
9. Did you know that the University of York is rated as one of the best higher education establishments in the country for finding love? The uni has even gone so far as to create its own York Love Stories page, which celebrates the numerous stories of students who’ve met their perfect match…
10. We’re all aware that our city has some major pulling power when it comes to attracting tourists, but did you know that York is regularly rated as one of the most romantic cities in the UK? It still makes us swoon…
Have a Happy Valentine’s Day, Yorkies!
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