Whats special about the Royal York Crescent?
Well, as stated, the Royal York is reputed to be the longest structure of its type in Europe. Construction began in 1791, but it wasn’t completed until 1818 due to some funding issues. As you approach it from the direction of the Clifton Suspension bridge, you’ll see you can stay on the street beneath the crescent or you can take a staircase up on the left to walk along it. Back in the day, whether you stayed on the street or whether you went up the staircase was a matter of class. Servants and merchants would have been down in the muck. Owners would have walked in the higher place, keeping their feet and dresses clean. Personally, I suggest you walk in both places so that you can look up from below—see the horse stable doors and merchant entrances that have been converted to garages or storage areas for modern day owners—and then down across the city. When you’re walking along the crescent, notice the plaque on one townhouse that marks where Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III i
