Follow The Foss - 4 - Foss view to Foss Islands Bridge

This section of the Foss is where there is no section of city wall. The River Foss formed a large swampy area around here which was eventually cut into a drainage channel and the swampy area that is now Hungate was drained. Hungate is undergoing redevelopment and has been thoroughly dug over by the archaeologists who have turned up finds from Roman times through Viking up to the early 19th century. The first stage of the redevlopment is nearing completion and the buildings along Foss View are starting to be occupied.

Although the City Council have a rubbish collecting boat you can just see it in the distance beyond the covered section of walkway I have never seen it being used. The current state of rubbish in the river makes me wonder if it has been used at all this year.

Just out of the covered walkway gives a closer glimpse of the moored rubbish collection boat and the chimney from the former power station that used to generate electricity for the city now standing next to Morrisons. The power station building that housed the generators stood where Halfords and Staples now stands.

The cooling tower for the power station used to stand on the far side of the river behind the trees you can see in the above picture. Access to the cooling tower was via the little bridge painted blue.

Continuing upstream on the left behind the trees you can just about see the edge of the DEFRA site (or whatever they are calling themselves these days, they used to be MAFF) which stands on the former site of engineering firm Adam's Hydraulics. Straight ahead you can see one of the bridge structures of the Foss Islands junction. This junction used to be a learner's nightmare with two hump backed bridges and multiple junctions to negotiate.

 

 

Behind the bridge you can see the point where the city walls break at Layerthorpe Postern and the marshlands of Foss Islands provided the defence line for the city. On foot you now need to follow a complicated route to get yourself onto Fossbank, see map below. Turn left onto the bridge in the above picture cross towards Layerthorpe Postern but at the island in between turn right to take you past the lighting arrangement in the following picture and then left where you will be against the flow of motor traffic onto Fossbank.

View Follow The Foss in a larger map

Autumn Colours - City Walls

I just could not resist the autumn colours of the trees next to Layerthorpe postern and the walls at the start of Jewbury as you come off Foss Islands Bridge.

Ware and Kay Solicitors

For a modern building I always think this does not look too bad. I particularly like the clock with the red face which can be seen in the topmost window on the right of the photograph. The building stands by the lights at Foss Islands Junction.

Foss Islands Junction - From the Walls

This junction used to strike fear into the hearts of learner drivers, maybe it still does. the junction was a mess of multiple junctions and narrow hump back bridges and was a favourite of driving test examiners as it sometimes meant you didn't have to work in a hill start if you stopped on one of the hump back bridges. The building in the right hand foreground is Ware & Kay Solicitors with Allied Carpets in middle background. As is usual when you are waiting for a bus there are three buses in a row, two Coastliners and a First Bus going over the bridge, not that I was waiting for one!

Easter Sunday Snow - Foss Islands Bridge

After an extremely mild winter here in York we have had a few days with snow. On Sunday morning, early, there was enough snow to make a covering of a few inches, or about 10 cms for those of you that are metricated. This was the scene at the little blue bridge over the River Foss that used to provide access to the cooling tower of the York electric generating station.

Reflections - Foss Islands bridge

A warm sunny autumn day and the River Foss is barely moving; providing a good mirror surface to reflect the structure of the bridges at Foss Islands. Years ago there were several hump back bridges linking the junctions and they were dreaded by learner drivers in case they stopped in traffic and had to hill start on the humps.