Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
For once she was a true love of mine
- From which song are the lines above known?
- What or where is Scarborough Fair?
- Do you know who is most famous for performing the song?
You may listen to the song here: Scarborough Fair on YouTube
York
York is a beautiful city, steeped in history, with an impressive cathedral, medieval walls and narrow streets. The city of 200,000 inhabitants attracts people from all over the world. It was an important Roman town named Eboracum. The foundations of the Roman fortress can be seen under today’s cathedral or York Minster, as it is called. Later on the Vikings took over and called the city Jorvik. A reconstruction of the Viking city with all its noise and smells can be seen today underneath the modern shopping centre where the remains of the original town were found. The Vikings also left their mark behind in the names of the streets, e.g. Stonegate, Petergate and Fossgate.
More traces of history are to be found in the Norman castle, Clifford’s Tower, The Shambles, an area of butcher’s shops in medieval times, and the many narrow streets of medieval and Tudor houses.
If you are not interested in history, there are many cafés and pubs and boat trips on the River Ouse. York also has a university and many science and technology companies have established themselves nearby.
Liverpool
Liverpool was an important port city for 200 years, trading in goods from the Caribbean and America. It was one of the ports of the triangle trade involving African slaves. 9 million emigrants travelled to America from here. The port declined from the 1970s and there was a lot of unemployment and deterioration in the city. In the 1960s and 1970s, Liverpool was the centre of the Mersey Sound with groups like Gerry and the Pacemakers with their hit "Ferry Cross the Mersey" and above all, the Beatles. In 1992, the docklands were restored and today Albert Dock appears as one of the top tourist attractions along with the city's two famous football clubs, Liverpool FC and Everton.
Yorkshire
The Yorkshire Moors and Yorkshire Dales with their beautiful countryside are popular holiday areas for walking and potholing. Close by there are also the large industrial and commercial towns of Leeds, the UK's third largest city, and Sheffield and Bradford. Bradford has a large immigrant population where they have their own variant of English. Look in the cutlery drawer at home and you will see what Sheffield is famous for. The Yorkshire landscape has often appeared in films and TV series. Can you name any of them?
Birmingham
Situated in the Midlands, this is Britain’s second largest city and the centre of industry. It was known as “the Workshop of the World” after the Industrial Revolution and today is an important commercial centre. People from here are known as “Brummies”.
Discussion
1. Based on the information in the texts, where would you go if you were interested in (there can be more than one answer):
a. history
b. outdoor activities
c. a seaside holiday
d. football
e. culture e.g. music, theatre etc.
f. former centres of industry
g. a student environment
(Choose from: York, Liverpool, Yorkshire, Birmingham, Cambridge, Newcastle, Brighton, Manchester, London, Stonehenge, Devon, and/or Hadrian’s Wall.)
a. York, Stonehenge, Hadrian’s Wall, London.
b. Yorkshire, Devon
c. Brighton, Devon
d. Manchester, Liverpool
e. London, Liverpool
f. Birmingham, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Manchester.
g. Cambridge
2. Choose the two places that you think would be the most interesting to visit. In pairs or small groups talk about the places you have chosen and why you chose them.