New heritage guide to East Yorkshire and York celebrates best of region's towns and villages

Right on time a new guide to the area - and York - has come out, celebrating well-known landmarks and hidden gems alike.

The lavishly illustrated Heritage Shell Guide to East Yorkshire and York is a book for perusing at home or to accompany a walk.

It could also help anyone trying to answer tricky pub quiz questions like: "In which Holderness church hangs a unique 17th-century painting of the execution of King Charles I?"

Or: "Where in the East Riding did Lewis Carroll photograph a young girl, called Alice, climbing out of a first-floor window?"

The guides are similar in content to the original Shell Guides, which were first published in the 1930s, under the editorship of the future Poet Laureate John Betjeman.

But oddly the series - which ended in 1994 - never covered Yorkshire.

It was revived by the Heritage Shell Guide Trust – which is no longer linked with the Shell company – and which published its first guide to West Yorkshire in 2012.

Authors Beverley historians Susan and David Neave, who have written numerous books on the history and buildings of the region, say the guide was an "ideal distraction" during the long months of the pandemic.

They set out to "encapsulate the essence" of the cities, towns and villages that make up the local authority areas of the East Riding of Yorkshire, the City of Kingston upon Hull and the City of York.

Almost everywhere has an entry dealing with its character, historic buildings, personalities and interesting aspects of its history.

The sections on Beverley, Hull and York are in the form of guided walks with maps and directions.

Neither of the authors are keen on giving away their favourite haunts - but suggest that Goole, Howden and Snaith are well worth a visit.

"You can go to the Lowther Hotel where Goole was founded in 1828. There's a little bit left of the Georgian town. Then you can walk from there round the docks," said Dr David Neave. "Howden has a lot to offer as does Snaith. It's an area that's under appreciated."

As is East Yorkshire in general, they say: "We just think it's under appreciated even by the people who live here. They tend to go away for the day to the North Riding and don't see how much we have in this area. It's a pity."

Dr Susan Neave added: "We hope the usual bookbuying people might think it is a nice Christmas present if they are interested in the history of the area. And we also hope nationally there will be people who fondly remember the old Shell guides."

The Neaves will be signing copies at Beverley Bookshop, Butcher Row, Beverley on October 18 between 12pm and 2pm.