A gallery of incredible character pieces painted in a cartoon style by South Wales-based The Art of Sok.
Instagram: @theartofsok
Big Cartel: https://theartofsok.bigcartel.com
All photographs by Scooj
The Art of Sok
Tag: Gallery
Thursday doors – 12 March 2026 – York City
Doors 346 – Doors from the City of York, (Part VII), June 2024
Today I bring you the final selection of doors from York, which were mostly photographed in the area around Monk Bar, a gate and tower north of the city centre – the following is a synopsis of Monk Bar from the excellent Jorvik website:
Monk Bar is the tallest and most elaborately designed of York’s four Bars, standing 19.2 metres high and forming the north-east entrance to the city. Built mainly in the early 14th century, with a fourth storey added in 1484 by King Richard III, it was designed so that each of its four levels could be defended independently. It once included a barbican (demolished in 1825) and still contains the city’s only working portcullis, which was last lowered in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
The rooms above the gateway originally provided access to murder holes used to attack enemies, but today they house the Richard III Museum. Over time the upper floors have also served as a jail and a policeman’s residence, remaining inhabited until 1914. Later alterations included the addition of side arches in 1820 and the widening of the main arch for traffic in 1861, although the narrow, low stairwell leading inside the Bar remains unchanged.
It has been fun sharing these doors from York, and I’ll be moving on to pastures new next time, enjoy!
When walking around York, if you look up at the buildings (something I do a lot of), you’ll see a number of cats on walls or resting on ledges – this is another wonderful curiosity of the city, and there is a cat trail that you can go on to find all 51 of them. I found a few on my trip, but at the time didn’t realise it was a thing, so wasn’t really looking for them. There is one above the door in the last picture.
I now have the joyful challenge of deciding what to dig out of my archive for next time, until then, have a great weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post and his Sunday recap.
Thursday doors – 5 March 2026 – York City
Doors 345 – Doors from the City of York, (Part VI), June 2024
This week I am sharing the penultimate set of doors in this series from the City of York. I was only there for one night, arriving late afternoon on one day, and in a meeting for the next before returning home to Bristol. All of these doors were photographed during a short window of time in the evening and early morning of the two days.
While I enjoy the ‘on tour’ days of my job, I only ever really get a superficial glimpse of the places I go to, but mark them up for potential fuller visits in my retirement. Photographing the doors offers me a tantalising taster, which I hope comes across in these Thursday Doors posts. I hope you enjoy this week’s selection:
Built in 1465 beside York Minster, St William’s College originally housed the Minster’s chantry priests, who were paid to pray for the souls of benefactors, and was named after Archbishop William Fitzherbert. After centuries of changing uses, from private flats and a Civil War printing press to near-derelict slum housing, the Grade I listed medieval building was restored and today is used as a historic venue for events, dining, and public visits.
Next time will be the conclusion of doors from York, and I am getting rather excited about what to share then. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post and his Sunday recap.
Donz
A gallery of bright and colourful graffiti writing from Bristol artist Donz.
Instagram: @mrcrisp_donz
All photographs by Scooj
Thursday doors – 26 February 2026 – York City
Doors 344 – Doors from the City of York, (Part V), June 2024
I have only limited time to write this post as I was in London yesterday and have a busy day ahead today. York is a wonderful city, and popular with tourists too, and you can see why. It is full of winding, narrow streets and architecture from many periods. The Minster (featured last week) is the most famous building in the city, and it is complemented by so many interesting and beautiful houses and structures. This week’s doors are from the area near the Minster, I hope you like them.
I have a few more doors to share from York, before moving on to somewhere else – I am slowly working through my archives of doors, without adding to them at the moment, but I think I’ll have plenty of trips this spring and summer to top up my reserves. Until next time, have a great weekend etc.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post and his Sunday recap.
Thursday doors – 19 February 2026 – York Minster
Doors 343 – Doors from the City of York, York Minster, (Part IV), June 2024
This week I am concentrating on one building in York and its many external doors, the world-famous York Minster. I shall let the Interweb do some of the heavy lifting on a description of York Minster, in the interests of time efficiency and (likely) accuracy.
York Minster is one of the largest and most magnificent Gothic cathedrals in Northern Europe. Its origins date back to 627 AD, when a small wooden church was built on the site to baptize King Edwin of Northumbria. Over the centuries, this early structure was replaced by stone churches, including a Norman cathedral erected after the Norman Conquest. Following a devastating fire in 1220, the current Gothic minster began to take shape, with construction continuing for over 250 years until its completion in 1472.
Architecturally, York Minster is a masterpiece of medieval English Gothic design, showcasing Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular styles. Its vast nave, intricate stone vaulting, and soaring pointed arches create a powerful sense of verticality and light. The cathedral is renowned for its extraordinary stained glass, including the Great East Window—one of the largest expanses of medieval stained glass in the world—and the famous Rose Window in the south transept.
The building’s central tower rises above the city of York, serving as a dominant landmark and symbol of ecclesiastical authority. Inside, finely carved choir stalls, detailed tracery, and an impressive chapter house with its octagonal design highlight the craftsmanship of medieval masons. Together, its layered history and architectural grandeur make York Minster not only a place of worship but also a monument to centuries of religious, political, and artistic development in England.
When I visited York, I didn’t have time to go inside the Minster, instead I walked around the outside snapping away. The building is large, and with the proximity of surrounding shops and houses it was difficult to take pictures without using the wide-angle lens, leaving some of the photographs looking a little distorted. I hope you enjoy these pictures of one of the great buildings of England.
It is a pity that the skies were a little overcast during my visit, but I don’t think that it diminishes the impressiveness of the building at all. When I visit again, I must make time to go inside. Next time, some more doors from the streets of York, until then, have a great weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post and his Sunday recap.
Dirtygypo
A gallery of intricate, colourful and disguised graffiti writing from Bristol’s Dirtygypo.
Instagram: @dirtygypo
All photographs by Scooj
Thursday doors – 12 February 2026 – City of York
Doors 342 – Doors from the City of York (Part III), June 2024
The doors this week continue on my journey from my hotel to the office, which takes me close to York Minster (more on that next week). It is all a while ago now, and I forget exactly where I was when I took the pictures. I hope you enjoy them:
Certainly the City of York has some stunning historic doors, many of which are rather classy. Next time I’ll share some doors from York Minster. Until then, I bid you farewell.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post and his Sunday recap.
Thursday doors – 5 February 2026 – City of York
Doors 341 – Doors from the City of York (Part II), June 2024
Having spent a week away on a glorious holiday, I am now paying the price, with an avalanche of emails and backlog of work projects and requests keeping me very busy indeed. This afternoon I head off to Cornwall to run a workshop on Friday, leaving me little time to work and prepare blog posts, so I wrote this one last night.
Back to some doors from the City of York, which is a truly incredible place if ever you get the chance to visit, but I would advise going during the spring or autumn, because it can get very crowded indeed in peak tourist season.
This set of doors were photographed during a random walk between the hotel I was staying at and the government office where I was having a team meeting. I hope you enjoy them.
More from York next time, may I wish you a happy weekend from a very damp Bristol.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post and his Sunday recap.
Thursday Doors – 29 January 2026
Doors 340 – Street art and graffiti doors
I am feeling a little decadent, because I am writing this post in a warm bath, soaking my tired muscles after a long skiing day (yesterday). I mentioned last week that I was going to be away this week, and will be repurposing some street art doors which were originally posted as street art/graffiti posts on Natural Adventures in May-July 2024. I hope you enjoy them.
I have taken a few liberties and a loose definition of doors in this post, but I hope you enjoy them anyway. Next time, when I am back in Old Blighty, I’ll resume the doors of York series. Until then byeee, and have a superb weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post and his Sunday recap.
Natural adventures 