Research
Women of York
A Humanities and Tourism project at York St John University.
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The project is a partnership between the School of Humanities and York Business School at York St John University. Our aim is to raise awareness of the crucial role women have played in our city's development and to widen access to women's history in York's many tourism and heritage sites.
Our focus is on considering the multifaceted ways in which women have contributed to shaping the city. The project does not just focus on groundbreaking or famous women but seeks to shine a light on the complex and complicated experiences of women. Building on the project team's expertise in researching women's voices across a range of media and archival material, the work that we do aims to highlight how women have navigated the challenges and opportunities of living in York. As well as independent publishers, prison inmates, factory workers, and religious figures, women have played a significant role in the social and economic fabric of the city by living and working here. Understanding women's legacies across the city has the potential to further enhance how touristic sites tell York’s history to both residents and visitors.
Over the past 10 years, we have worked to increase the visibility of women's histories in the city. Working with local archivists and key stakeholders across the city, we launched the hugely successful 3 day Beyond the Vote Festival in 2018 (which attracted over 500 participants). This built upon a Women's History in York Map that we developed in 2016, and we have since delivered numerous outreach events about our work, frequently working with the Women's Equality Party, York Explore, BBC Radio York, Refugee Action York, and the Yorkshire Film Archive. We are committed to providing opportunities for our York St John University students to get involved, and welcome members of the public to contact us about the project.
To keep updated about our research, please contact one of our project leads:
Film: The Women of York
In 2024 to 2025, we worked closely with the Yorkshire Film Archive (YFA) to produce a short film about the history of women's everyday life in York, based on archival footage from the YFA. The aim of the film is to present the diverse spaces in York where women lived, gathered, worked, played, worshipped, and more, while taking into account the challenges that they faced in their day to day lives, from international conflicts to experiences of poverty and displacement. We hope that the film can start a conversation about women's history in York, and make viewers think about the many ways, and particularly the many everyday actions, through which women made the city and its history.
Since the official premiere in March 2025, we have offered community screenings throughout the city and have worked with local groups including social enterprise Chocolate and Co., Refugee Action York, and the Folk Hall in New Earswick. Student graduate researchers, Alishia Oliver and Jasmine Fulcher, conducted oral history interviews at these events and have collected multiple testimonies exploring women’s labour and experiences in the city.
You can watch the trailer on YouTube, or view the full 15-minute film below.
Premiere and screenings
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Our Women's History in York Map
In 2016, the History and English Literature departments at York St John University produced a Women's History in York Map. This self-guided map and tour was produced to encourage visitors and residents of York to consider the diverse women's history of the city.
Download: Women's History in York Map (PDF, 2 MB)
Working with communities: Mansion House x HERSTORY.YORK
In 2025, we teamed up with local volunteer group HERSTORY.YORK for a women's history exhibition at Mansion House. We contributed to the design of boards to be displayed on the façade of the building during the renovation works, which trace the significant contribution that women have made from 1725 (when the Mansion House was built) to date. The exhibition will be launched by the Lord Mayor of York to mark York's International Women’s Week.
Find out more or get involved
We are happy to deliver talks on the project and to contribute to community initiatives, so please do reach out if you would like to work with us.
