EVER wondered why there’s an old-fashioned Victorian water pump minus its handle smack in the middle of North Street Gardens? Or why York’s streets are so higgledy-piggledy? Or even how anyone could ever have thought 1960s ‘brutalist’ architecture such as Stonebow House was beautiful? Set aside some time on Friday and you might just find the answers.

Throughout the day, from 9am until 3.30pm, a series of free guided walks will be setting off from St Crux Hall on the corner of Pavement and The Shambles. They will take in everything from Roman and Georgian York to the city’s war memorials and inspirational York women who have made a difference. And they’ll also cover blue plaques (that water pump); a look at the city’s modernist architecture; and a tour of York taking in the city’s unique street patterns.

For those who care about York and would like a voice in the city’s future, there will also be a chance to find out more about the work of York Civic Trust. St Crux Church hall will be turned into the Trust’s ‘home from home’ for the day so you can drop by to chat to Trust volunteers and trustees.

The Trust’s activities include lobbying the city council on planning applications; running major public-participation workshops on issues such as transport; maintaining public spaces, statues and monuments; developing education packs about Yorks history and heritage for local primary schools; and much more.

But to be effective at doing these things, the Trust needs members, says Chief Executive Dr David Fraser. “The Civic Trust has been championing the city and helping to protect it from inappropriate development for more than 70 years,” he said. “We can’t afford to stop doing that now, when the challenges facing us are greater than ever. But we can’t do what we do without members. They’re the people who enable us to lobby and fight to preserve York’s heritage, and who help us to spread the word about how this is a city worth protecting.”

l The York Civic Trust open day at St Crux Hall, Pavement runs from 9am to 4pm on Friday. Guided walks will leave every half hour. To find out more, visit www.yorkcivictrust.co.uk