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The royal buildings at York were far grander than those Etheldreda had been accustomed to in her homeland. The central hall itself had colonnaded porches surrounding it where supplicants and visitors could wait out of the rain before they were admitted to the king’s presence. Benches lined the walls, some of them elaborately carved. The spear-racks were enormous.
The sleeping quarters too were much more complex. There were many rooms joined one with another, as in Roman houses, except the rooms were smaller and the structure was of wood.
Cyneberga proudly showed Etheldreda the kitchens and the weaving rooms before she took her to her own bedchamber.
York had been a Roman town, one of the few the immigrant tribes had made use of when they sailed up the River Humber and its tribu
