Eleven English Cities from York to Truro

York is described as a cathedral city of Roman origins at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss, whose minster, castle and city walls are all Grade I listed. It is the traditional county town of Yorkshire, and 141,685 people lived in its built-up area at the 2021 census.

Norwich is the county town of Norfolk and a cathedral city on the River Wensum, about 100 miles northeast of London. The council area was estimated at 144,000 people in 2021, a useful size to hold against the smaller cathedral cities that follow.

Winchester sits on the River Itchen at the western end of the South Downs National Park, 60 miles southwest of London. The built-up area held 48,478 people in 2021, while the wider district, with towns such as Alresford and Bishop's Waltham, held 127,439, so the figure you read depends on the boundary drawn.

Gloucester lies on the River Severn between the Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean, and is linked by the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal to the Severn Estuary. That canal makes this cathedral city a port as well, with around 132,000 people including its suburbs.

Truro is Cornwall's only city and the southernmost city in the United Kingdom. It was awarded city status in 1877 after the Diocese of Truro was created the year before, and its cathedral was built between 1880 and 1910.

Kingston upon Hull stands where the River Hull meets the Humber Estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. It is a tightly bounded port city, so its population of 275,401 in 2024 is far smaller than the 436,300 recorded for its built-up area.

Portsmouth is the only city in England not located primarily on the mainland, because most of it lies on Portsea Island in the Solent. It was founded around 1180 by the Anglo-Norman merchant Jean de Gisors, and it is the most densely populated city in the United Kingdom.

Salford stands on the western bank of the River Irwell, across from Manchester city centre. It became a factory and textile processing hub in the Industrial Revolution and a significant port after Salford Docks opened in 1894, and it received city status in 1926.

Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847 and received a city charter in 1897. Since the 1974 local government reform its city status has belonged to the larger metropolitan borough, which had 546,976 residents against 352,317 in the city itself in 2021.

Doncaster is named after the River Don and is noted for its racing and railway history. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield, and it sits in the Don Valley on the western edge of the Humberhead Levels.

Wolverhampton lies about 12 miles northwest of Birmingham, forming the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation. With 263,700 people in 2021 it is the third largest city in the county after Birmingham and Coventry, which closes the path inland.