GOODRAMGATE
PLACES OF INTEREST
With over 900 years of history, Goodramgate’s developed a character of its own.
Holy Trinity Church
Holy Trinity stands in a small leafy churchyard reached through an 18th-century archway, attached to some houses which in the 14th century were the workshops of artisans. The entrance was known as Tonge’s Court. With its box-pews and sloping floors, the church and its peaceful little close have a sense of timelessness. Look out for the Hagioscope in the church. As you step out into Goodramgate, look back for a fine view of The Minster framed in the wrought iron of the archway.
Lady Row
These cottages, which partly surround the Holy Trinity churchyard, are York’s oldest houses. Built around 1316 they were originally 128ft long and 18ft wide. Like many of the medieval houses in York, the upper storey of Our Lady’s Row is jettied, one of the earliest examples of this type of construction in England. Jetty derives from the Old French word jetee or getee, a projecting part of a building. This provides for additional floor space on the upper storeys in crowded medieval city centres.
Bedern Hall
York’s hidden medieval hall is reached through the gatehouse archway built for the College Of Vicars Choral, which occupied this area from around 1250. The remains of their chapel is to your right as you step into The Bedern, so keep walking to find the Hall. The 36 vicars sang the services in York Minster in medieval times. The Hall was their dining hall and was surrounded by gardens, orchards and vicars’ houses. Originally a bridge crossed Goodramgate into the Minster Close so the vicars could reach the Minster easily. After the closure of the college in the 1600s, Bedern Hall was variously tenements, a mineral water factory, a bakery and finally, before restoration in the late 1970s, part of William Wright’s pork-pie works! View more information on Bedern Hall.
Monk bar
Built in the early 1300s, this defensive gateway still has its portcullis and operating mechanism. It also still has 2 of its medieval toilets known as garderobes. A series of ‘murders holes’ allowed missiles to be thrown at attackers. The figures on top represent men hurling boulders. It was also used as a prison and police house into the early 20th century. Thankfully Goodramgate is more welcoming today! The narrow doorway gives access to steep steps leading onto the City Walls.
BILE BEANS
For York residents, this is an iconic, much loved reminder of a not too distant past. It seems likely that the sign was painted sometime after the 1940s. Clearly locals were not impressed by the claims made as the sign was covered up in the 1960s with a hoarding advertising cigarettes. The ‘ghost’ of the sign was revealed in 1977 when the hoarding was removed and it was captured by local artist Baz Ward. The sign was repainted in the 1980s and then again in 2012.
The City Walls & Robin Hood Tower
The stretch of the City walls between Monk Bar and Bootham Bar provides some of the best views over the Goodramgate area and the Minster. Lined with mature trees, there are glimpses into the gardens below. York still has most of its medieval walls intact and locals refer to them as The Bar Walls. They were mainly built in the 13th century of magnesian limestone on earth ramparts. The tops of the walls were rebuilt about 150 years ago to provide a safe walkway for the public. Robin Hood Tower is a Victorian idea of how an ancient tower might look. Archers could never have shot their arrows from the small slit windows with any success!
The Dutch House
Named for its gables, stands on Ogleforth (possibly another Viking name - Ugel’s Ford) and was built around 1650. It was originally known as The Small House. Although heavily restored in the 1950s it is possibly the oldest brick built house in York.
Gray’s Court
Possibly the oldest continuously occupied house in Britain, Gray’s Court’s history started in Norman times when Archbishop Thomas of Bayeux assigned it to the Minster’s treasurer. After the Reformation, the house passed through the hands of many illustrious residents, including the Seymour family, Lord Fairfax, and the Gray family. Faith Gray worked to establish a school for poor girls in York known as The Grey Coat School.
Merchant Taylors’ Hall
A medieval guildhall near the city wall in the Aldwark area of York, the hall was built by the Fraternity of St John the Baptist (an organisation connected to the Taylors' Guild) in c.1415. Nestled in its own grounds, the Hall has been a place to congregate, feast, make music and make merry for more than 600 years. The building is still used by the Guild of Merchant Taylors of York and is available to hire. View more information about Merchant Taylors’ Hall
Treasurer’s House
In medieval times this was the residence of the Treasurers of York Minster. Part of it was built over the line of a Roman road. The ghosts of Roman soldiers have been seen in the cellars, marching along the old road. In 1897 it was bought by Frank Green, the grandson of a wealthy industrialist, and by 1900 he had transformed it into an elaborately decorated town house. View more information on Treasurer’s House.
St. William’s College & College Green
Originally walled off as part of the Minster Close, St. Williams College was reached via the gatehouse standing to the right, known as Vicars’ Lane (see Bedern Hall). With the East End of the Minster soaring above and St. Williams College curving around, College Green is another peaceful green space in our City. The Green plays host to various events including performances of York’s famous Mystery Plays. The College dates from 1465 and was home to Chantry Priests whose less godly habits gained them something of a reputation. Consequence or coincidence — this street was also known as Little Alice Lane. You may well recognise the College from the filming of the BBCs ‘Death comes to Pemberley’ and ‘Jonathan Strange’.
York Minster
The full name of York Minster is The Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St. Peter in York. It is the largest of its kind in Europe. The Great East Window was restored in a 13 year long project costing £11.5 million. Begun in 1405, it is the largest expanse of medieval glass in Britain, and is the work of celebrated Coventry glazier John Thornton. The window contains two biblical stories; Creation and Revelation, the beginning and the end of all things.
Free Heritage Trail Map
Go exploring with our heritage trail map.
Available free from shops and businesses on Goodramgate.