Marygate

Marygate is a street in York, England, running just north of the city centre. Built in the Middle Ages, it gets its name from St Mary's Abbey and the Viking word "gata," meaning street.[1] The area where the street lies was outside the walls of the Roman city of Eboracum,[2] and represented the northern limit of the settlement; to the north, the land was used only for burials. The street runs south-west, from Bootham, down to the River Ouse.

For the horse race, see Marygate Fillies' Stakes.

Marygate
St Mary's Tower, at the north-east end of the street
Location within York
Former name(s)St Marygate
LocationYork, England
Postal codeYO30
North East endBootham
Major
junctions		Marygate Lane
South West endDame Judi Dench Walk

History

Marygate runs off the street of Bootham. During Roman times Bootham was the main Roman road from York to Catterick. The area where Marygate lies was used for burials.[3] Marygate was outside the northern limit of the Roman settlement.[4] In the early-11th century, the area was known as "Galmanho". Viking earl Siward built St Olave's Church on the street, and his house probably also lay on the street, the area later becoming known as "Earlsburgh".[5][6]

Built in the Medieval period, the street known as St Marygate, was named for St Mary's Abbey, within the liberty of which it was located. It lay immediately north of the abbey, from which it was separated by a ditch and narrow strip of land, and from the 1260s also by a wall, which was turned into a major defensive structure in the following century. The wall runs the complete length of the street.[7] On the street's corner with Bootham lay St Mary's Tower, while at the River Ouse end was a landing, used principally by the abbey. There were numerous houses on the street by the 13th-century. In 1378, the abbey blocked the street, to prevent goods being landed from the Ouse and taken into the city, but soon gave in, this proving the last serious dispute between the abbey and the city.[5]

Looking south-west from Bootham, showing the abbey walls

The area was devastated during the Siege of York in 1644, and only structures protected by the abbey walls survive from before this date. The York Girls' Charity School was established on the street in 1705, remaining there until 1784. Also in the 18th-century, a cotton mill was constructed on the street, and in 1768 this became a workhouse for most of the parishes in the city. When the York Board of Guardians was established, in 1837, it took over the workhouse, but this could only house 90 people, and was highly unsanitary. It was finally replaced in 1847.[5]

In 1836, the first large post-Roman bathhouse in the city was constructed at the bottom of the street; it operated until 1923.[8] In 1848, the York Industrial Ragged School opened, remaining on the street until 1921. The Manor National School then took over the premises, until they were damaged by bombing in 1943. In 1949, the York School of Art acquired two studios on the street.[5] Between 1937 and 1940, almost all the buildings on the south-east side of the street were demolished, to reveal the abbey wall.[9][6]

The street is now primarily residential, and is described by the City of York Council as "one of the most picturesque streets in York", with "interest com[ing] from the unplanned nature of its development, leading to variety". Marygate Landing is often flooded, but has views down the river into the city centre.[6]

Layout and architecture
View north-east, on the central part of Marygate
Looking south-west on the lower part of Marygate

The street runs south-west, from Bootham, down to the Marygate Landing on the River Ouse, where it meets Dame Judi Dench Walk. On the north-west side, it has junctions with Galmanhoe Lane, Marygate Lane and Hetherton Street. The south-east side has several gates through the abbey walls into what is now Museum Gardens.[9][6]

Notable buildings on the north-west side of the street include 20 Marygate, built about 1800; 28 Marygate, dating from the 17th-century; 32 and 34 Marygate, again built about 1800; 40-42 Marygate, which is late 18th-century; the late-17th century St Olave's House; 50 Marygate, built about 1700; the former Girls' Charity School; the late-18th century St Mary's Cottage; and the Bay Horse pub, built in 1894 to a design by Arthur Penty. The surviving buildings on the south-west side are the wall, with St Mary's Tower and the Water Tower; St Olave's Church; St Mary's Lodge and the gateway to the abbey; and the late-18th century 29 Marygate.[9][6]

References
  1. "York's Streets and the City's History". England's North East. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  2. An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in City of York. 1. London: HMSO. 1962. pp. 5–47. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  3. "Character area statements". york.gov.uk. City of York Historic Characterisation Project. 2013.
  4. "Roman York" (PDF). historyofyork.org.uk. p. 2. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  5. A History of the County of York: the City of York. London: Victoria County History. 1961. pp. 275–281. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  6. "Character Area Three: Marygate". City of York Council. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  7. "St. Mary's Abbey Wall". An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in City of York. London: Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1972. pp. 160–173 – via British History Online.
  8. A History of the County of York: the City of York. London: Victoria County History. 1961. pp. 460–472. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  9. An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of York. 4. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1975. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
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