Bootham is a street in the city of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, in England, leading north out of the city centre. It is also the name of the small district surrounding the street.

History

The street runs along a ridge of slightly higher ground east of the River Ouse. It follows the line of

Dere Street Dere Street or Deere Street is a modern designation of a Roman road which ran north from Eboracum (York), crossing the Stanegate at Corbridge (Hadrian's Wall was crossed at the Portgate, just to the north) and continuing beyond into what is n ...

, the main Roman road from

Eboracum Eboracum () was a fort and later a city in the Roman province of Britannia. In its prime it was the largest town in northern Britain and a provincial capital. The site remained occupied after the decline of the Western Roman Empire and ultimate ...

Cataractonium Cataractonium was a fort and settlement in Roman Britain. The settlement evolved into Catterick, located in North Yorkshire, England. Name Cataractonium likely took its name form the Latin word (ultimately derived from Greek , ), meaning eit ...

. Many Roman remains have been found in the area, which was principally used for burials. The street's name probably derives from the Norse for "the place of the booths", referring to the poor huts in the area. From the Roman period, an alternative route from the bridge over the Ouse ran a short distance west of Bootham, and in the Saxon and Viking

Jorvik Scandinavian York ( non, Jórvík) Viking Yorkshire or Norwegian York is a term used by historians for the south of Northumbria (modern-day Yorkshire) during the period of the late 9th century and first half of the 10th century, when it was do ...

periods, that was the main road to the north-west. However, after St Mary's Abbey was constructed in this area, that road was blocked, and Bootham became the principal route. In 1260, the abbey was given permission to construct a wall, part of which runs immediately west of the southern part of Bootham. Disputes between the abbey and the city led to conflict in 1262, with several houses on the street being burned down. Shortly after 1326 the

Bootham Hoard The Bootham Hoard (also known as the Bootham School Hoard) is a hoard of coins found in a bronze vessel at Bootham School in York in 1953. Discovery The hoard was discovered by workmen digging in the courtyard of Bootham School on 29 September ...

of silver coins was deposited at the site which would become Bootham School. St Mary's Tower - geograph

The first documentary evidence of buildings on Bootham is from the 12th-century, and by 1282, there were 19 properties on the street, most opposite the abbey wall, with some further out. The city received complaints that, by the end of the century, the road's paving was broken up, there was a stench of pigsties in the area, and that the street was often blocked by loose pigs. In 1308, the abbey was given permission to hold a market and fair on the street, and although this was later revoked, there is evidence of a market being held until at least 1448. In 1354, the abbey finally agreed that Bootham should fall within the city's jurisdiction. In 1497, St Margaret's Arch was built through part of the wall at the southern end of Bootham, providing access to what is now

King's Manor The King's Manor is a Grade I listed building in York, England, and is part of the University of York. It lies on Exhibition Square, in the city centre. History King's Manor was originally built to house the abbots of St Mary's Abbey, York. ...

. By 1610, most of the street was built up, other than the area in front of the abbey walls, but the area was devastated in the 1644

Siege of York The siege of York in 1644 was a prolonged contest for York during the First English Civil War, between the Scottish Covenanter army and the Parliamentarian armies of the Northern Association and Eastern Association, and the Royalist Ar ...

. Almost all the buildings now date from after the siege, many from the Georgian period, and the redevelopment included new buildings in front of the abbey wall. A

cock pit A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or ente ...

was established near where the road currently has its junction with St Mary's, with an attached bowling green. In 1846,

Bootham School Bootham School is an independent Quaker boarding school, on Bootham in the city of York in England. It accepts boys and girls ages 3–19, and had an enrolment of 605 pupils in 2016. It is one of seven Quaker schools in England. The school ...

moved to the street, and it has gradually expanded into several buildings.

York City Council York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

describes the street as "the finest of approaches to the city bars", and mention the trees and cobbled margins along the street, which replaced former grass verges, used for grazing animals. The street is now lined with expensive houses, hotels, and prestigious offices.

Layout and architecture

Bootham is the main route out of York city centre to the north-west, and it forms part of the

A19 road The A19 is a major road in England running approximately parallel to and east of the A1 road. Although the two roads meet at the northern end of the A19, the two roads originally met at the southern end of the A19 in Doncaster, but the old ...

. It continues the line of

High Petergate Petergate is a street in the city centre of York, in England. It is divided into High Petergate and Low Petergate. The well-known view of the Minster from Low Petergate is described by the City of York Council as "excellent". History Petergate ...

, the

via principalis In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term. In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...

of Roman

, from

Bootham Bar York has, since Roman times, been defended by walls of one form or another. To this day, substantial portions of the walls remain, and York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England. They are known variously as York City Wal ...

in the

York city walls York has, since Roman times, been defended by walls of one form or another. To this day, substantial portions of the walls remain, and York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England. They are known variously as York City Wal ...

. It follows the main Roman road from York to Catterick. It runs north-west, over the York-Scarborough railway line, ending at a junction with Bootham Crescent and Queen Anne's Road, beyond which its route become Clifton. On the south-west side, it has junctions with

St Leonard's Place St Leonard's Place is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The site street lay mostly within the walls of Roman Eboracum, and two Anglo-Saxon carved stones and a large coin hoard have been discovered in excavations in the ...

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. The area where the street lies was outside the walls of th ...

, St Mary's and Bootham Terrace, while on the north-east side, it meets

Gillygate Gillygate is a street in York, in England, immediately north of the city centre. History The area occupied by the street lay outside the walls of Roman Eboracum, but evidence of occupation in this period has been found, and it is possible that ...

, Bootham Row, and Grosvenor Terrace. White Horse, Bootham (geograph 4754499)

Notable buildings on its south-west side include the walls surrounding St Mary's Abbey, with Queen Margaret's Arch and St Mary's Tower;

Ingram House Ingram House is a historic building on the street of Bootham, York, England. It was built as an almshouse for ten poor widows between 1630 and 1640 by real estate developer and politician Sir Arthur Ingram and was originally known as Ingram's H ...

, almshouses built about 1632, one of the few survivors of the siege; 8–10 Bootham, built in the 18th-century; and 54 Bootham, and Bootham Lodge, large houses built about 1840. On the north-east side lie most of the Georgian buildings: 15–17, 19, 25, 33, 39–45, 47 (designed by

John Carr John Carr may refer to: Politicians *John Carr (Indiana politician) (1793–1845), American politician from Indiana *John Carr (Australian politician, born 1819) (1819–1913), member of the South Australian House of Assembly, 1865–1884 * John H ...

), 51, 53–55, 57, 59, 61, and 75–77 Bootham are all large houses, dating from the 18th-century. 21–23, 35, and 49 Bootham are slightly older, with 17th-century origins. Other notable buildings include

Wandesford House Wandesford House is an eighteenth-century almshouse in the centre of York, England, one of twelve still-functioning almshouses in the city, and the oldest still in its original building. Built in 1739 and opened in 1743, the house is an imp ...

, almshouses opened in 1743; and Record House, built about 1827. The main entrance to

Bootham Park Hospital Bootham Park Hospital was a psychiatric hospital, located in the Bootham district of York, England. It was managed by the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. The main building is a Grade I listed building. History Construction and ...

, built in 1777 as one of the first asylums in the UK, is up a long drive from the street.

References

{{Streets of York Streets in York Villages and areas in the City of York

History

Layout and architecture

See also

References