Castlegate is a historic street in

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 ...

, England, which leads to

York Castle York Castle is a fortified complex in the city of York, England. It consists of a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings, which were built over the last nine centuries on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruined ...

History

The street roughly follows the line of

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

, which ran between the fortress of

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 ...

and the River Ouse, and remains of residential Roman buildings have been found in excavations. A hoard from the 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 ...

period has also been found, while St Mary's Church, on the street's north-east side, appears to have pre-Conquest origins. In the Mediaeval period, it linked the city of York with the bailey of

, although no references to it are known from before the 14th-century. In this period, its north-east side was dominated by St Mary's, and its south-west side by the

York Franciscan Friary York Franciscan Friary was a friary in York, North Yorkshire, England. It was located between York Castle and the River Ouse. In 1538, it fell victim to Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries. All that now remains of it is a stone wall ...

. In the Georgian period, the street was a desirable location to live, and the mansions of

Fairfax House Fairfax House is a Georgian townhouse located at No. 27, Castlegate, York, England, near Clifford's Tower and York Castle Museum. It was probably built in the early 1740s for a local merchant and in 1759 it was purchased by Charles Gregory Fai ...

and

Castlegate House Castlegate House is a Georgian Grade I listed building in central York, in England. Design The house lies on Castlegate in York City Centre. Further along the street lies Fairfax House, another Grade I listed Georgian house, which is open to ...

were erected. Castlegate was shortened slightly in 1826, when the castle's prison was extended, and the street lost importance after 1881, when

Clifford Street Clifford Street is a street in central London, built in the early 18th century, on land that once formed part of the Burlington Estate. It is named after the Clifford family, Earls of Cumberland. The daughter and heiress of the last holder of ...

was constructed to its west, providing a more direct route out of the city. From 1913 until 1954, the headquarters of the ''Yorkshire Gazette'' were on Castlegate, while in 1921, the St George's Hall cinema opened, closing in 1959. The street currently hosts a mixture of commercial and residential uses, including a small chocolate factory, and was pedestrianised in 2020.

Layout and architecture

The street runs south-east, from the junction of

Coppergate Coppergate is a street in the city centre of York, in England. The street runs north-east from the junction of Castlegate, Nessgate, King Street and Clifford Street, to end at the junction of Pavement, Piccadilly, Parliament Street and High ...

, King Street and Nessgate; to its junction with Tower Street, at the Castle Car Park. Friargate leads off its south-west side, while there is access to the

Coppergate Shopping Centre Coppergate Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in York in North Yorkshire, England. It is named after Coppergate, one of York's medieval streets ("gate" coming from the Old Norse ''gata'', or street). History Prior to the development of the ...

from its north-east side. Notable buildings on the north-east side include 1-5 Castlegate, built about 1730 and including the Blue Boar pub; 7 Castlegate, which is mid-18th century; 9-11 Castlegate, built in 1766; St Mary's Church;

; and large 19th-century houses at 29 and 31 Castlegate. On the south-west side lie 12-16 Castlegate, built about 1730; 18 Castlegate, also early 18th-century; 22 Castlegate, built in the late-18th century but including part of the wall of the Franciscan Friary; and

Gallery

Castlegate House - geograph.org.uk - 857017.jpg,

Fairfax House from Cliford's Tower (1).JPG,

, as viewed from

Clifford's Tower York Castle is a fortified complex in the city of York, England. It consists of a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings, which were built over the last nine centuries on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruined ...

Maison 31 Castlegate York 3.jpg, Maison 31, Castlegate St Mary's Church, York.JPG, St Mary's Church

References

External links

* {{authority control Streets in York