Gillygate is a 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 ...

, in England, immediately north of the city centre.

History

The area occupied by the street lay outside the walls of Roman

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 ...

, but evidence of occupation in this period has been found, and it is possible that a minor Roman road ran along it route. During the Anglo-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 ...

period, the area appears to have been abandoned. Gillygate was first recorded in the 12th century, at which time the church of St Giles, Gillygate, which gives the street its name, lay on the north-west side. The south-east side was largely gardens owned by

St Leonard's Hospital St Leonard's Hospital may refer to: * St Leonard's Hospital, Ferndown, a community hospital in Dorset * St Leonard's Hospital, Hackney St Leonard's Hospital is a hospital in Hackney, North London. History The hospital was founded as the infir ...

, but was gradually becoming built up with houses. In 1354, the street was placed under the jurisdiction of the city of York. By 1401, a chapel dedicated to St Antony existed on the street, but this was replaced by St Antony's Hospital by 1420 and became a private house in 1558. St Giles Church was demolished in the 16th century, although burials in its graveyard continued into the following century, and the north-west side of the street remained large open fields in the 17th century. Some small-scale industry existed in this period, including stone and coal yards, a smithy, and a clay pipe manufacturer. While Gillygate lies just north-west of 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 Wa ...

, unlike elsewhere on their circuit, the buildings screening the wall have not been cleared, and so can only be occasionally glimpsed from the street. In 1972,

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...

described the street as "a run-down Georgian Street with two interesting houses", these being 3-5 and 26-28 Gillygate. It is now a street with predominantly independent shops. In 2013, the

City of York Council City of York Council is the municipal governing body of the City of York, a unitary authority in Yorkshire, England. It is composed of 47 councillors, one, two, or three for each of the 21 electoral wards of York. It is responsible for all local ...

claimed that "over the last 30 years, the quality of shops and businesses here has risen generally". However, it forms part of the city's inner ring road, and has heavy traffic.

Layout and architecture

Gillygate starts at a junction with

Bootham Bootham is a street in the city of York, 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 Ous ...

, opposite Queen Margaret's Arch, through which Exhibition Square can be accessed. The junction is close to Bootham Bar and

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 ...

. The street runs north-east, with several junctions on its north-west side, leading to Millers Yard, St Giles Yard, St Giles Gate and Portland Street, before ending at a junction with Lord Mayor's Walk, Clarence Street and Claremont Terrace. Notable buildings on the north-west side of the street include 3-5 Gillygate, built in 1797 by Thomas Wolstenholme; early 19th-century buildings at 9, 11, 13, 19 and 21 Gillygate; 18th-century houses at 23 and 25 Gillygate; more early-19th century buildings at 59, 61, 65, 67, 69, 71 and 73 Gillygate; and the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

Citadel. On the south-east side lie early 18th-century houses at 12 and 16-20 Gillygate; 26-28 Gillygate, built in 1769 by Robert Clough; the late 18th-century 38-40 Gillygate; 42-44 Gillygate, of the early 19th-century; 50–52, 58 and 62, all of the 18th-century; 64 Gillygate, the oldest building on the street, with 17th-century origins; then more late 18th-century houses at 66, 68 and 68a, 70, and 82 Gillygate; and the early-19th century 84 and 86 Gillygate.

References

{{Streets of York Streets in York