Grape Lane is a street in the city centre 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.

History

The site of the street lay within the

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

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 ...

, and Roman goods have been found under the soil. Remains of Mediaeval buildings have also been found. The street was first recorded in 1276, as "venella Sancti Benedicti". By 1329, it was known as " Grapcunt Lane", believed to be in reference to prostitution in the area. St Benedict's Church, on the street, was built in 1154, but had been demolished by 1300. Its site was later given to the

Vicars Choral A lay clerk, also known as a lay vicar, song man or a vicar choral, is a professional adult singer in an Anglican cathedral and often Roman Catholic Cathedrals in the UK, or (occasionally) collegiate choir in Britain and Ireland. The vicars chora ...

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archbis ...

, and the site became known as "Benet's Rents". The Grape Lane chapel was constructed in 1781 for the

Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion The Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion is a small society of evangelical churches, founded in 1783 by Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, as a result of the Evangelical Revival. For many years it was strongly associated with the Calvinist M ...

. It was sold to the

Methodist New Connexion The Methodist New Connexion, also known as Kilhamite Methodism, was a Protestant nonconformist church. It was formed in 1797 by secession from the Wesleyan Methodists, and merged in 1907 with the Bible Christian Church and the United Methodist F ...

in 1799, let to the Wesleyan Methodists in 1804, and then sold to a Calvinistic Baptist group in 1806, and on to the

Primitive Methodists The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834). In the United States, the Primiti ...

in 1820. Later serving as a furniture store, it survived until 1963, when it was demolished. Also in 1963, the Petergate end of the street was widened when 59 Low Petergate was demolished.

Layout and architecture

The street runs south-west from

Low 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 ...

to its junction with Swinegate and the snickelway Coffee Yard. Notable buildings on the north-west side include the Norman Court complex; 7 Grape Lane, built around 1600; the large mid-Victorian 13 Grape Lane; 15 Grape Lane, built about 1800; 17 Grape Lane, an early-19th century building; 19 Grape Lane, an early-15th century timber-framed building; and the early-19th century 21 Grape Street. The south-east side is occupied by Swinegate Court.

References

{{Streets of York Streets in York