Ousegate 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. It is divided into High Ousegate and Low Ousegate. The street forms part of the city's central shopping area. High Ousegate is pedestrianised, but Low Ousegate is a key transport route, busy with bus services.

History

The area covered 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 ...

, although archaeological evidence has been found of a bathhouse on the corner of Spurriergate, and temples to Hercules and the Emperor on the corner of Nessgate. Items associated with 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 ...

have also been found, but at this time, the area appears to have been a large open space. However, with the construction of the Ouse Bridge, Ousegate emerged as the route east from it. The street was first recorded in the 1120s, by which time the area appears to have become built up with houses, including at least one built of stone, and the churches of All Saints, Pavement and St Michael, Spurriergate. By the 14th-century, the street was known for its lorimers (makers and sellers of metalwork for

bridle A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. As defined in the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', the "bridle" includes both the that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit. Headgear w ...

s and other horse furniture) and spurriers. In 1694, a major fire destroyed thirty houses on the street, and as a result, other than the churches, there are no remaining pre-1700 building on the street. Low Ousegate was very narrow until 1734, when its junction with Spurriergate was widened, while in 1769, the south-east side of the street was rebuilt further back, and in the 1810s, when Ouse Bridge was reconstructed, the part of the street near the bridge were raised, all the houses on the north-west side were demolished and rebuilt, along with some on the south-east side. In the Mediaeval period, the market on Pavement often overflowed into High Ousegate, while from 1727, a herb market was held on the street. A corn exchange was built on the south side of the street in 1926, but closed in 1946. Low Ousegate was the original location of the

Yorkshire Philosophical Society The Yorkshire Philosophical Society (YPS) is a charitable learned society (charity reg. 529709) which aims to promote the public understanding of the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the archaeology and history of York and Yorkshire. ...

Layout and architecture

Low Ousegate runs north-east from Ouse Bridge, to its junction with Spurriergate and Nessgate. The snickelway Church Lane leads off its north-west side, while steps down to

King's Staith King's Staith is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The street was constructed in 1366 as the main quay for the city, replacing various small timber wharves. Its name has been connected to royals visiting the city in th ...

lead off the south-east side. All the buildings from 4 to 14 Low Ousegate date from the rebuilding in the 1810s, and their design may have been loosely based on drawings by Peter Atkinson. These are followed by St Michael's Church. On the south-east side, numbers 1 to 7 were also rebuilt in the 1810s, although number 7 retains some 17th-century material, including panelling. Number 11 has 17th-century origins, while 13 was built in the early 18th-century. The line of the street continues as High Ousegate, which runs up to its junction with

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 ...

, Parliament Street, Pavement and

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...

. Several snickelways lead off its north-west side, including Popes Head Alley, while a path on its south-east side leads to Coppergate. Notable buildings on the north-west side include 5 High Ousegate, built in 1743, and 11 to 15, all dating from the early-18th century rebuilding. On the south-east side, other than All Saints Church, notable buildings include 19, 20 and 21, all likely to be early-18th century, and 23-24 High Ousegate, a four-storey building dating from 1850.

References

{{Streets of York Streets in York