King's Square is an open area 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 popular with tourists, who are often entertained by buskers and street performers.

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 ...

notes that "the square has trees, which distinguishes it". The

York's Chocolate Story York's Chocolate Story is a visitor attraction and chocolate museum on King's Square, in York. Opened in March 2012, it shows the history of chocolate making in York, including the Rowntree's factory which opened in 1890, owned since 1988 by N ...

attraction lies on the western side of the square.

History

In the Roman period, the south-eastern gate 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 ultimat ...

lay on the site of what is now King's Square. This was built in about 108, as recorded on a surviving inscription, now in the

Yorkshire Museum The Yorkshire Museum is a museum in York, England. It was opened in 1830, and has five permanent collections, covering biology, geology, archaeology, numismatics and astronomy. History The museum was founded by the Yorkshire Philosophical Soc ...

. The area was mentioned by

Egil Skallagrimsson Egil or Egill is a masculine given name derived from Old Norse. It may refer to: Characters * Egil (Hymiskvida), farmer in the poem ''Hymiskvida'' * Egil, brother of Volund, hero of Völundarkviða and the Thidreks saga * Egil One-Hand, hero from ...

in the 10th-century as "Konungsgarthr", and this has led to a belief that this was the location of the royal palace of the

Danelaw The Danelaw (, also known as the Danelagh; ang, Dena lagu; da, Danelagen) was the part of England in which the laws of the Danes held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. The Danelaw contrasts with the West Saxon law and the Mercian ...

, and possibly of its predecessors, the

Kingdom of Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...

and the

Kingdom of Deira Deira ( ; Old Welsh/Cumbric: ''Deywr'' or ''Deifr''; ang, Derenrice or ) was an area of Post-Roman Britain, and a later Anglian kingdom. Etymology The name of the kingdom is of Brythonic origin, and is derived from the Proto-Celtic *''daru ...

. By 1430, the west side of the square was occupied by a row of

mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader, ...

's shops, with a building named "Hellekeld" to their south. In 1627, Duke Gill Hall lay on the north-east side of the square, on its corner with

St Andrewgate St Andrewgate is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The street lay immediately outside the walls of Roman Eboracum, and it may well be of Roman origin. It was first recorded in about 1200, taking its name from its church, ...

, and it was recorded that the hall was formerly known as "the King's Court". Until the 18th-century, the square covered only a small area, and was often regarded as the southernmost part of Low Petergate, immediately north of the churchyard of Holy Trinity, King's Court. The churchyard was reduced on several occasions, and from 1780 the area became known as "King's Square". In 1937, the church itself was demolished, and the square reached its current extent. 19 of the remaining gravestones were used to pave part of the square, although many are now illegible. The square absorbed the northern part of Colliergate and the whole of the street of King's Court, although those street names are retained by the properties on the extended section of the square. Some Mediaeval buildings on King's Court were demolished as late as the 1950s. 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 ...

spent £490,000 renovating the square.

Architecture and layout

The square is triangular in shape. From its northern point, Low Petergate leads north-west, Church Street to the south-west, and

Goodramgate Goodramgate is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The area now covered by Goodramgate lay within the walls of Roman Eboracum. The street runs diagonally across the line of former Roman buildings, from the Porta Decumana ( ...

to the north-east. From its south-western point, Newgate leads west, and

The Shambles The Shambles is a historic street in York, England, featuring preserved medieval buildings, some dating back as far as the fourteenth century. The street is narrow with many timber-framed buildings with jettied floors that overhang the street ...

to the south, while from the south-eastern point, Colliergate leads south.

runs north-east from the middle of the north-east side of the square. On the south-west side, number 5 King's Square was built in 1587 by Richard Hutton, while 4 King's Court is 15th-century, but was rebuilt in 1963. Pump Court is also Mediaeval in origin, but was largely rebuilt in 1755, and again in 1951. In between is Refuge House, built in 1963. On the south-east side is St Trinity House, which was originally three houses hidden behind the church, dating from the 15th-century or earlier. On the north-east side, 2 King's Court is an early-19th-century shop.

References

{{Streets of York Squares in York