Minster Gates is a north–south running 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 ...

, England, connecting

Minster Yard Minster Yard is a street in the city centre of York, England. It runs along the southern, eastern and northeastern sides of York Minster, for which it is named. History The street may have originated as the courtyard of the headquarters buildi ...

and High Petergate. All of its buildings are

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

, many dating to the 18th century, although the street is significantly older.

History

The street originated as the northernmost part of Stonegate, running through a gate providing access to the Minster Close, around

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 Arch ...

. In the late-13th century, St Peter's Prison stood on the street. The road was pedestrianised by 1370, when posts blocked traffic through the gate. By 1470, the street was known as Bookland Lane, at which time, it was the location of a public

drinking fountain A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain or water bubbler, is a fountain designed to provide drinking water. It consists of a basin with either continuously running water or a tap. The drinker bends down to the stream of water and s ...

. The street later became known as Bookbinders' Alley. This referred to the printing industry which was based in the area, serving in particular the clergy of the Minster. The trade boomed after 1662, when Charles II of England made York one of only four English cities permitted to publish books. By the 1730s, the street was regarded as the main entrance to the Minster Close. The gateway was demolished in about 1800.

Layout and architecture

The street runs north-east, from the junction of Stonegate, High Petergate and Low Petergate, to Minster Yard, opposite the south door of York Minster. All the buildings on the street are listed. On the north-west side of the street lie 1 Minster Gates (with 15th-century origins) and 3– 9 Minster Gates, a terrace of three-storey houses built in the early 18th-century. On the south-east side are 2–8 Minster Gates, a terrace built in the 1840s, and 10a and

10 Minster Yard 10 Minster Yard is an historic building in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. A Grade II listed building, located at the corner of Minster Gates at Minster Yard, the building dates to around 1763. It was part of the now-closed Mins ...

, completed in 1763.

References

{{Streets of York Streets in York