Museum Street is a road 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 area covered by the street lay partly within 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 ...

, and entirely within the current Mediaeval

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 ...

. It emerged as a narrow lane running immediately south-east of the boundary wall of

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 ...

. It was first recorded in the 1260s as Ffotlesgayle, or "Footloose Lane", possibly referring to people resident at the hospital who were unable to walk easily. The section north-east of

Lendal Lendal is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The street was first mentioned in the 1380s, when it was known as Aldeconyngstrete (Old Coney Street). However, by 1641, it had become known as "Lendal", a contraction of "St ...

later became known as "Finkle Street", a name which has since been reused for a different street in the city centre. By the 18th-century, the entire length of the street was known as Back Lendal. It became increasingly important, as St Leonard's Landing lay at its south-western end, from which the Lendal Ferry ran across the River Ouse. In 1782, the street was widened, the wall of the hospital and part of the building being demolished, but the construction of a new terrace on the north-west side again restricted its width. In 1830, 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 ...

was opened to the north of the former hospital, and the grounds became the

Museum Gardens The York Museum Gardens are botanic gardens in the centre of York, England, beside the River Ouse. They cover an area of of the former grounds of St Mary's Abbey, and were created in the 1830s by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society along with ...

, with the main access from Back Lendal. In 1846, it was widened with the demolition of the terrace erected in 1782, and around this time, the Museum Chambers concert hall was constructed. By 1852, the road had become known as "Museum Street". In 1863, the Lendal Ferry was replaced by a new

Lendal Bridge There are nine bridges across the River Ouse within the city of York, England, and sixteen smaller bridges and passages across the narrower River Foss. Bridges over the Ouse The earliest bridge, built by the Romans, linked Stonegate (the ''vi ...

, accessed by a gentle ramp from the street, although its old route down to St Leonard's Landing also survives.

Architecture

The street runs north-east, starting by the River Ouse at

, or alternatively at St Leonard's Landing, where it meets Dame Judi Dench Walk. On its north-west side lie firstly

Lendal Tower Lendal Tower is a medieval tower that formed part of the York city walls, city defences of York, England. It is located on the east bank of the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse at the point where the river enters the walled city from the north ...

, the neighbouring 18th-century Lendal Hill House, and then a former engine house for the city's waterworks, built in 1836. These adjoin a short section of the York city walls, at the other end of which is a lodge building and the main entrance to the

. Next are the remains of

, then Library Square, onto which the York Library faces, followed by 2-4 Museum Street, two listed buildings. The street ends at its junction with Blake Street,

Duncombe Place Duncombe Place is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The street was first mentioned in 1346 as Lop Lane, and it later became known as Little Blake Street. Initially a very narrow street, the eastern entrance to St Leonard ...

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 ...

. Notable buildings on the south-east side of the street include 1 Museum Street, built as the city's register office, now its main tourist information centre, and

Thomas's of York Thomas's of York is a historic pub in the city centre of York, in England. The building which houses the pub was first constructed in about 1700. In about 1800, it became part of Ettridge's Royal Hotel, and at some point in the 1820s, it was h ...

, a pub built about 1700; and on the other side of

, Club Chambers and River House, two large Victorian buildings near the river.

References

{{Streets of York Streets in York Odonyms referring to a building