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The Old White Swan is a pub in the city centre of 
In 1742, the pub was renamed as the "White Swan and Sandhill", but the suffix was dropped again in 1786. Brick extensions were added to either side of the original building in the early- and mid-18th century, and the frontage on Goodramgate was rebuilt in 1771, following which this became the principal entrance, with the one on Petergate eventually closed. The side wings were not initially used as part of the inn, but had uses including a barber shop, pigsty and hayloft. The courtyard was occasionally used to host a poultry market, while the pub hosted events including a display 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.
The core of the building is timber-framed and was constructed in the early-17th century. It lay at the back of a coaching yard on the north-western side of 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 ( ...
, but with another entrance on 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 ...
. Underneath a glass panel in the floor is part of a Roman column, although this is not its original location.
The building was in use as an inn by 1703, making it the third-oldest pub in the city. In this period, part of the building lay in the parish of Holy Trinity King's Court, and part in the Holy Trinity Goodramgate parish. Both claimed the right to charge a rent for the pub, leading its landlord to paint a white line through the courtyard and kitchen, demarcating the boundary, and providing a justification for him to pay only partial rent to each parish. In 1723, the local constables decided to watch for possible Catholic activity in the pub, and spent £1 at the business while doing so — a substantial sum for the period.
In 1742, the pub was renamed as the "White Swan and Sandhill", but the suffix was dropped again in 1786. Brick extensions were added to either side of the original building in the early- and mid-18th century, and the frontage on Goodramgate was rebuilt in 1771, following which this became the principal entrance, with the one on Petergate eventually closed. The side wings were not initially used as part of the inn, but had uses including a barber shop, pigsty and hayloft. The courtyard was occasionally used to host a poultry market, while the pub hosted events including a display of Patrick Cotter O'Brien
Patrick Cotter O'Brien (19 January 1760 – 8 September 1806) was the second of only 23 people in medical history to stand at a verified height of . O'Brien was born in Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. His real name was Patrick Cotter and he ...
, claimed as the world's tallest man, and an attempt by a man to eat ten pounds of tripe
Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle, pigs and sheep.
Types of tripe
Beef tripe
Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's st ...
.
In the late-18th and early-19th century, the inn was the starting point for several stagecoach
A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
routes, including one to Glasgow via Durham and Newcastle, and shorter ones to Easingwold
Easingwold is a market town, electoral ward and civil parish in the Hambleton District in North Yorkshire, England. Historically, part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it had a population of 4,233 at the 2001 census, increasing to 4,627 at the ...
and Helperby
Helperby is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Brafferton and Helperby, in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England, about five miles west of Easingwold. Over the years it has joined onto Brafferton, North Yorksh ...
. A mounting block A mounting block, horse block, carriage stone, or in Scots a loupin'-on stane is an assistance for mounting and dismounting a horse or cart.
Usage and locations
Mounting blocks were especially useful for women riding sidesaddle or pillion, that ...
in the courtyard survives from this period. John Ward Knowles painted a stained glass sign for the pub in 1846, variations on which have been its logo since. In 1885, the pub was renamed as the "Old White Swan", to emphasise its long history.
In 1971, the pub was grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. A tradition holds that the pub is haunted by the ghosts of a group of Catholics planning an escape to France, who are said to rearrange chairs in a circle and relight a fire overnight.See also
*The Black Swan, York
The Black Swan is a public house in the city centre of York, in England.
The building lies on Peasholme Green, on the site of an important Mediaeval house which had been occupied by various Lord Mayors of York and Members of Parliament. In 156 ...
, historic pub on Peasholme Green, York
* The Swan, York, a pub on Bishopgate Street, York
References
External links
*{{official website, https://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/restaurants/yorkshireandthehumber/theoldwhiteswangoodramgateyork Buildings and structures completed in the 1600s Goodramgate Grade II listed pubs in York