Pavement 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.

History

The area occupied by Pavement was outside the Roman city walls, but fairly central within the Mediaeval walls of York. During the Anglo-Saxon and Viking eras, it was at the heart of the commercial area of

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 ...

. The location of one of York's two early markets, the road was known as Marketshire, a name first recorded in 1086, and shared with the city ward in which it was located. It was alternatively known as Ousegate, which remains the name of its western continuation. By the Middle Ages, its market days were Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and the central part of the street was roughly its present width - far wider than most city streets of the time. From 1329, the street was increasingly known as "Pavement", which is likely to indicate that it was one of the first roads in the city to be paved. As a major open space in the city, it was popular site for public gatherings, it contained a ring for

bull baiting Bull-baiting is a blood sport involving pitting a bull against dogs. History England Crowds in London during the Royal Entry of James VI and I in March 1604 were entertained by bull-baiting. During the time of Queen Anne, bull-baiting was p ...

, and was also the location where

Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, 1st Baron Percy, KG (152822 August 1572), led the Rising of the North and was executed for treason. He was later beatified by the Catholic Church. Early life Percy was the eldest son of Sir Thomas ...

was executed. The market continued to thrive, and a market cross was erected in 1671. By the 18th-century, the market was short of space, and sections of the road were widened: shops in front of St Crux were demolished in 1769, followed by the chancel and part of the churchyard of All Saints, in 1782. The market cross was demolished in 1813. In 1836, Parliament Street was laid out, leading to the demolition of many buildings on the north side of the street, St Crux was demolished in 1887, and then in 1912,

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, ...

was extended to reach Pavement on the south side, resulting in more demolitions. Finally, in the 1950s, Stonebow was constructed as an eastern continuation of the street.

Layout and architecture

At the western end of the street, Parliament Street runs to the north and

to the south, while to the west it splits into

High Ousegate Ousegate is a street in the city centre of York, 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 ro ...

and

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 ...

. Between those last two streets lies the church of All Saints, Pavement. Several historic buildings lie on the southern side of the street. Sir Thomas Herbert's House is the sole survivor of the large merchants' houses which once lined the street, but the 4, 6, and 10 Pavement, the

Golden Fleece In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece ( el, Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, ''Chrysómallon déras'') is the fleece of the golden-woolled,, ''Khrusómallos''. winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where P ...

pub, 18, 20 and 22 Pavement, 24 Pavement, 26 and 28 Pavement, and 30 Pavement, are all listed buildings. At the eastern end of the street, Stonebow continues to the east,

Fossgate Fossgate is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The street is believed to follow the line of a Roman road leading south-east out of Eboracum. Although it lay outside the Roman walls, it is known that there was a civilia ...

runs south, and Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate runs north. The only historic building surviving on the north side is the parish room of St Crux Church, with the modern

Marks and Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...

store dominating.

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 b ...

lead north off Pavement, while the small Lady Peckett's Yard leads off its southern side.

History

Layout and architecture

References

Further reading