St Saviourgate is a historic street in the city 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 ...

. St Saviour's Church was built here in the 11th-century, and the street was first mentioned in 1175, as "Ketmongergate", street of the flesh sellers.

History

The area in which the street runs just outside the

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

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 ...

, north of a marshy area around the

River Foss The River Foss is in North Yorkshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Ouse. It rises in the Foss Crooks Woods near Oulston Reservoir close to the village of Yearsley and runs south through the Vale of York to the Ouse in the centre of ...

. When the foundations of new houses were dug here in the seventeenth century, large numbers of animal horns were found, indicating the site of a

Roman temple Ancient Roman temples were among the most important buildings in Roman culture, and some of the richest buildings in Roman architecture, though only a few survive in any sort of complete state. Today they remain "the most obvious symbol of Ro ...

, next to the palace. The street was first mentioned in 1175, when it was known as "Ketmongergate", street of the flesh sellers. St Saviour's Church was built on the street in the 11th-century, and by 1368, it had given its name to the street. The street became a centre for

nonconformism Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

in the city. The

York Unitarian Chapel York Unitarian Chapel is a building on St. Saviourgate, York, England. It is a member of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, the umbrella organisation for British Unitarians. It is in the form of a Greek cross and wa ...

was built in 1693, the Congregationalist Salem Chapel was built in 1839, and the Central Methodist Chuch in 1840. Much of the rest of the street was rebuilt in the 18th-century, and in 1736, it was described by

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 (t ...

as "one of the neatest and best-built streets in the city". The street was widened in 1777. In the 1960, the Salem Chapel was demolished to make way for an office block.

Architecture and layout

The street runs from the junction of

Colliergate Colliergate is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The are occupied by the street lay outside the Roman York city walls, city walls, but fell within the Canabae of Eboracum, a residential and industrial area. It is belie ...

and Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate, north-east to the junction of

Spen Lane Spen Lane is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The street was first recorded in the late 12th century, when it was known as Ispingall, referring to aspen trees in the area. By 1190, the prominent citizen, Benedict the Je ...

and St Saviour's Place. Historically, St Saviour's Place was regarded as part of the street. Hungate led off the south side of the street, but following the construction of Stonebow, the Stonebow House office block was built and blocked the route. Notable buildings on the north-west side of the street include the Methodist and Unitarian churches; a

masonic hall A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history In ...

which was originally built as the city's Mechanics' Institute; 18th-century houses at 27, 29 and 31, 33 and 35; and an early Victorian range at 1-7 which was formerly a department store. On the south-east side of the street lie the rear of Stonebow House, described by

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 ...

as "disastrous"; St Saviour's Church, now housing the Jorvik DIG centre;

Lady Hewley's Almshouses Lady Hewley's Almshouses are a historic building in the city centre of York, in England. Sarah Hewley founded almshouses on Tanner Row in 1700, run by the Lady Hewley Trust. These were demolished to allow the construction of York's original r ...

; the terrace of 16-22 St Saviourgate, built in 1740; other 18th-century houses at 24, 26, 30 and 32; and 34 St Saviourgate, with 15th-century origins.

References

{{Streets of York Streets in York Odonyms referring to religion