Skeldergate 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. The street is now primarily residential, with many of its warehouse buildings having been converted into apartments.

History

During the 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 ...

period, the area in which Skeldergate runs lay within the civilian settlement. Trade took place throughout the area, and also in the Viking

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 ...

period. The street's name is of Viking origin, and is often supposed to have derived from shield-makers in the area, but the ''Inventory of the Historical Monuments in City of York'' argues that there is no evidence for this industry in the area, and that such a niche trade would be unlikely to have given its name to an important city street. Instead, its name might derive from "skelde", meaning a shelf, and referring to the location of the street between the River Ouse and the then-terraced slope up to

Bishophill Bishophill is an area of central York, in England. It lies within the city walls and has been occupied since at least the Roman period. Etymology Known as "Bichill" by 1334, the name was also recorded as "Bychehill Lomelyth", "Lomelyth" bein ...

, or alternatively, from the Viking name "Skjoldr". The street was first recorded in the 12th-century, and by 1282, the land along the street was divided into 68 plots, or "tofts". This made it the second-most important street on the south bank of the Ouse, after

Micklegate Micklegate is a street in the City of York, England. The name means "Great Street", "gate" coming from the Old Norse ''gata'', or street. Micklegate is described by York City Council as "one of the most handsome streets in Yorkshire", and was ...

. The land between the street and the river became the main area for dockside activity in the city, various wharves, and a crane, along with an assortment of warehouses. In 1660, the Queen's Staith was built parallel to the street, running up to Ouse Bridge. The landward side became dominated by large houses, belonging to wealthy merchants. In 1765, the architect John Carr built himself a house on the street. In the 12th-century, the new

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 Wal ...

were completed. The southern end of the street ran through the Skeldergate Postern gate, and a ferry operated across the Ouse at this point. The gate was demolished in 1808, and the wall between the gate and the river in 1878, to allow the construction of the

Skeldergate 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 ...

, which now forms part of the city's inner ring road. The decline of trade on the river in the 20th-century led to the demolition of many of the warehouses, including the 17th-century Dutch warehouse, along with several other notable buildings, such as the Plumbers Arms, dating from 1575, and John Carr's house. These demolitions continued until the 1980s, since when, many of the surviving warehouses have been converted into apartments, and the street is now primarily residential. The street is prone to flooding, and as a result, the ground floors of many buildings on the river side are given over to car parking.

Architecture and layout

The street runs south-east from the junction of

, North Street and Bridge Street, to meet Bishopgate Road near Skeldergate Bridge. Fetter Lane, Buckingham Street, Albion Street, and Cromwell Road all lead off the south-western side, while only Queen's Staith and Terry Avenue lead off the north-eastern side. Despite the demolitions, several notable buildings remain on the street. On the south-west side, there are two buildings from the former Emperor's Wharf sawmill, Skeldergate House Hotel, which dates from 1777, Middleton's Hospital, originally dating from 1659, and the 19th-century Terry Memorial Homes. Buildings on the north-east side include the modern Albion Wharf and City Mills blocks, both praised in Pevsner, and the late 19th-century Bonding Warehouse.

References

{{Streets of York Streets in York