Jacobs Well is a

mediaeval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

in the

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 d ...

area of

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

, England. It is the church hall of Holy Trinity, Micklegate.

Architecture

The building was originally a

hall house The hall house is a type of vernacular house traditional in many parts of England, Wales, Ireland and lowland Scotland, as well as northern Europe, during the Middle Ages, centring on a hall. Usually timber-framed, some high status examples wer ...

, consisting of a hall rising the full two-story building, with a wing at the east end. It may have had a matching wing at the west end, but no evidence survives. The house is timber-framed, with the ground floor infilled with Mediaeval brick. Its upper floor is

jettied Jettying (jetty, jutty, from Old French ''getee, jette'') is a building technique used in medieval timber framing, timber-frame buildings in which an upper floor projects beyond the dimensions of the floor below. This has the advantage of incr ...

. Its main entrance has a 15th-century canopy. The roof is of

crown post A crown post is a term in traditional timber framing for a post in roof framing which stands on a '' tie beam'' or '' collar beam'' and supports a ''collar plate''.Alcock, N. W.. Recording timber-framed buildings: an illustrated glossary. Londo ...

construction, the roof in the wing being a reconstruction. The building is named after the Well of Sychar, or more commonly, Jacob's Well where

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

is said to have spoken to a

Samaritan Samaritans (; ; ; ), are an ethnoreligious group originating from the Hebrews and Israelites of the ancient Near East. They are indigenous to Samaria, a historical region of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah that ...

woman.

History

The origin of the building is not known with certainty, but its current custodians claim that it was built in about 1474 as lodgings for a

chantry priest A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: # a chantry service, a set of Christian liturgical celebrations for the dead (made up of the Requiem Mass and the Office of the Dead), or # a chantry chapel, a bu ...

based at neighbouring Holy Trinity Priory. The construction was funded by Thomas Nelson, a city alderman, who wished the priest to pray for his family. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the building was purchased by Isabella Ward, former prioress of Clementhorpe Nunnery. She lived in the house with her sister, which appears to have been divided in two during this period. Before Ward's death, she donated the property to the

Feoffee Under the feudal system in England, a feoffee () is a trustee who holds a fief (or "fee"), that is to say an estate in land, for the use of a beneficial owner. The term is more fully stated as a feoffee to uses of the beneficial owner. The use ...

s of York. They permitted her to continue to live in the house for a peppercorn rent of one red rose a year. During the early 17th century, the house was used as a rectory for Holy Trinity, Micklegate. A first floor was added to the hall, making the whole building two stories. Around this date, new windows and fireplaces were added, many of which survived. The building was again divided into two houses, then in the 1740s was converted into a pub, for the first time known as "Jacobs Well". In about 1790, the building was converted back to a house, leased by Roger Glover and John Furnish, who ran a

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) 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 ...

business. They obtained fire insurance for the building, the sun mark for which survives. In 1815, they had a third storey, of brick, added to the wing, and an extension built to house a kitchen. This extension covered the original entrance, so a new entrance was created on Trinity Lane, which remains the main entrance to the building. With the alterations complete, the building again became a pub, with two bars downstairs, and accommodation for the landlord above. However, it struggled to make money in its hidden location, and in 1903 the alcohol license was surrendered. The feoffees retained ownership of the building, and they decided that it should become a parish room for Holy Trinity Church. In 1905, local antiquarian Walter Harvey Brook made major alterations to the building, adding a new staircase, bay window and fireplace, and creating a new door to the garden. A 15th-century canopy was added to the main entrance, taken from the Old Wheatsheaf Inn on

Davygate Davygate is a major shopping street in the city centre of York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss ...

. By the 1980s, the building was in danger of collapse, in part due to vibrations caused by traffic passing along Trinity Lane. In order to save it, the brick top storey was removed, and a new roof was constructed for the wing to match that over the hall. This work was completed in 1991, and since then, use of the building has been under the care of Holy Trinity, Micklegate. The building is the home of Gild of Butchers in York, having moved from their hall in

The Shambles The Shambles is a historic street in York, England, featuring preserved Middle Ages, medieval buildings, some dating back as far as the 14th century. The street is narrow, with many Timber framing, timber-framed buildings with Jettying, jettied ...

References

{{commons category, Jacobs Well, York Grade I listed buildings in York Houses completed in the 15th century Houses in York Timber framed buildings in Yorkshire