Monkgate is a street in

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 ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, running north-east from the city centre.

History

The street roughly follows the line of a Roman road from

Eboracum Eboracum () was a castra, fort and later a coloniae, city in the Roman province of Roman Britain, 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 ...

to Derventio. Its starting point was the Porta Principalis Sinistra of the Roman walls, now

Monk Bar York has, since Roman Britain, Roman times, been defended by defensive wall, 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 k ...

on the current

York city walls York has, since Roman Britain, Roman times, been defended by defensive wall, 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 k ...

. The name "Monkgate" was first recorded in about 1075, named for monks attached to

York Minster York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The minster is the seat of the archbishop of York, the second-highest of ...

. A Hospital of St Loy may have existed on the street, near Monk Bridge, but there was definitely a leper hospital there by 1380, and in 1396 a Maison Dieu was built, which survived until about 1610. In the 12th-century, St Maurice's Church was constructed on the street. The city's Jewish cemetery was also on the street. The area became built up, but was devastated by the

Siege of York The siege of York in 1644 was a prolonged contest for York during the First English Civil War, between the Scottish Covenanter army and the Parliamentarian armies of the Northern Association and Eastern Association, and the Royalist Ar ...

in 1644, and all the current buildings are from after this date. The Thomas Agar Hospital almshouse, built in 1631, appears to have survived the siege, but was demolished in 1879. The

York County Hospital York County Hospital (1740–1977) was a hospital in York, England. The building, which is grade II listed, has been converted for residential use. History The hospital has its origins in a small hospital established in Monkgate in April 1740. ...

was established on the street in 1740, and moved into a large building set back from the road in 1851. In 1754, the Grey Coat School for girls was built, while from 1803 until 1840, Manchester College was based on the street, its buildings then becoming St John's College. In the 18th- and 19th-centuries, the street was a prosperous residential area, with most buildings on the street dating from these centuries. However, the area around it became increasingly industrial, and its prosperity declined. St Maurice's Church was demolished in 1878, and a replaced demolished in 1967, although its cemetery survives. The trees which once lined the street have largely been removed. Despite this, the

City of York Council City of York Council is the local authority for the city of York, in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. York has had a city council from medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1996 the council has be ...

claims that Monkgate has "retained its charm" and is "not as congested or noisy as some other city approaches". Near Monk Bar, it has independent shops and other commercial uses, including a health centre and jobcentre, while it is more residential further out.

Layout and architecture

The street runs north-east from Monk Bar, continuing the line 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 ...

. It terminates at a roundabout at which it meets Heworth Green, Huntington Road, and Foss Bank, by Monk Bridge over 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 ...

. On the south-east side, it has junctions with St Maurice's Road, Agar Street, and Monkgate Cloisters, which leads to the former hospital. On the north-west side, it meets Lord Mayor's Walk and Penley's Grove Street. Notable buildings on the north-west side of the street include 19 and 21 Monkgate, built in 1812; 37 Monkgate, built in 1794 and extended in 1848; a Methodist church, built in 1903; St Wilfrid's School, built in 1875; 39 Monkgate, built in 1794; 55 Monkgate, built about 1810; and 63 and 65, 67 and 69, and 71-75 Monkgate, all built in the 1810s. On the south-east side, buildings include the Bay Horse, built about 1820, with an ice house behind it; the 18th-century 24 Monkgate; 36 Monkgate, completed in 1798; the Grade II* listed Middleton House, built about 1700; the early-18th century 40 Monkgate; 42 Monkgate, built by

George Hudson George Hudson (probably 10 March 1800 – 14 December 1871) was an English railway financier and politician who, because he controlled a significant part of the Railway Mania, railway network in the 1840s, became known as "The Railway King"—a ...

; an 18th-century malt kiln; and 44 Monkgate, built around 1723.

References

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