Bootham is a street in the city 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, leading north out of the city centre. It is also the name of the small district surrounding the street.

History

The street runs along a ridge of slightly higher ground east of the River Ouse. It follows the line of

Dere Street Dere Street or Deere Street is a modern designation of a Roman roads, Roman road which ran north from Eboracum (York), crossing the Stanegate at Corbridge (Hadrian's Wall was crossed at the Portgate, just to the north) and continuing beyond int ...

, the main 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 Cataractonium. Many Roman remains have been found in the area, which were principally used for burials. The street's name probably derives from the Norse for "the place of the booths", referring to the poor huts in the area. From the Roman period, an alternative route from the bridge over the Ouse ran a short distance west of Bootham, and in the Saxon and Viking

Jorvik Scandinavian York or Viking York () is a term used by historians for what is now Yorkshire during the period of Scandinavian domination from late 9th century until it was annexed and integrated into England after the Norman Conquest; in parti ...

periods, that was the main road to the north-west. However, after St Mary's Abbey was constructed in this area, that road was blocked, and Bootham became the principal route. In 1260, the abbey was given permission to construct a wall, part of which runs immediately west of the southern part of Bootham. Disputes between the abbey and the city led to conflict in 1262, with several houses on the street being burned down. Shortly after 1326 the Bootham Hoard of silver coins was deposited at the site which would become Bootham School. The first documentary evidence of buildings on Bootham is from the 12th century, and by 1282, there were 19 properties on the street, most opposite the abbey wall, with some further out. The city received complaints that, by the end of the century, the road's paving was broken up, there was a stench of pigsties in the area, and that the street was often blocked by loose pigs. In 1308, the abbey was given permission to hold a market and fair on the street, and although this was later revoked, there is evidence of a market being held until at least 1448. In 1354, the abbey finally agreed that Bootham should fall within the city's jurisdiction. In 1497, St Margaret's Arch was built through part of the wall at the southern end of Bootham, providing access to what is now King's Manor. By 1610, most of the street was built up, other than the area in front of the abbey walls, but the area was devastated in the 1644

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 ...

. Almost all the buildings now date from after the siege, many from the Georgian period, and the redevelopment included new buildings in front of the abbey wall. A cock pit was established near where the road currently has its junction with St Mary's, with an attached bowling green. In 1846, Bootham School moved to the street, and it has gradually expanded into several buildings. York City Council describes the street as "the finest of approaches to the city bars", and mentions the trees and cobbled margins along the street, which replaced former grass verges, used for grazing animals. The street is now lined with expensive houses, hotels, and prestigious offices.

Layout and architecture

Bootham is the main route out of York city centre to the north-west, and it forms part of the

A19 road The A19 is a major road in England running approximately parallel to and east of the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. Although the two roads meet at the northern end of the A19, the two roads originally met at the southern end of the A19 in ...

. It continues the line of High Petergate, the

via principalis ''Castra'' () is a Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified military base.. Included is a discuss ...

of Roman

, from

Bootham Bar 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 W ...

in the

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 ...

. It follows the main Roman road from York to Catterick. It runs north-west, over the York-Scarborough railway line, ending at a junction with Bootham Crescent and Queen Anne's Road, beyond which its route become Clifton. On the south-west side, it has junctions with

St Leonard's Place St Leonard's Place is a street in York, England. History The site street lay mostly within the walls of Roman Eboracum, and two Anglo-Saxon carved stones and St Leonard's Place hoard, a large coin hoard have been discovered in excavations in t ...

, Marygate, St Mary's and Bootham Terrace, while on the north-east side, it meets Gillygate, Bootham Row, and Grosvenor Terrace. Notable buildings on its south-west side include the walls surrounding St Mary's Abbey, with Queen Margaret's Arch and St Mary's Tower; Ingram House, almshouses built about 1632, one of the few survivors of the siege; 8–10 Bootham, built in the 18th century; and 54 Bootham, and Bootham Lodge, large houses built about 1840. On the north-east side lie most of the Georgian buildings: 15–17, The Exhibition pub, 25, 33, 39–45, 47 (designed by John Carr), 51, 53 and 55, 57, 59, 61, and 75–77 Bootham are all large houses, dating from the 18th century. 21 and 23, 35, and 49 Bootham are slightly older, with 17th-century origins. Other notable buildings include Wandesford House, almshouses opened in 1743; and The Churchill Hotel, built about 1827. The main entrance to Bootham Park Hospital, built in 1777 as one of the first asylums in the UK, is a long drive from the street.

References

{{Streets of York Villages and areas in the City of York

History

Layout and architecture

See also

References