Duncombe Place is a 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. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

, in England.

History

The street was first mentioned in 1346 as Lop Lane, and it later became known as Little Blake Street. Initially a very narrow street, the eastern entrance to

St Leonard's Hospital St Leonard's Hospital may refer to: * St Leonard's Hospital, Ferndown, a community hospital in Dorset * St Leonard's Hospital, Hackney, a former hospital in London, built in 1913 * St Leonard's Hospital, Tickhill, a former monastic building in S ...

lay on its north-western side. It was widened in 1785 to 15 feet, and then in 1864 to more than 100 feet. This led to the demolition of most of the existing buildings on what was then

Minster Close The Minster Close or Minster Precinct is the area surrounding York Minster. It first appeared in records from the late 13th century, when a wall was constructed around it. In 1880, it was renamed "Duncombe Place", after

Augustus Duncombe Augustus Duncombe (2 November 1814 – 26 January 1880) was Dean of York from 1858 until his death. Biography Duncombe was born the seventh child and fifth son of Charles Duncombe, 1st Baron Feversham, and educated at Worcester College, O ...

, the

Dean of York The Dean of York is the member of the clergy who is responsible for the running of the York Minster cathedral. As well as being the head of the cathedral church of the diocese and the metropolitical church of the province, the Dean of York holds ...

. The street has a long history of Catholic worship, with a house, probably 7 Little Blake Street, occupied by a priest as early as 1688, and by 1764, 170 Catholics were meeting in a chapel there, dedicated to St Wilfrid. In 1806, it was sold to the

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

s, but the

York Oratory The Oratory Church of Saint Wilfrid, York (or York Oratory for short) is a Catholic Church, Catholic church in York, England. A church dedicated to St Wilfrid, Saint Wilfrid has stood in York since medieval times. The church is known as the "Mo ...

, the city's main Catholic church, was built on the street in 1864.

Architecture

The street runs north-east from the junction of Blake Street,

Museum Street Museum Street is a street in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, England. To the north is the British Museum, hence its current name. The street is populated by cafes and bookshops to appeal to the international museum-going ...

and

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 ...

, to the front of

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 ...

, where

Petergate Petergate is a street in the city centre of York, in England. It is divided into High Petergate and Low Petergate. The well-known view of the Minster from Low Petergate is described by the City of York Council as "excellent". History Petergate ...

Minster Yard Minster Yard is a street in the city centre of York, England. It runs along the southern, eastern and northeastern sides of York Minster, for which it is named. History The street may have originated as the courtyard of the headquarters buildi ...

and

Precentor's Court Precentor's Court is a historic street in the English city of York. Although certainly in existence by 1313,''York: The Making of a City 1068–1350'', Sarah Rees Jones (2013), p. 146 the street does not appear on a map until 1610, and it is no ...

meet. It is the main approach to

for visitors arriving from

York railway station York railway station is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) serving the cathedral city of York, North Yorkshire, England. It is north of and, on the main line, it is situated between to the south and to the north. , the sta ...

. Almost all the buildings on the street are listed. The north-west side is dominated by the

, the city's main Catholic church, the other buildings being The Red House, built in 1714; the 18th-century Theatre House, with some 13th-century masonry in its basement; and the Dean Court Hotel. On the south side lie the former York Dispensary; the Crown Buildings, originally the city's probate offices; and a Victorian

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 I ...

. There is also a garden containing the city's Second Boer War Memorial. On the north-west side of the street is a listed

K6 telephone kiosk The red telephone box is a telephone kiosk for a public telephone designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect responsible for Liverpool Cathedral. The telephone box is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, its associate ...

References

{{Streets of York