Lendal is a street in the city centre of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...

, in England.

History

The street was first mentioned in the 1380s, when it was known as Aldeconyngstrete (Old Coney Street). However, by 1641, it had become known as "Lendal", a contraction of "St Leonard's Hill". This "hill" was the quay on the River Ouse belonging to St Leonard's Hospital, which lay at the north-western end of the street. Most of the south-western side of the street was occupied by the Augustinian Friary, which was dissolved in 1538. St Wilfrid's Church lay on the north-east side until it was demolished later in the 16th-century. In about 1710, the city's main

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

was built on the south-west side, while the large Judges' Lodgings house was built on the north-east side by Clifton Wintringham about 1720. For 24 years, a statue of Napoleon outside a tobacconist's shop on Lendal was a local landmark. York Post Office remained on the street until 2019, when it moved to Coney Street. Banks, located on Lendal, is the oldest music shop in Britain, having been founded in 1756.

Layout and architecture

The street runs north-west from St Helen's Square to Museum Street. South of St Helen's Square, it continues as Coney Street. Museum Street was formerly known as Back Lendal, and both

Lendal Tower Lendal Tower is a medieval tower that formed part of the city defences of York, England. It is located on the east bank of the River Ouse at the point where the river enters the walled city from the north-west. The building was used as a wate ...

on the

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 W ...

, and

Lendal 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 '' ...

lie on Museum Street, near where Lendal meets it. Judges' Lodgings lies on the north-east side of the street, while other listed buildings include the 19th-century Lendal House, and the terrace 13-23 Lendal, built in 1766. On the south-west side, 2 Lendal was built as a Congregational Chapel, built in 1816 by Pritchett and Watson. 8 Lendal was built in the 17th-century as Lendal House, although it was refronted in the 19th-century. 4A and 4B, behind it, are its former boat house and stable, and incorporate a surviving part of the friary wall. The terrace at 10, 12 and 14 Lendal was built in 1714, while the former post office, and Lendal Cellars, down an alleyway, are all listed.

References

{{Streets of York Streets in York