St Helen's Square

Last updated

St Helen's Square
St Helen's Square, York - DSC07915.JPG
St Helen's Square, looking south-west
St Helen's Square
Location within York
Maintained by City of York
Location York, England, UK
Coordinates 53°57′37″N1°05′04″W / 53.96015°N 1.08448°W / 53.96015; -1.08448
North
East Davygate
South Coney Street
West Lendal
Construction
Completion1745;279 years ago (1745)

St Helen's Square is an open space in the city centre of York, England.

Contents

History

During the Roman era, Eboracum's south-western gate, the porta praetoria, lay where the square is now. [1]

Until the mid-18th century much of the space was occupied by the graveyard of St Helen's, Stonegate. The streets of Stonegate and Davygate ran either side of the graveyard, meeting Coney Street at a junction known as Cuckold's Corner. In addition a footpath ran across the graveyard, linking Davygate with the junction of Stonegate and Blake Street. [2]

In 1745 St Helen's was given a plot of land on Davygate for use as a new graveyard and the old graveyard was paved over to form St Helen's Square. In the early 20th century the square was enlarged to the south-east, giving it a more regular, rectangular, shape. [2]

The York Tavern, built on the square in 1770, became one of two main departure points for stagecoaches to London. [3] [4] By 1818 Terry's had set up its shop on the square and it remained there, later also operating as a restaurant, until 1980. [5] [6]

In winter the square is now the location of a large Christmas tree and the city's Christmas lights are turned on in a ceremony held in the square. [7] [8] The square is also a popular location for demonstrations and rallies. [9] [10] 0

Layout and architecture

The square, looking north-east York, UK - panoramio (79).jpg
The square, looking north-east

The square is an important junction, with Coney Street leading from its southern corner, Lendal from the west, both Blake Street and Stonegate from the north and Davygate from the east. [2]

The south-western side of the square is occupied by the Mansion House and there is also access to the York Guildhall, which can be seen through a gateway. On the north-western side Harkers was constructed for the Yorkshire Insurance Company, and the York County Savings Bank Building was also built in the mid-19th century for a local institution. Both are listed, as is the former Terry's building at 3 St Helen's Square. The 18th-century Number 7, on the north-eastern side, is also listed, with the remainder of this side occupied by St Helen's Church. Numbers 2-8, occupying the south-eastern side, were built in 1929 and are also listed. Part of the building is occupied by Bettys tea rooms. [2] [11]

Related Research Articles

York had around 45 parish churches in 1300. Twenty survive, in whole or in part, a number surpassed in England only by Norwich, and 12 are used for worship. This article consists of a list of medieval churches which still exist in whole or in part, and a list of medieval churches which are known to have existed in the past but have been completely demolished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Martin le Grand, York</span> Grade II* listed church in York, England

St Martin le Grand, York is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England in York.

CityConnect WIFI is a Municipal wireless network brand name run by Pinacl Solutions currently in operation in the cities of York, England and Aberdeen, Scotland. The concept is to turn the entire connected area into a Wireless Access Zone, with the ultimate goal of making the internet a universal service. To cover large parts of both cities, a wireless mesh network has been deployed relying the wireless WiFi signal of hundreds of routers mounted commonly to poles, lamp-posts and buildings. Pinacl works closely with City of York Council and Aberdeen City Council and as such, Pinacl acts as a wireless internet service provider.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonegate (York)</span> Street in York, England

Stonegate is a street in the city centre of York, in England, one of the streets most visited by tourists. Most of the buildings along the street are listed, meaning they are of national importance due to their architecture or history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Sampson's Square</span> Open space in York, England

St Sampson's Square is an open space, and former marketplace, in the city centre of York, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davygate</span> Street in York, England

Davygate is a major shopping street in the city centre of York, in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colliergate</span> Street in York, England

Colliergate is a street in the city centre of York, in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lendal</span> Street in York, England

Lendal is a street in the city centre of York, in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mulberry Hall</span> Grade II* listed building in York, England

Mulberry Hall is a grade II* listed building on Stonegate, in the city centre of York, in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coney Street</span> Street in York, England

Coney Street is a major shopping street in the city centre of York, in England. The street runs north-west from the junction of Spurriergate and Market Street, to St Helen's Square. New Street leads off the north-east side of the street, as does a snickelway leading to the Judges Court hotel, while several snickelways lead from the south-west side down to the River Ouse, including Blanshard's Lane, and paths leading to City Screen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blake Street (York)</span> Street in York, England

Blake Street is a road in the city centre of York, in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duncombe Place</span> Street in York, England

Duncombe Place is a street in the city centre of York, in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Sampson's Church, York</span> Grade II listed church in York, England

St Sampson's Church is a former parish church in the city centre of York, England. It lies on Church Street, near St Sampson's Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spurriergate</span> Street in York, England

Spurriergate is a short street in the city centre of York, in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petergate</span> Street in York, England

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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillygate</span> Street in York, England

Gillygate is a street in York, in England, immediately north of the city centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Street (York)</span> Street in York, England

New Street is a road in the city centre of York, in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swinegate</span> Street in York, England

Swinegate is a street in the city centre of York, in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minster Gates</span> Street in York, England

Minster Gates is a north–south running street in the city centre of York, England, connecting Minster Yard and High Petergate. All of its buildings are listed, many dating to the 18th century, although the street is significantly older.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3 St Helen's Square</span> Grade II listed building in York, England

3 St Helen's Square is a historic building in the city centre of York, in England.

References

  1. "Roman Fortress". York Civic Trust. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in City of York, Volume 5, Central. London: HMSO. 1981. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  3. A History of the County of York: the City of York. London: Victoria County History. 1961. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  4. Combe, William (1785). The history and antiquities of the city of York, from its origin to the present times. Vol. 2. p. 379. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  5. Pigot, James (1818). The Commercial Directory for 1818-19-20. Manchester: J Pigot & co. p. 487. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  6. Historic England. "3, ST HELENS SQUARE (Grade II) (1256797)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  7. "Lockdown! This is what St Helen's Square looks like now". York Mix. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  8. Walton, Simon (15 October 2019). "When will York's Christmas lights 2019 be switched on?". The Press. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  9. "'People's Parliament' rally to be held in York". York Mix. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  10. Dodd, George (20 September 2019). "Hundreds take to St Helen's Square to protest over climate change". The Press. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  11. "Character Area Eleven: Central Shopping Area". City of York Council. Retrieved 10 August 2020.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to St Helen's Square, York at Wikimedia Commons