The Treasurers House is one of the historic properties in York maintained by the National Trust. Entrance to the house is via Chapter House Street a narrow cobbled street unsuitable for large heavy vehicles. You can get into Chapter House Street either from Ogleforth or the south end of the Minster near St Williams College. A third option is to gain access via the Dean's Park, entering near the north end of the Minster from Petergate by the Purey Cust hospital. Originally the building was made to house the Treasurers of York Minster, hence the name. The house was built over the ruins of a Roman Road and it is said that you can see the ghosts of a Roman legion marching through the cellars of the house. Because the Roman Road is lower than the floor of the cellar you only see the legion from the knees upward. You can read more of the details about the history of the house and find out about things like opening times and admission prices by using the Treasurers House link.
Watch out for this plaque commemorating John Goddricke an important figure in the history of astronomy. One the colleges of York university "Goodricke College" also commemorates his name. The plaque can be found on the outside wall overlooking the small street between Treasurers House and the Minster.
This is the ornate entranceway into Treasurers House located in Chapter House Street, seen here in the early morning before opening for the public.
View Larger Map
2 comments:
I just love the beautiful architecture of this stately mansion. My, since Mr. John Goodricke was there in the 1780s, the building must have been more than 200 years' old!
Sadly, we don't have many such old buildings here in Singapore anymore. One of the oldest must be our National Museum which I blogged about here. You can see a photo of it under s/no. 3 in the post.
Thanks for your comments Victor, I remember the National Museum from my days in Singapore 1957-59 but it was called the Raffles Museum in those days. We are indeed blessed with some interesting buildings dating back many years in York. It is a city well worth visiting whilst in the UK. There are many people who say that they enjoy York far more than enjoy London.
I think that one of the reasons for Singapore not having many old buildings is because it is a young nation striving to build the future and does not yet feel the need to hold on to the past. However, as the population ages there are those like yourself and Chun See who are beginning to appreciate the value of parts of the past and some effort is going into conserving some of that past in places like Peranakan Place and Duxton Hill. Someone once said "to know where you are going you really need to know where you are coming from" or words to that effect. I think that I am still learning where I have come from and it is turning out to be an interesting journey.
Post a Comment