Uncovering York’s Hidden Snickelways and Ginnels from the Medieval Era

Walk York’s secret passageways and you’ll find a medieval world hiding in plain sight.

Before we arrived in York, we’d read about the Barley Hall – a recently discovered medieval townhouse that had been lost in the middle of the medieval city of York.

How on earth can you lose a building in a city as small as York? The fact is, this gem of a city has so many medieval treasures, twisting lanes, and alleys that it is really possible to simply lose one or two of them. The only way to truly uncover Medieval York is to explore the snickelways and ginnels of this ancient city.

Discovering Medieval York

A York friend tipped us off about an amazing book: A Walk Around the Snickelways of York by Mark W. Jones, which thoroughly explains it all.

Author Jones created the term snickelway in the 1980s by blending snicket – a passageway between walls or fences, ginnel – a narrow passageway between or through buildings, and alleyway – a narrow street or lane. Now, local residents in York use the word as if it is as old as the city itself.

Armed with a copy of Jones’s book, we headed for Bootham Bar, one of the entrances through York’s ancient walls. The gateways through York’s walls are called bars, and Bootham Bar is the oldest, marking a nearly 2,000-year-old Roman route into the city.

Travel TipIf you visit York before the end of March 2018, stop at the Barley Hall to see The Power and The Glory exhibition about York in the time of Henry VIII. The exhibition features six sumptuous costumes from the BBC’s acclaimed series, Wolf Hall. They even created a perfume for the event based on scents used by the Tudors, called Decapitation. This was inspired by Henry VIII’s fifth wife, Catherine Howard, who, as you might guess, lost her head.

Entering Medieval York – High Petergate from Bootham Bar

In the medieval, walled city of York, streets that lead to openings in the city walls are called gates, while the entrances through the walls are called bars.

Here, High Petergate winds into the center of the city from Bootham Bar, one of the oldest entrances to York. About midway up the street, on the left, the round sign announces The Hole-in-the-Wall Pub. Beside it, you will find one of York’s many snickelways.

X Marks the Spot and Leads to an Awesome Surprise

Little Peculiar Lane, located just before the entrance to The Hole-in-the-Wall Pub, is a real hole in the wall. It may appear to be a private passage to someone’s back door; however, it is a public way and one of York’s many mysterious passages known as snickelways. The view, once you’ve plunged through, is one of the best in the medieval city.

One of the Best Views of York Minster

Little Peculiar Lane is actually a ginnel – a passage through a wall or building – rather than a snickelway – a narrow passage between buildings. Nevertheless, just plunge through it. It’s one of the oldest passageways in York and opens onto a snickelway known as Precentors Court, where you’ll be rewarded with a stunning view of York Minster.

This 1,000-year-old cathedral, built on Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and early Norman foundations, is 200 feet high. It is the largest consecrated Gothic space in Europe and one of the Seven Wonders of the UK. Its west facade is magnificent; however, be sure to walk around to see the east facade and the Great East Window, famously as big as a tennis court.

Another Secret Passage in York

Bedern Passage, tucked between shops in the busy shopping district of Goodram Gate, leads to another of York’s hidden medieval treasures. Crossing York via its passages, snickelways, and ginnels is a way of experiencing the silence of the past amidst the bustling modern city. This opening, located between a Mind charity shop and Caesar’s Italian Restaurant at 29 Goodramgate, appears to be a delivery entrance for the modern commercial city center. However, it is not.

An Ancient Chapel Hides Steps Away From a Modern Shopping District

Passing through the ginnel known as Bedern Passage brings you to Bedern Path, beside the ancient remains of Bedern Chapel. The chapel and the nearby hall are all that remains of the College of the Vicars Choral of the Minster, consecrated in 1349.

Bedern Hall, the “common hall” of the college is nearby. Originally utilized as a refectory or dining hall for the choral, it can still be hired for weddings, private parties, and meetings. During the summer, it hosts teas that are open to the public.