A new and exciting book, celebrating the history and stories of Micklegate, from Micklegate Bar’s royal entrance down to the Ouse Bridge is out, titled “Micklegate, The Great Street of York.”
The book was locally written and produced by the Clements Hall Local History Group who have spent the time and care researching the origins of each building that line Micklegate such as Bathurst House and Boyes building.
Susan Major from the group said: “It’s been a really fulfilling project, some of our team are experienced researchers, while others have been learning how to investigate the history of houses, traders and occupants for the first time. But it’s been fascinating to uncover so many interesting stories.”
The street known for being visited by royalty, was also the place where heads of traitors was mounted on spikes for all to see. Also, many people have nostalgic memories of the pubs, restaurants and pubs along Micklegate, looking back very fondly over Christmas sleigh rides at the Coop store, and shopping and working at Boyes store on Ouse Bridge.
There are several grand Georgian houses such as Garforth House, Micklegate House and Bathurst House, each with many changes of use over the centuries example being, Micklegate House being used as a storage facility and chemical works during the first half of the 20th century.
Also, there are other shops, houses and restaurants of great interest. One such building was known for hosting architects, philosophers, artists and antiquarians, the York Virtuoso, in the 17th and 18th centuries, plus on the corner of Bar Lane, was a famous plant shop ran by Walter Ward and the building that housed Buckles Bakery, on the corner of Priory Street had been hosting bakers for 200 years.
From horse trams transporting passengers up Micklegate hill often with an extra horse for help to diarist Anne Lister of Gentleman Jack fame visited Micklegate often in the early 19th century, and there was an 18th century doomed love affair at the Falcon Inn with Lady Vavasour.
Charles Dickens is reputed to have based his Wilkins Micawber character from David Copperfield on a notorious and eccentric chap working at a railway company office there, known as Richard Chicken, “an indescribable character of faded gentility” according to his employer, a one Mr John Cass Birkinshaw.
One of the pubs, known as a railwaymen’s pub, played a key role in the birth of the NUR (National Union of Railwaymen), an industrial union founded in 1913 and dissolved in 1990. The NUR at its peak had 462,205 members (1947) and represented the majority of railway workers but not white-collar workers who were represented by the Railways Clerks` Association but membership was open to firemen and drivers. It was the largest union for railway workers in the country and was influential in the national trade union movement.
The sixth instalment in an award-winning publication on York history, the book has 184 pages with 160 illustrations (colour and black & white).
The book is out and is sold at £15 and can be found at Waterstones on Coney st, at Monks Cross, Explore York Library, the Amnesty Bookshop on Micklegate, Pextons Hardware and Frankie and Johnny’s Cookshop on Bishopthorpe Road.
