by Patrick Ottaway
The excavation at 62-68 Low Petergate was undertaken because the site lies in the centre of the Roman fortress and the medieval walled city north-east of the Ouse, and also in an area known to be rich in archaeological remains. This was demonstrated in 1957-8 by an excavation on the south-east side of the site (Wenham 1972) and in an evaluation excavation in 2003 (Johnson 2003). The archaeological deposits in this part of York are known to be up to c. 5m deep and in view of the depth of the footprint of the new development it was clear that only medieval deposits would be the subject of the mitigation exercise.
The street name, Petergate, is taken from St. Peter's Minster, and was first recorded in 1203. Although the distinction between High and Low Petergate was used in 1736, it was not common until around 1800 (RCHMY 5, 180). Hornpot Lane marks the south-eastern boundary of this site and leads from Low Petergate to the church and churchyard of Holy Trinity, Goodramgate. This lane seems to be medieval in origin and its name is thought to derive from the horners who worked in the vicinity in the late medieval period.
There are numerous historical buildings in the immediate area including the church of Holy Trinity Goodramgate situated on the north-east side of the property. The earliest references to it are from the 11th century, although most of the surviving fabric dates from the 13th-15th centuries (Wilson and Mee 1998, 39). Petergate itself contains some buildings with surviving medieval timber-framing. For example, No. 67 dates from the late 14th century. It is three storeys with the upper storeys jettied onto the street (RCHMY 5, 194). No. 79 is also three storeys and jettied, it thought to have been built in the late 14th century (ibid., 196).
Nos 62-68 Low Petergate have previously been studied by the RCHME (RCHMY 5, 189-192). In this survey the only extant medieval framing was thought to be visible in No. 66, formerly the Fox Inn, which was built in the second half of the 15th century. Also recognised as medieval were the principal posts on the south-west side of No. 64.
The front block of the property known as the Fox Inn was demolished in 1957. However, prior to its demolition it was surveyed by RCHME (1963, 72). It was concluded that this building was originally built in the 15th century of four unjettied storeys with its gable facing the street. At the rear was a two-storied block containing a first-floor hall, and a further 17th-century extension beyond it. The hall was found to have been divided into two floors in c.1600, and a fireplace was inserted in the early 17th century. The street front was rebuilt in the early 18th century and further additions were undertaken throughout the 19th century.
The buildings on Low Petergate are largely post-medieval in date. The majority of the timber-framed buildings on the street were remodelled in the 16th or 17th century. RCHME (RCHMY 5, 191) recognised that No. 64 consisted of part of the property occupied by the Talbots in the 16th century, becoming the Talbot Inn in the 17th century. The south-east wing contains a large staircase, known as the 'Talbot Stairs' dating from the mid-late 17th century. This is the wing mentioned above as containing the 15th century principal posts. The north-west wing of this property was described as being of 17th century origin, though heavily restored in the 18th and 19th century.
Detail of a map by John Speed, 1610, showing location of 62-68 Low Petergate
South-east Prospect of York by Samuel and Nathaniel Buck, 1700-50
There is also a collection of brick buildings dating from the 18th or 19th century found on Low Petergate, of which No. 62 is arguably the finest. It was built c. 1725 by John Shaw, Proctor of the Court of York, and is thought to have replaced part of the Talbot Inn (ibid., 189). It is a large Georgian building set back from the street with two projecting wings. The single storied projecting porch with Roman Doric columns was added in 1865-6 at the same time as the rear elevation was reconstructed with its corner turrets (Pevsner and Neave 1997).
The two previous excavations on the site by Wenham and Johnson indicated the presence of a long sequence of deposits and structures from the Anglo-Scandinavian period to the post-medieval. Finds of leather, largely off-cuts, suggests cobblers or leatherworkers were based here in the medieval period. There was also evidence for metalworking and horn working as implied by the name Hornpot Lane. The quality of preservation in the archaeological deposits in this area was known to be particularly good with waterlogged deposits preserving organic material.