York Walks /2

Bedern and Bartle Garth

Photographed on 23 March 2004

Entrance to Bedern Chapel of the College of the Vicars Choral of York Minster

The entrance to Bedern from Goodramgate is easy to miss – shown on the photo above left, looking towards Goodramgate. As you enter, the stone building (photo above right) is visible on your right. Obviously patched up in more recent times, this is, the sign on its wall tells us, the remains of the Chapel of the College of the Vicars Choral of York Minster.

Bedern, redeveloped in the last 25 years to provide quality housing within the city walls

Most of Bedern is obviously of much more recent construction. Like Aldwark and St Andrewgate, and the other streets in this area between Goodramgate and St Saviourgate, it was redeveloped in the last quarter century, though remnants of earlier centuries remain. The photo left shows Bedern as it is now, looking towards the narrow passageway where it joins St Andrewgate. It's a pedestrian street, and as the sign shows, even two-wheeled transport is forbidden.

More impressive than Bedern Chapel is the other historic building just around the corner in a newly constructed adjoining street.

But before we go there, I have to include this picture of some flowers I found in Bedern. Bedern and the surrounding streets are full of carefully tended small gardens, clipped wall shrubs, and colourful seasonal flowers like these.

In the mid-19th century this was a notorious slum area, after clearance it became an industrial area, which by the 1960s was once again dilapidated:

'a drab thoroughfare entered under an arch from Goodramgate. It has nothing of visual interest save a superb view of the Minster over the low houses which front onto Goodramgate.'

David Lloyd, in the 1968 Esher report

Flowers in Bedern

Plenty of 'visual interest' here now, and it's certainly not drab.

Bartle Garth is a great name for a street. I've no idea what it means, or whether there is any history behind it. Bartle Garth seems to be a street that was constructed during the 1980s development. In any case, on Bartle Garth is Bedern Hall, sensitively restored.

For more information see the Bedern Hall website.

  Bedern Hall

Originally, in the 14th century, it was the dining hall for the Vicars' Choral. But subsequently it was turned into tenements, became a mineral-water factory, and later was absorbed into a pork-pie works! But now it has been rescued and splendidly restored by the City Council and the Gilds.

Mark W Jones – Walk Around the Snickelways of York

  Bedern Hall
     

I particularly like the windows of this building, so a few more photos follow.

Window, Bedern Hall   Detail from window, Bedern Hall
     
Stained glass, which probably looks better from the inside . . . but looks quite nice out here too.   Windows of Bedern Hall

Related pages:

Nearby are Aldwark, and St Andrewgate and Spen Lane.