Coppergate
Coppergate is a street in the city centre of York, England. In 1976, demolition crews clearing a cinema and the Cravens confectionery factory there uncovered major Viking remains buried beneath the ground. The street itself runs north-east from a junction of Castlegate, Nessgate, King Street and Clifford Street. It ends where Pavement, Piccadilly, Parliament Street and High Ousegate all meet. What lay on this ground before the Vikings arrived? And why does a York street's own name still point back to a medieval trade?
Outside the walls of Roman York, this stretch of ground once served as a glass-making district. Glass production there ended when the Roman period came to a close, and the site lay abandoned. Viking York re-occupied the ground in the 9th century, turning abandoned Roman land into a working street again. Archaeological finds later showed that by the 11th century, housing already stood along the route.
Sometime between 1120 and 1135, the street was first recorded as a centre for coopers, the craftsmen whose trade gave Coppergate its name. That name would soon draw a very different kind of business onto the same ground, as the Pavement Market began spreading along the street.
In 1900, the south-western end of Coppergate was widened, and most of its surviving medieval buildings were replaced in the process. Coppergate Shopping Centre opened later, in 1984. What survived those changes still stands on the street today, in buildings whose origins reach back centuries earlier.
The back of All Saints, Pavement, faces onto the north side of Coppergate. Behind it runs a row of shops whose main entrances open onto High Ousegate. Numbers 3 to 7 were built in two stages during the 1900s, and by the late 20th century the retailer Habitat occupied the space.
On the south side of the street, Galtres Chambers and the 16th-century Three Tuns pub both hold listed status. Two more buildings, 26 Coppergate and 28-32 Coppergate, carry origins back to the 15th century. Their 15th-century origins make 26 Coppergate and 28-32 Coppergate the oldest structures on a street still being rebuilt around them.
Common questions
Where is Coppergate located in York, England?
Coppergate is a street in the city centre of York, England. It runs north-east from a junction of Castlegate, Nessgate, King Street and Clifford Street to a junction of Pavement, Piccadilly, Parliament Street and High Ousegate.
Why is Coppergate called Coppergate?
Coppergate was first recorded as a centre for coopers sometime between 1120 and 1135, and the street's name derives from that trade.
What did archaeologists find at Coppergate in 1976?
In 1976, major Viking remains were uncovered immediately south of Coppergate during demolition of a cinema and the Cravens confectionery factory.
When did Coppergate Shopping Centre open?
Coppergate Shopping Centre opened in 1984, built over the buildings that had been demolished on the site.
What historic buildings still stand on Coppergate?
Coppergate's listed buildings include Galtres Chambers and the 16th-century Three Tuns pub. Two further structures, 26 Coppergate and 28-32 Coppergate, have origins in the 15th century.
What stood on the site of Coppergate before the Vikings arrived?
Before Viking York re-occupied the site in the 9th century, the ground at Coppergate lay outside Roman York's walls as a glass-making district. It was abandoned after the Roman period ended.
All sources
6 references cited across the entry
- 1BookEnglish Heritage: Book of YorkRichard Hall — B. T. Batsford — 1996
- 4BookA History of the County of York: the City of YorkVictoria County History — 1961
- 6BookYorkshire: York and the East RidingNikolaus Pevsner — Yale University Press — 1995