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Precentor's Court
Historic street in York, England / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Precentor's Court is an historic street in the English city of York. Although certainly in existence by 1313,[1] the street does not appear on a map until 1610, and it is not given a name (Precentor's Lane) until 1722. It was given its current name exactly a century later.[2]
![]() Looking east down Precentor's Court to York Minster in 2023 | |
![]() Location within York | |
Length | 0.073 mi (0.117 km) |
---|---|
Location | York, England |
Coordinates | 53°57′44.90″N 1°5′2″W |
South end | High Petergate |
It is a cul-de-sac, running northwest from High Petergate at the western end of York Minster, in front of which the road apexes.[3] A snickelway, known as Little Peculiar Lane, cuts through to the street, at its western end, from High Petergate.
The frontages on High Petergate were developed with commercial properties for letting. A new lane, today's Precentor's Court, was developed, dividing these commercial properties from the canons' residences to the rear.[1]
Around 1540, the marble and stone bases of two shrines in the Minster were dismantled and buried in what is now Precentor's Court. One was later exhumed during construction work[4] and is now preserved in the Yorkshire Museum.[5]
The street was home to St Stephen's orphanage from 1870 to 1872, when it moved to Trinity Lane.[6][7][8]
- Looking west down the street from in front of number 1. The southern wall of Purey-Cust Lodge (right) is the only building on the northern side of the street
- Gate into Purey-Cust Lodge from Precentor's Court