Barley Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barley Hall |
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The interior of the Great Hall
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| General information | |
| Address | 2 Coffee Yard |
| Town or city | York |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 53°57′39″N 1°04′58″W / 53.96093°N 1.08264°W |
| Construction started | 1360 |
| Renovated | 1990-3 |
| Owner | York Archaeological Trust |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Timber framing |
| Renovating team | |
| Renovating firm | McCurdy & Co |
Barley Hall is a medieval (Middle Ages) townhouse in York, England. It was built around 1360 by monks from Nostell Priory, a type of monastery. The building was made bigger in the 1400s. Over time, it became less grand and was split into smaller homes. By the 1900s, it was in very poor condition.
In 1987, the York Archaeological Trust bought the building. They carefully restored it and named it Barley Hall. Today, it is a museum that shows what a medieval house might have looked like. You can visit it and see special exhibitions.
Contents
Barley Hall's Story
From Monks to Merchants
The first parts of Barley Hall were built around 1360. This was for Thomas de Dereford, who was the head monk (called a prior) of Nostell Priory. The priory was important in Yorkshire. The monks used this building as a place to stay when they visited York. It was like their city townhouse.
By the 1430s, the priory needed more money. So, the monks decided to rent out the building. Around this time, some parts of the main hall were rebuilt. In the 1460s, a rich goldsmith named William Snawsell rented the property. He paid a very high rent for that time. Snawsell supported King Richard III during the Wars of the Roses. This was a time of big fights over who should be king of England. Snawsell stopped renting the house by 1489.
Later, between 1536 and 1541, many monasteries were closed down by the king. This was called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. After this, the history of Barley Hall is not as clear. By the 1600s, the building had been split into smaller parts. One part even became a public shortcut from Stonegate to Swinegate. This shortcut is still used today.
In the Victorian era (the 1800s), the building was divided even more. Brick walls were added to make many small rooms. This continued into the 1900s. By the 1970s, a local plumber used the building to store his tools and show off his work.
Rediscovery and Restoration
By the early 1980s, Barley Hall was very unsafe. It was planned to be torn down to build new offices and apartments. But in 1980, workers discovered the old medieval parts of the building!
The site was sold in 1984. Then, the York Archaeological Trust bought it in 1987. They started to study the building's history to decide what to do with it.
Deciding what to do was tricky. Only about 30% of the original wooden beams were still good. Also, the building had changed a lot since medieval times. The Trust decided to rebuild it to look like it did in 1483. They wanted to turn it into a museum. They named it Barley Hall after Professor Maurice Barley, who was the Trust's chairman.
Most of the parts added after the medieval period were removed. A new wooden frame was built somewhere else. Then, it was brought to York over ten days. This was hard because the streets around Barley Hall are very narrow. They also made copies of furniture and other items for the house. These were based on a list made in 1478.
Many people, including English Heritage, liked the idea. They thought it was a new way to show the past, like the Jorvik Viking Centre nearby. People praised how carefully and accurately the work was done. The new museum was generally popular.
However, some people did not agree with the way it was restored. Some critics said it was more like making a copy than truly restoring the building. They were sad that the parts of the hall from later periods were destroyed. One person called it "another contribution to our Disneyland heritage." Another historian said that York is so full of museums that it feels like an "imaginary and commodified past."
Barley Hall's Design
Barley Hall has several rooms on its ground floor. The storeroom, where you enter, has a lot of original wood from 1360. This leads to another storeroom, now called the Steward's room.
The main part of the building is the Great Hall. This part was built in 1430. Its decorations are based on other similar halls in York. The building also has a pantry (for food) and a buttery (for drinks).
Upstairs, on the first floor, you'll find the parlour. This room looks down onto the Great Hall. There is also a gallery and several bedchambers (bedrooms). Barley Hall is a Grade II listed building. This means it is an important historical building.
Exhibitions and Fun
Barley Hall often hosts special exhibitions. Some past exhibitions have included:
- "Plague, Poverty And Prayer". This show opened in 2013. It was designed by children's author Terry Deary, who wrote the Horrible Histories books. It even used costumes from the Horrible Histories TV show!
- Costumes from the 2015 TV series Wolf Hall. This show was nominated for awards for its amazing costume design.
See also
