Barley Hall. York
Situated in Coffee Yard between Stonegate and Grape Lane in York stands Barley Hall. The house has quite a remarkable past and during the early 1980's was very nearly demolished. Its history can be traced back to the 14th Century. Nostell Priory in West Yorkshire like many religious houses, had strong links with York Minster. The Priors were expected to attend business meetings and ceremonies in York, so it made sense for them to have somewhere to stay in the city. Thomas de Dereford a Prior from 1337-1372, arranged for such a house (Barley Hall) to be built in 1360. The Priory owned the property until Henry V111's dissolotion in 1540. It was during the 15th Century when the Priory fell on hard times that the house was leased out to private tennants, the most notable being Master William Snawsel, a Mayor of York who lived in the property from the mid 1440's - late 1480. In 1540 the building was confiscated by the crown. By the 17th century the property had been divided up into smaller dwellings and during the Victorian Period was described as a warren of tradesmen's workshops.
The reconstruction of the building was a result of the archaeological excavations which began in 1887 through to 1991. Today the building is owned by the York archaeological trust and has been open to the public since 1993.
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