Treasurer's House, York
Treasurer's House is a Grade I listed historic house in Minster Yard, directly behind York Minster. Restored around 1900 by industrialist Frank Green and given with its furnishings to the National Trust in 1930, it is a house full of collected period rooms, with a free garden and one of York's best-known ghost stories.
Photos
Adnan Can Kelicen
From Minster to mansion
The site was home to the Minster's treasurer from 1091 until the post ended at the Reformation. The Young family reshaped the house in the 1600s, and in 1897 Frank Green bought it, stripped out later additions and filled it with his collection. When he retired in 1930 he handed house and contents to the National Trust, the first time a private home had been given complete in this way.
Romans in the cellar
The house stands over a Roman road leading north out of Roman York, and one of four Roman column bases found during Green's works remains in the cellar. In 1953 an apprentice plumber, Harry Martindale, reported seeing Roman soldiers walk through the cellar wall, a story he told consistently for the rest of his life.
Visiting
Admission is charged for the house, while the garden is free to enter and makes a quiet spot beside the Minster. National Trust members go free. Combine it with York Minster next door, then walk the city walls from Monk Bar a few minutes away. The house suits anyone interested in interiors and collecting, and the ghost story gives children a reason to be curious about the cellar.
Highlights
- Grade I listed house beside York Minster
- Frank Green's collected period rooms
- First private home given to the National Trust with its contents
- Roman column base in the cellar
- Free-to-enter garden
Good to know
- The garden is free; the house charges admission.
- National Trust members enter free.
- Monk Bar and the city walls are a few minutes' walk.
Frequently asked questions
Sources: en.wikipedia.org