One of the most interesting ways of finding things about the area is to consult the historic maps. I’ve been consulting this interactive map from 1852. Comparing maps is like a historic spot-the-difference. So, without further ado, this is what I’ve discovered so far….
The above is a screenshot from the interactive map by the York Council of Archaeology.
The interesting pasts of the map I’ve tried to highlight above. The York Art Gallery for example, the red square on the left, did not exist during this period as it only opened to the public for the first time in 1879. This alters the landscape quite a bit from how the area appears now.
The other main change to the area, is the demolition of the buildings in the red circle. Technically all the buildings built along the Abbey walls of St Mary’s Abbey were demolished but, although some of the other buildings such as ‘The White Horse Inn’ were rebuilt, this row of houses and businesses were not rebuilt. This means that although today you access King’s Manor via Exhibition Square, you would have to accessed the area through the medieval gate that is still standing and a part of the original Abbey wall (seen below).
So, from this perspective on Google Maps, you would be standing in the row of houses. The gate straight ahead would have been the entrance to the drive up to King’s Manor. The York Art Gallery, statue and fountain on the left all didn’t exist. Instead there was a small wall with fields on the other side containing a well.
Amazingly, the area around King’s Manor is remarkably unchanged. If you’re interested in more historic map spot-the-difference, let me know in the comments below!