There’s an amazing thing that the city of York does for residents. It’s called Residents’ Weekend, and once a year, on that weekend, York residents get to visit all the tourist locations and historic buildings for free. You just have to show your residency card (which you can get from the library).
I love Residents’ Weekend. I think it’s such a great thing for cities to do (akin to Open House London) and I think more places should take it up. In the past Sam and I have gone to many museums and even a boat ride in York.
This year we prioritised the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, which we hadn’t been able to see in the past as it had been closed for renovations for ages after the Boxing Day Flood of 2015.
The Hall is one of the finest medieval guildhalls in the world. It’s 660 years old (built in 1357) and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It has focused on trade from sea trade in the 14th century to York’s history of railways and chocolate to the present day. Medieval guilds tended to have three rooms; the chapel (for religious reasons), the main hall (for business and socialising) and an undercroft (for charitable reasons).
The oldest part of the Hall are the bricks on the ground floor. They were put together centuries before the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall was built. They are about 1000 years old and date to around the time the Romans left York.
The chapel was one of the parts that had been most damaged in the flood, but to my untrained eyes I couldn’t see any damage. So a huge job well done to the restoration crew!
One of the things that I couldn’t help but laugh in dismay at was the painting of the most recent company of the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall. Today the Company is no longer a trading union like in the past but a trust. It’s responsible for operating the hall as a museum and administering charities. But a quick glance at the painting shows that not a whole lot has changed in 1000 years. The lack of diversity was truly striking. (You can see it for yourself in pictures at the bottom of this post.)
That aside, it was wonderful to get to look around the Hall. I largely forget York’s merchant past. It’s easy to remember its Roman and Viking influences as they are all around us in architecture and city layout. But the importance of the merger of two rivers (the Ouse and the Foss) made York a major trading centre. (Edward I used York as his base for his war in Scotland which furthered the economic development of the city).
I’m thrilled that the medieval hall has bounced back from its damage with little long-term lasting damage.
You can rent the Hall out for private events, which is something that I would love to do if I was loaded.
The hall is open on Sunday to Friday from 10.00am – 4.30pm and on Saturday from 10.00am – 1.30pm.
Merchant Adventurers’ Hall is located at Fossgate, York YO1 9XD
The Company of the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall. Now let’s look a bit closer…..
…… ah diversity. I’ve renamed the painting “Old White Men and Token Woman”
Because if you can’t mimic a statue of Napoleon, then what kind of statue can you?
Do you have an open weekend for residents in your town?
If you’d like to read more about York, I have a whole York tab above! But for some specific posts that might interest you, I’d recommend the following posts I’ve written:
The Best Independent Shops in York
The Yorkshire Museum
15 Things to Do in York
York Castle Museum
10 Best Coffee Shops and Cafes in York
The National Railway Museum
My Ultimate York Restaurant Guide
Clifford’s Tower
Roman City Walls
York Minster
York Art Gallery
