Hidden gardens home to many layers of history
Dean’s Park is an oasis of tranquillity in the heart of the city, and yet it is surprisingly often overlooked. That may be because it is hidden behind a whacking great church.
Dean’s Park is effectively York Minster’s back garden. As such it affords views of the less well known side of the cathedral. And the park has plenty of history of its own: it was here that the archbishop’s palace once stood. Built in the 13th century, it was abandoned 300 years later.
Info
Address Behind York Minster, Deangate, York, YO1 7HH | Public Transport 4-minute walk from Bootham Row car park. Closest bus stop: Exhibition Square | Hours Park: daily 7am–dusk; Minster Library: Mon–Fri 9am–5pm| Tip Another great place to sit and people-watch is nearby College Green, off College Street, which links the east side of York Minster to busy Goodramgate.
All that remains of the original palace is the chapel, which now houses the Minster Library. Its origins pre-date the Minster itself: the great medieval scholar Alcuin assembled a famous collection of texts here, in the 8th century. Sadly, that is lost, with the Vikings and Normans both potentially to blame for its destruction.
The Minster Library we know today dates back to the 15th century, when cathedral treasurer John Neuton amassed an impressive array of scholarly tomes. He left 35 volumes to York Minster in his will. And ever since the widow of Archbishop Matthew donated his collection of 3,000 volumes in 1628, it has been the largest cathedral library in the country. Originally housed in a purpose-built section of the Minster itself, it was moved to the former chapel in Dean’s Park in 1810. Today the Minster Library holds more than 120,000 books, covering local history, theology, early York printing, and more. One of its most famous volumes is the “Wicked Bible,” from 1631, so-called because a printing error led one of the Ten Commandments to read, “Thou Shalt Commit Adultery.”
Also in Dean’s Park is the Kohima Memorial, dedicated to the fallen British soldiers from the 2nd Division who prevented the Japanese army from invading India during the Second World War.
On warmer days, you can buy a cupcake from a brightly painted caravan to enjoy as you stroll through the gardens.
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