York’s oldest brick-built house
Ogleforth is an odd little street. A hotchpotch of history, this narrow thoroughfare connects York Minster with Monk Bar, courtesy of a rather abrupt dogleg, and is sided with ancient and modern structures, including houses, offices, and industrial buildings.
The Dutch House is on Ogleforth, close to the junction with Goodramgate. The building is often missed by pedestrians and cyclists rushing by, but it has a particular claim to fame. The Dutch House is believed to be York’s oldest brick-built house.
Info
Address Ogleforth (near Goodramgate), York YO1 7JG, + 44 (0)1904 654251, www.thedutchhouse.co.uk, info@thedutchhouse.co.uk | Public Transport 3-minute walk from Monk Bar car park. Closest bus stops: Lord Mayor’s Walk and Monk Bar | Hours The house is a private holiday accommodation and not open to the public; viewable from the outside| Tip Just round the corner in College Street is St William’s College, a building with a fascinating history. It’s also been used as a backdrop for several costume dramas on TV.
During the Siege of York of 1644, much of the city’s timber-framed suburbs were destroyed by fire. So the following year, York Corporation ordered that all new houses be built of brick. And though short-lived, a new form of architecture was suddenly all the rage: buildings of the Dutch style, with curving gables, pedimented window surrounds, and pilasters all in brick.
There was a particularly grand example in Bishophill, but that was demolished in the 18th century. So this Ogleforth townhouse, built in 1650 and restored in the 1950s, is York’s earliest surviving example. Unfortunately, the interior was gutted, leaving no original features, but the façade of what was once known as the Small House is the real thing.
We are fortunate to still have it, as few Dutch-style houses were built. By the 1690s, the fashion had changed to something more classical – houses with plain brick walls and stone window surrounds.
Once a garage and warehouse, the Dutch House has been converted into a luxury vacation accommodation for the history-loving visitor. It’s not the only unique place to stay on Ogleforth, however: a former brewery has also been turned into a holiday apartment.
And if you’re wondering, “What sort of name is Ogleforth?” the best guess of academics is that it is of Viking origin and means “the ford haunted by an owl.”
Back
To the online map