Our Hall Histories series is back with Bedern’s return to Medieval splendour. We explore the work of York Archaeological Trust in the 1970s and Bedern Hall’s restoration.
1971. After almost 20 years as the home of Wright’s pork butchers, Bedern has been singled out for development. The City of Council has decided that it’s time for the industrial buildings to go and York’s history to be uncovered.
With this month’s edition of Hall Histories, it’s time to return to the early 20th century. We’re discovering the businesses that called Bedern Hall home.
1918. The bakery firm, G.E Bartons has taken over Bedern Hall and made a fair few alterations. What was once an elegant Medieval dining room and a disease-ridden slum has become a hive of industry. A coach house for the horses delivering grains and bread now stands near the Minster yard. The entrance from Goodramgate is covered though- a passageway built to the 16th century gatehouse still stands. If locals milling around town don’t smell the bread, they might not realise Bartons is there.
Step back into Victorian York as we uncover the Bedern slums in York. It’s this month’s edition of Hall Histories, sharing stories of the building’s captivating past.
Once a fine college home to the highest in York society, Bedern has declined until it is one of the least respectable places in the city.
1852. Immigrants from Ireland have come to York after the great potato famine. They’re desperately seeking shelter, but with Bedern now divided into tenement buildings, they can’t expect much.