Petergate (From York Press)

Petergate

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The busy shopping street of Petergate runs almost from one side of the ancient city to the other, from Bootham Bar into lively King's Square.

Gift shops line both sides of High Petergate, from Bootham to its junction with Stonegate.

The grand Petergate House was the home of Sir Thomas Herbert, who was groom of the Bedchamber and a friend of Charles I.

It was Sir Thomas who stayed with Charles I on the night before his execution and who attended him on the scaffold.

In later life, Sir Thomas bought the magnificent house in Pavement, which still bears his name, although it now houses a shoe shop.

Also in High Petergate is the church of St Michael-le-Belfry, where Guy Fawkes was baptised, while a hotel opposite claims to be the birthplace of the gunpowder plotter.

He was probably born in a house - which is no longer standing - behind the hotel.

Petergate was named after the Minster, which is dedicated to St Peter, and at its junction with Stonegate, a lane named Minster Gates runs up towards the great cathedral.

At this point you can also see the statue of Minerva high above a shop on the corner, marking the former home of a famous bookshop.

Today, both High Petergate and Low Petergate, leading from Minster Gates to King's Square, are a treasure trove of shops selling designer and elegant clothes, reproduction furniture, antiques and gifts.

It is also home to Scott's, a butcher of such reputation that the queues are often out into the street.

Petergate also has a number of plaques known as firemarks. In the 18th and 19th century, the insurance companies had their own private fire brigades and these plaques identified the properties that each company insured.

Look for them on the front of the buildings at first storey level.

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