FOR many years, what is now St Sampson's Square was known as Thursday Market. In the days before Parliament Street was built it was one of York's two main city markets - the other was at Pavement.

Parliament Street was opened in 1834, linking the two older markets to create a much larger city centre market.

The St Sampson's Square end of that larger market can be seen in George Harrison's (no, not the Beatle) glorious watercolour from about 1920, reproduced here from the new book and exhibition The Streets of York: Four Centuries of Change.

The view is looking from the square towards Church Street, with the bulk of St Sampson's Church (today the St Sampson's Centre) rising in the background.

This corner of St Sampson's Square hasn't actually changed that much since Harrison's day, as can be seen from Chris Shepherd's modern photo. But the elaborate market bell which once stood there has gone. In its place are trees, which give the square a much more enclosed feeling.

There have been changes in the corner of the square that leads to Finkle Street. A photograph from 1890 and a watercolour painting by an unknown artist from about 1900 both show a large, overhanging building tucked right into the corner of the square. This is now gone, to be replaced by a lower, curved building which houses shops and other businesses, including Nevisport.

A York square that has changed quite a lot more than St Sampson's is St Helen's Square. The building next to St Helen's Church which today houses Crabtree & Evelyn was once four stories high, not a mere three stories. It can be seen in its full glory in Charles Dillon's 1830s watercolour, which is in the keeping of the York Merchant Adventurers but which is reproduced in The Streets of York.

The building was still four stories high in 1870, and even in 1933, as can be seen from two photographs reproduced in Streets of York from the Explore York archive. The later of those shows the building plastered with advertising posters. Most of these seem to have belonged to the wireless dealer TS Hopps, who was clearly very keen to ensure that customers knew his business was moving to 'more commodious premises' at 76 Low Petergate.

Another change was to the south side of St Helen's Square on the corner with Davygate. A substantial, square-fronted Georgian building once stood here, as can be seen in a watercolour from about 1820 by an amateur artist. The building became Harker's Hotel, but was demolished in the 1920s. The corner is now occupied by Betty's. The jumble of low buildings which once stretched down the western side of Davygate, and which can be seen in the 1820 painting, has also now gone, to be replaced by a much more uniform row of taller buildings.

Stephen Lewis

The Streets of York: Four Centuries of Change by Darrell Buttery, Ron Cooke, Stephen Lewis and Chris Shepherd is published in hardback by York Publishing Services, priced £30.

An exhibition based on the book is now open at the Maclagan Hall in St Williams College. Public admission is every weekday afternoon from 2.30pm to 4.30pm, entry £12 on the door. By special request, there will also be an evening opening for members of the public on Wednesday November 21 from 6.30 - 8pm.

The book is available from Fairfax House, the Minster bookshop, York Against Cancer shops, The Press offices in Walmgate or - at the special discount price of £20 - from the exhibition itself.

All proceeds from both book and exhibition are going to three local charities: York Against Cancer, York Civic Trust and the York Minster Fund.

Stephen Lewis, one of the authors of the book, also writes the Yesterday Once More column for The Press.