The Mount, York

The Mount was previously called St James Hill. St James’s Chapel used to be on the corner of what is now Mill Mount, the road which used to lead to a windmill and the Mount Mills. St James’s Chapel claim to fame was that it was the place from which the Archbishops of York began their walk to the Minster for their inthronization. The cloth which was spread on the ground all the way was afterwards given to the poor. St James’s was a chantry chapel so fell at the suppression of the monasteries. It was demolished in 1736 when The Mount carriageway was put in place. 

A house called Nunroyd is on the corner of Mill Mount and the Mount. It is a similar design to Rockingham House, on Jewbury, with the paired bow windows. Rockingham House was built in 1792 for James Lamb, gentleman, who had a 40 year lease from the Vicars Choral at the Minster. At this time, the road was called Barker Hill.

The tall houses on Park Street, just off The Mount, have much later houses opposite them. Each of the tall houses originally had a large garden across the road.

The Elmbank Hotel on the Mount is famous for its art nouveau interior. The house was built in 1868 for William Benton Richardson, a York solicitor. Once Richardson moved out in 1898, Sir Sidney Leetham bought the house and ordered a refurbishment by George Walton, one of the pioneers of art nouveau. The whole of the ground floor was transformed. Since then it has been a gentleman’s club and an army officer’s billet during World War 2 before becoming a hotel in 1950. Sidney Leetham was part of the flour milling dynasty.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*