Barley Hall
Leeds, United Kingdom
Barley Hall
Barley Hall is a reconstructed medieval townhouse in the city of York, England. It was built around 1360 by the monks of Nostell Priory near Wakefield and extended in the 15th century. The property went into a slow decline and by the 20th century was sub-divided and in an increasingly poor physical condition. Bought by the York Archaeological Trust in 1987, it was renamed Barley Hall and heavily restored in a controversial project to form a museum. It is open to the public and hosts exhibitions.
The earliest parts of the building were constructed by Thomas de Dereford, prior of Nostell Priory, around 1360. The priory was important in Yorkshire, and the monks used the building as a hospice, or townhouse when visiting the city. By the 1430s, however, the priory had fallen on hard times and the monks decided to rent the building out to raise additional revenue. Around this time there was new building work on the site, involving the poor-quality reconstruction of parts of the great hall. In the 1460s the building was rented to William Snawsell, a prominent local goldsmith, who paid 53 shillings and 4 pence for the property. This was a very high rent for the period. Snawsell was a supporter of Richard III during the troubled period of the Wars of the Roses and had given up the property by 1489.
Accommodations near Barley Hall
The Fort York
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Nearby Tours & Activities
Opening times
| Monday | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
| Thursday | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
| Friday | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
| Saturday | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
| Sunday | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
Guests' reviews
An excellent place. I took the family (grandparents, parents and children, 11 of us) for a Christmas treat and we had a fabulous time. Interesting displays, great activities. Fun for us all. Spent well over an hour there but we had the place to ourselves.
A very impressive building hidden down a small alleyway off a main shopping street in the centre of york, not had a chance to experience the attraction inside yet but highly recommend this building to anyone interested in history or architecture.
Fascinating in site into the building, the time period and the work to restore and preserve the building. Highly recommended, have been several times.
Tucked out of the way you have to look for this place but it's well worth the search, sympathetically restored and shows the history of the building.
Very interesting museum. Exhibits were well presented for both adults and children.
Quite well hidden. Clean and well laid out. Fairly new exhibits so easy to see display boards etc. Quite interesting if you are intrigued by older royalty... Not so much if you are not. To be honest a bit samey on a par with most similar exhibits. Kids did appreciate being able to mess with the exhibits (props) and do their own play on the stage. Probably wouldn't have liked it at all had it been busier...
Lovely historic building, very informative. We came here and did Christmas through the ages and really enjoyed our time here. It's amazing what you can learn from these historic places.
Hidden gem in the alleys of old York. Hands on just about everything, which my boy loved. Included as part of the pastport scheme, so great value. Lots of info for those who like a swat, lots for keeping the kids entertained.
It's a little museum to learn about Henry VIII. The entrance is through a little lonely alley but the place is very good.
This is a really interesting period property with plenty of hands-on exhibits. Situated in the centre of York it is ideally placed for access to shops & restaurants.
Well wort a visit. Visited today and saw the Wolf Hall costume exhibition, as a fan a brilliant bonus. You can do a free return visit within the year, so another chance to see the building and the next exhibition.
Fantastic medieval building. Great to see the costumes from The Tudors and Wolfe Hall. Well worth a visit
Interesting with several hands on exibits for kids. Part of the Jorvick group so worth buying a group ticket to all thier attractions if you planned on visiting here.
