Coney Street, York
Bustling Coney Street is one of the main shopping streets of York and offers a wide range of shops, many of them well known high-street names.
The street follows the course of a Roman road which ran just outside the Roman fortress and almost parallel to the eastern bank of the River Ouse.
The earliest mention of the street occured in 1213 when it was referred to as Cuningstreta, which derived from the Old Norse words Konungra - meaning king and straet - a street. The street was at one time defined as three separate stretches consisting of Old Coney Street, now Lendal, to the north of St Helen's Square, and Little Coney Street, now Spurriergate, to the south, with Coney Street lying in between.
The Mansion House (pictured left), is situated where Coney Street and Lendal intersect and was the first civic residence in England, was built as a home, and a place for the Lord Mayor of York to entertain visitors to the city, and also to house the civic collections. Still used today for the same purpose, the Mansion House is also open for visitors to explore and regular tours are available. In 1988 the building was restored by the York Civic Trust. A striking building with an elegant, richly furnished interior, it exhibits a wide collection of silver, antique furniture and paintings.
The church of St Martin le Grand is situated on the south side of Coney Street and was referred to as 'One of the most beautiful churches in the city' in The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland, of 1868. With its impressive landmark double-sided clock, topped by the eighteenth century 'Little Admiral', St Martin-le-Grand has one of York's most distinctive and charming facades. In 1730 when the Mansion House, was built nearby as the residence of the Lord Mayor, St Martin's became the official civic church. The great west window dates from around 1440 and shows scenes from the life of St Martin. This great wall of glass is 9m high and 4m wide, and is the largest window of any parish church in the city.
Guide to the Streets of York
| Coney Street | Coppergate | Fossgate | Goodramgate |
| Minster Close | Pavement | Petergate | The Shambles |
| Snickelways of York | Stonegate |