BarleyHall

The oldest parts of Barley Hall date from about 1360, when the Hall was built as the York townhouse of Nostell Priory, the monastery near Wakefield in West Yorkshire. A new wing was added in about 1430. Soon after, the Hall became the home of a leading York citizen, William Snawsell – goldsmith, Alderman and Lord Mayor of York.

The house was bought by York Archaeological Trust in January 1987. Later that year, a full archaeological investigation of the interior was carried out through one metre of deposits to the 14th century levels, revealing the remains of the floor of the Great Hall. Further investigations in 1990 to1991 looked at the courtyard and found the remains of the exterior stairway to the Great Chamber on the first floor. Work to restore the Hall to its former glory began in 1990 and it re-opened to the public in 1993.