This short street between Bootham Bar and Minster Yard follows the northern end of the via principalis, the main north-west to south-east road of Roman York.

High Petergate, York

The street features in the opening of Susanna Clarke’s 2004 novel Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell: a gentleman magician called Mr Honeyfoot hosts dinner and dances at his house on High-Petergate.

And it’s through Bootham Bar that the lawyer-detective Shardlake and his assistant Barak first enter York in C J Sansom’s bestselling novel Sovereign.

Back in the real world High Petergate was home to Sir Thomas Herbert (1606-82), 1st Baronet, who was gentleman of the bedchamber to King Charles I and attended the king right up to his execution.

It’s also the location of two pubs, the Hole in the Wall – presumably a reference to Bootham Bar – and the Three-Legged Mare, affectionately referred to by locals as the Wonky Donkey.

Continue your York tour
Go north-west to Bootham towards Exhibition Square and York Art Gallery
Go south-east to Minster Yard and York Minster