A medieval healthcare facility has been unexpectedly discovered after a sinkhole emerged in York’s city centre.
The sinkhole uncovered structural remains that date from the 12th and 13th centuries and are thought to belong to St Leonard’s Hospital, which once extended from the Museum Gardens to the Theatre Royal site.
Archaeological experts identified the structures of the hospital, which ranked among the most significant medieval healthcare facilities in northern England.
The institution was established following the Norman Conquest, taking over from St Peter’s Hospital that had been founded by Anglo-Saxon King Athelstan during the 10th century.
The sinkhole uncovered structural remains that date from the 12th and 13th centuries
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Maintaining close ties with the York Minster, the hospital provided care for various vulnerable groups, including the ill, aged and impoverished.
The facility also looked after those facing execution, operated a children’s home and supplied food to inmates at York Castle, functioning as a primary charitable organisation in the city until the 16th-century English Reformation.
The medieval institution served as an essential part of York’s social infrastructure, offering support to society’s most vulnerable members.
Its charitable work came to an end during Henry VIII’s break with Rome, when religious houses across England faced dissolution.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The Reformation period saw the destruction of numerous ecclesiastical buildings, and St Leonard’s Hospital suffered a similar fate.
Following the religious upheaval of the 16th century, the location found new purpose as the Royal Mint, becoming known as Mint Yard.
The area underwent significant transformation over subsequent centuries, developing into a complex of structures, stables and narrow passages.
Several of these buildings were eventually demolished in 1836 to create the Georgian architecture that defines St Leonard’s Place today.
The sinkhole occurred near York Theatre Royal
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The redevelopment incorporated materials from dismantled sections of York’s ancient defensive walls into the new foundations.
The archaeological team has documented all findings according to the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists’ standards, with photographic records and additional studies currently in progress.
The discovery of stone masonry and structural elements has been comprehensively recorded.
Road repairs are anticipated to continue in the upcoming weeks despite the archaeological work causing initial delays.
