This shot shows the attractive Treasurer's House, built of the same limestone used in the building of York Minster.
In the foreground is a sculpture of Mercury. This isn't the original, but a replacement adapted for use as a fountain.
The Treasurer's House is the home of the best known ghost story in York, and perhaps one of the best known ghost stories in Britain. In 1953, local 18-year-old apprentice plumber Harry Martindale was repairing pipe work in the cellar. After about four hours of work at the top of his ladder, Martindale became aware of a musical sound, resembling a series of repeated single trumpet-like notes. The sound grew in intensity until, just below his ladder, Martindale reported that he saw a soldier, wearing a plumed helmet, emerge from the wall, followed by a cart horse and about nine or ten pairs of other Roman soldiers. Martindale fell, terrified, from his ladder and stumbled into a corner to hide. The soldiers appeared to be armed legionaries, visible only from the knees up, in a marching formation, but were 'scruffy'. They were distinctive in three ways: they carried round shields on their left arms, they carried some kind of daggers in scabbards on their right side and they wore green tunics.
Later discoveries by archaeologists led to the knowledge that the surface of a Roman road ran about 18 inches (0.5 metres) below the surface of the cellar floor. Also, the descriptions of the soldiers' dress given by Martindale, at the time dismissed as anomalous, in fact were many years later discovered to match those of local reserve soldiers who took over the Roman garrison when the regular soldiers began returning to Rome in the fifth century AD.
Make what you will of this story. I don't believe in ghosts, but the sighting described here, supported by later historical discoveries, does make me wonder.
Fav I rather think I've heard this story, or a very similar one, before. I've had a few supernatural experiences myself including in a friend's house outside Totnes in Devon which he had already told me had a resident poltergeist!!
Oh yes, I’ve heard this ghost story, very fascinating. Thanks for telling the tale here as I’d forgotten parts of it.
So nice to see the building where it happened, it’s a lovely looking house. So stylish in that pale limestone.
We have some beautiful buildings and fascinating history in our city. Don’t believe in ghosts but my experience in the little church on Goodramgate - can never remember it’s name - and another in a most unlikely setting…
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
One of the fascinating features of York is that throughout the city centre, below our feet, there is so much history waiting to be discovered. Whenever there is development taking place, the archaeologists move in first. I find the discoveries made about Roman York to be of particular interest.
So nice to see the building where it happened, it’s a lovely looking house. So stylish in that pale limestone.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
One of the fascinating features of York is that throughout the city centre, below our feet, there is so much history waiting to be discovered. Whenever there is development taking place, the archaeologists move in first. I find the discoveries made about Roman York to be of particular interest.
Ian
Thank you both - this is a lovely building to explore!
Ian