351 - Located in Museum Gardens, York, the Hospitium, takes its name from the word ‘hospitality’, rather than ‘hospital’. It was built around the 14th century as one of St Mary’s Abbey’s support buildings. It was a place to house and feed visiting pilgrims who journeyed to what at one time was one of the wealthiest abbeys in the country.
Over the years the building has had many uses and renovations. At one time it was thought to be a farm building and was even considered derelict at another time.
The most significant piece of restoration to the Hospitium was undertaken by the York Philosophical Society in the 19th Century. The first storey was rebuilt in stone to recreate the original construction, a design which would have offered more security and also protection from the nearby, regularly flooding, river.
The 1930s saw further renovation in the form of an extension to the upper storey and a new roof.
More work took place much more recently in 2008 when services of hot water, toilets, a lift and working kitchens were installed for the very first time. The modernised building is now a popular wedding venue.
Excellent capture of this marvellous building. Love you usual history lesson. I'm getting to the stage where I know more about York than I do about my local patch.
Amazing building Ian. These Tudor buildings fascinate me and I can't wait to get a chance to visit buildings like this one day. Great shot and thanks for the history lesson.
Thank you Cathie - I'm afraid I sometimes take these wonderful old buildings for granted, but this project keeps reminding me how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful city.
Thank you Nat - I hadn't really appreciated how many timber framed buildings had survived here until I started exploring for this project, and they are an attractive feature in the town. I hope you are able to visit one of these old world centres sometime.
Thank you Therese - it's a lovely building in a lovely park setting.
Thank you Janet - it is well looked after and even has it's own flood bank to protect it from the river!
Thank you Judith - it is an impressive building
Thank you Pyrrhula - it is a wonderful old building and like so many old buildings in York it has a fascinating history.
Thank you Ruth - I'm glad you enjoyed the history.
Thank you Vesna - quite a few old buildings here have this type of wooden framing.
Thank you Bob - I would think both hospitality and hospital have common origins.
Thank you Cathie - I'm afraid I sometimes take these wonderful old buildings for granted, but this project keeps reminding me how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful city.
Thank you Tony - I hope I'm not overloading you with the history.
Thank you Hazel - it was a beautiful day, but now we are back to grey and miserable!
Thank you Sue - some of the older buildings have a steep roof to prevent snow build-up on them.
Thank you Brian - they are an inspiration.
Thank you Nat - I hadn't really appreciated how many timber framed buildings had survived here until I started exploring for this project, and they are an attractive feature in the town. I hope you are able to visit one of these old world centres sometime.
Thank you Cecilia, glad you like it.
Thank you Kd, the weather was ideal for this kind of shot.
Thank you Ann, there is a great variety of fascinating architecture here - more shots to come!
Thank you Malc, the sun was ideal for this kind of shot.
Thank you Molly - there are beautiful gardens around too for the wedding photos.