Marygate runs off the street of Bootham. During Roman times Bootham was the main Roman road from York to
Catterick. The area where Marygate lies was used for burials. Marygate was outside the northern limit of the Roman settlement. In the early-11th century, the area was known as "Galmanho". Viking earl
Siward built
St Olave's Church on the street, and his house probably also lay on the street, the area later becoming known as "Earlsburgh". Built in the
Medieval period, the street known as
St Marygate, was named for
St Mary's Abbey, within the liberty of which it was located. It lay immediately north of the abbey, from which it was separated by a ditch and narrow strip of land, and from the 1260s also by a wall, which was turned into a major defensive structure in the following century. The wall runs the complete length of the street. On the street's corner with
Bootham lay
St Mary's Tower, while at the
River Ouse end was a landing, used principally by the abbey. There were numerous houses on the street by the 13th-century. In 1378, the abbey blocked the street, to prevent goods being landed from the Ouse and taken into the city, but soon gave in, this proving the last serious dispute between the abbey and the city. In 1848, the York Industrial Ragged School opened, remaining on the street until 1921. The
Manor National School then took over the premises, until they were damaged by bombing in 1943. In 1949, the York School of Art acquired two studios on the street. The street is now primarily residential, and is described by the
City of York Council as "one of the most picturesque streets in York", with "interest com[ing] from the unplanned nature of its development, leading to variety". Marygate Landing is often flooded, but has views down the river into the city centre. ==Layout and architecture==