THE medieval Treasurer's House in York's Minster Yard is not only one of city's most historic buildings, it also houses the city of York's oldest ghosts. And in an ancient city like York, bursting at the seams with ghouls and spectres, that's quite a claim to fame.
The house was built on the site of York's Roman Praetorium, and there are tales of a Roman legion haunting its cellars. It is said that spectral soldiers parade along below the building's floor level with their horses, accompanied by the sound of a trumpet call.
Those who have made the sightings, including a workman in 1953 who was more than surprised to meet the ghostly Romans whilst installing a heating system at the house, generally describe the soldiers as shabbily dressed and apparently exhausted, as if returning from some battle or a very long, hard journey.
In 1897, the base of a Roman column was discovered in the cellars, along with a section of the Roman road, which also runs under the Minster. It is thought that the floor level at which the soldiers have been spotted taking their ghostly walks is indeed the level of the old Roman road.
The first Treasurer's House was built around 1100. The building was intended to house the medieval treasurers, who looked after the financial affairs of the Minster. However, only the cellars reflect the early medieval history of the building, and most of its existing fabric was added at a much later date.
At the time of the Reformation in 1547, the Minster's treasure was confiscated. And with no further need for a treasurer or a residence to house him, the property was seized by the crown and subsequently passed into private hands.
The building has a rich history of high-flying occupants, and in 1792 the astronomer John Goodricke observed the periodicity of the star Algol from an upper window of the house, which assisted in establishing the modern measurement of the universe. A plaque on the building's front wall records his achievements.
Neither has the house been a stranger to royalty, and several monarchs have been entertained at the Treasurer's House, including James I and II, Charles I, Edward VII and Queen Elizabeth II.
The house was taken over by the National Trust in 1930 and is open daily from March 23 to November 3, from 11am to 4.30pm, except on Fridays when the property is closed. Admission costs £3.80.
Updated: 11:25 Wednesday, September 11, 2002
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