What is recorded here
Building built 1465-67 as home for chantry priests of the Cathedral
St William's College was built in York about 1465 to house chantry priests serving the Minster and later survived as houses, shops and meeting rooms.
Why it was built
The Minster chapter built the college as a common home for priests paid to sing masses for the dead.
People and work
Chantry priests lived around its courtyard until Reformation ended their work; later owners divided the building for homes and businesses.
How it changed
The interior was repeatedly partitioned and restored, while twentieth-century work returned much of the medieval courtyard plan to view.
What survives
The timber-framed ranges, stone entrance, great hall, courtyard and many medieval roof timbers survive beside the Minster.
Why it mattered
It matters as a rare standing college for chantry priests, explaining the organised labour behind late medieval remembrance and worship.
Sources for this account
Sources checked 16 August 2026.
Places near here
Photo credits
- Phil Champion, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Andy Farrington, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Gordon Hatton, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Alan Murray-Rust, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- DS Pugh, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Malcolm Temple, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Chris Heaton, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Chris Minto, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Rude Health, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
York, York MinsterCathedral · 143 ydExplorer Tom York Minster explains the 1800s to teenagers by saying it was basically just a really long Tuesday with more hats. It’s…
York Castle: motte and bailey castle, tower keep castle (including Clifford's Tower), and site of part of Romano-British fort-vicus and Anglian cemeteryScheduled monument · 856 yd
Fishergate Postern TowerCastle · 996 yd
The Old HouseListed building · 1.7 mi
17, York RoadListed building · 1.7 mi
Waite's PlantationWood · 2.5 mi.jpg/250px-Askham_Bog_(geograph_2061146).jpg "Photo: Malcolm Temple, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0")
Askham BogNature reserve · 3.3 miExplorer Tom Askham Bog, just outside York, invites you onto a boardwalk above ground that would very much prefer to keep your…
Edinburgh 200 Miles signHeritage attraction · 4.5 mi
Old milestoneMonument or public art · 4.7 mi
Naburn Lock � owl and bat sculpturePublic sculpture · 4.7 mi
Stock HillMountain / peak · 4.8 mi
Waile HillMountain / peak · 6.6 miMore things to do in York · All of York
What do you know about this place?Tap to add a comment or ask a question