Treasurer’s House is one of the most prestigious addresses in York. Its foundations are built upon the remains of the ancient Roman city, and it was later the site of the mansion of the medieval Treasurers of York Minster. Completely rebuilt as a large private house in the 16th century, the property had many notable residents until Edwardian businessman Frank Green reshaped it once again according to his own unique vision.
Treasurer’s House sits close to what was the outer wall of the Roman fortress of Eboracum. Excavations under the basement have revealed the edge of the major Roman road that ran roughly along the line of today’s Chapter House Street.
Centuries later, the whole area was enclosed as a private precinct around York Minster, with the site of today’s Treasurer's House being where the Treasurer of the Minster had his great mansion. During the Middle Ages the Treasurer oversaw the money and treasures of the Minster and was second only to the Minster Dean. Their large house reflected this important status.
The office of Treasurer was abolished in 1547, part of the Reformation of the Church under Henry VIII. By then, their mansion was already “much in decay” and was purchased by the Archbishop of York, Robin Holgate (c.1481-1556), probably as a private investment.
By the 1560s it was owned by Archbishop Thomas Young (1507-1568). It passed to his wife, Jane (1530-1614) and their young son, George (1567-1620) after Thomas died. Little is known about George Young other than he was knighted in 1604 and had earlier served in the English army in Ireland around 1599. He became the owner of the house in 1588 at the time of his marriage. It subsequently passed to his son and grandson.
During this period, the old medieval mansion seems to have been completely rebuilt in at least two phases and was grand enough to host King James I when he stopped in York en route to Scotland in 1617.
In 1648 the Young family sold the house to William Belt (c.1580-1652), Town Clerk for York. Belt died soon after and his family sold it on. The new owner was one of the most important political figures in Yorkshire, Sir Thomas Fairfax (1612-1671). Fairfax had risen to national prominence as commander of the Parliamentary army during the English Civil War, but by the time he bought the house, he had effectively retired from politics. Fairfax had other property in and around York and it is unclear whether this new purchase was used or further modified by him, or was simply an investment. During the War the Fairfax family had prevented the more extreme religious elements of the Parliamentary army from damaging the Medieval beauty of the Minster windows and interiors. Perhaps Fairfax buying the house directly behind the great east window was a way of keeping a protecting presence through the 1650s?
In 1663, following the restoration of the monarchy, Fairfax sold up to a new ‘up and coming’ man, George Aislabie (1618-75). Aislabie had made a lot of money as a senior legal official for the Church and through an inheritance and was keen to buy the prestigious city property. The same year Thomas married the daughter and eventual heir of Sir John Mallorie of Studley Royal (now NT). It was involvement with the Mallory family that would lead to his death; in 1675 George died on the steps of his house having been mortally wounded a few streets away in a duel fought over his sister-in-law’s honour
The property passed to George’s three sons in turn, eventually being inherited by the youngest, John Aislabie (1672-1742), who would sell the house in 1698. Aislabie was M.P. for Ripon and the income from the sale may have helped support his re-election that year.
The new owner was Robert Squire (1648-1707), another important church official. Squire undertook further work on the house, probably including new internal panelling and updating the windows.
In 1711 the house was inherited by his younger daughter, Jane Squire (c.1686-1784), a noted mathematician who lived in London. She rented it out as an upmarket townhouse for a number of wealthy tenants, including the Grahams of Nunnington Hall (now NT) and the Robinsons. Matthew Robinson (1694-1778) had a number of children, including Elizabeth (1718-1800) and Sarah (1723-1795) who both grew up to be noted writers and social reformers.
In 1725 Jane sold the house to her former tenant, Matthew Robinson. He is probably the first to have divided the house and then sell these parts in turn. The ‘greater house’ half was bought by Canon Edward Finch (1664-1738) who is thought to have had the main ‘William and Mary staircase’ fitted in the house.
This half of the house was later bought by Jacques Sterne (1695-1759), another prominent church figure in York and uncle of the famous writer, Laurence Sterne. Sterne’s precarious finances saw him further subdivide his property, with part passing to the Topham family and part to the Grey family.
In the 1770s and early 1780s the central portion of the house was rented from the Tophams by the Goodricke family of York and it was from here that the young astronomer John Goodricke (1764-1782) made his most important astronomic observations.
The other half of the house (the ‘lesser house’) was sold by Robinson to Bacon Morritt (c.1694-1775), a successful merchant from near Selby. For a period it was occupied by five of Bacon’s adult daughters. They were renowned for their needlework, particularly Anne Eliza (1726-1797) who specialised in recreating old master paintings.
In 1814, the Morritts sold the ‘lesser house’ to Col. George Dawson (c.1763-1832) for £1,800. Dawson’s father had already bought part of the ‘greater house’ from the Tophams in 1791. Combined, these two purchases form what is now called Treasurer's House. The rest of the original house remained with the Grey family and is now Grey’s Court Hotel.
In order to maximise his income, Dawson subdivided and extended his property. A series of owners and tenants passed through for the rest of the 19th century, including doctors, an army officer, the Minster Librarian and a sewage engineer.
Frank Green (1861-1954) was the younger son of a successful Wakefield engineering family which had moved into Victorian high society thanks to the profits made from their patented ‘Fuel Economiser’, an adaptation to steam engines that greatly reduced their running costs. With money at his disposal, in 1897 and 1898 Green bought up the various parts of the property that had been owned by George Dawson back in 1814. With architect Temple Moore (1856-1920), he set about removing later additions to the exterior and remodelling the interior into one house.
With an eye on its historic forebear, Green named his new property Treasurer’s House. While he lived there for some of the time, it was conceived primarily as a prestigious townhouse address to entertain and to showcase his refined aesthetic tastes and collection of furniture and art.
The main structural work was complete by 1900 (when the Prince of Wales and his family stayed during a visit to York), but Green continued to change elements of the internal layout, contents and garden as his ideas and tastes evolved into the early 1920s.
Frank Green regularly opened the house to the public and even produced his own guidebook. As he approached retirement from the Green’s business, in 1930 he presented the house to the National Trust; the Trust’s first house property in Yorkshire and arguably the first received nationally with a complete furnished interior. He also presented a number of other smaller historic properties in the centre of York which were intended to generate income from rents and help pay for ongoing maintenance of Treasurer’s.
Green left very strict instructions as to how the house should be preserved and run, but in the 1950s, the impracticalities of this led the National Trust to introduce new decoration and contents. In the 1990s this was re-assessed and a major programme of restoration saw the house painstakingly returned to something far closer to Green’s original vision.
‘An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of York’ (RCHME, Vol 5, 1981)
‘Owners and Occupiers of Treasurer’s House, York 1815-1900’ by Richard Forrester (York Historian Vol. 10, 1992)
‘Frank Green’s Restoration of Treasurer’s House’ by Rupert Hilyard (York Historian Vol 9, 1990)
Pre-booking a tour is advised to guarantee your chosen day and time slot. Please select your chosen arrival window and the tour will depart at the end of this time. You can book for today up until 8am, and the next slots will be released every Thursday. If you've missed booking, drop into admissions and the team will book you on the next available tour.
Pre-booking a tour at Treasurer's House is recommended to guarantee a spot, April - October. If you're planning a visit to Treasurer's House, read this article to find out everything you need to know. There are spaces available for each tour daily, on a first come, first served basis, drop in to see the team and check for availability.
Explore this hidden gem in the heart of York. A unique building filled to the brim with antiques and art and made to one man's exacting standards. Join a tour April - October or meander with the house decorated for Christmas.
Discover more about the man who made Treasurer's House as you see it today. From tales of celebrity parties, workmen who wore slippers to keep the noise down, and the former owner’s threat to haunt the house if anything is changed.
Explore the objects and works of art we care for at Treasurer's House on the National Trust Collections website.
Escape the city and relax in the award-winning garden next door to York Minster – free to enjoy on open days. Winner of the gold award for Yorkshire in Bloom for six consecutive years and one of the best views in York.
The café at Treasurer's House is open April - December and tickets to the house aren't needed. Choose from freshly baked treats and light lunches and browse the second-hand books for a new page turner.
One of the last remaining high street shops, find a large range of National Trust goods including home ware, books and locally sourced food. The shop is open all year round and can be found close to York Minster.
Learn about people from the past, discover remarkable works of art and brush up on your knowledge of architecture and gardens.
