Last month, we started our ‘Walking York’s Snickelways’ tour, an exploration of our city’s hidden passages, popularised by local author Mark W. Jones’ 1983 book A Walk Around the Snickelways of York. ‘Snickelway’ is an amalgamation of ‘snicket’, ‘ginnel’, and ‘alleyway’, and, whether you’ve lived in York your whole life or are a more recent arrival, chances are that you’re yet to discover all of the numerous nooks and crannies the city has to offer…
Finkle Street (formerly Mucky Peg Lane)
Formerly known as Mucky Peg Lane, Finkle Street is a well-travelled snickelway that’s often used as a cut-through from St Sampson’s Square to Back Swinegate. Its former name is likely derived from the fact that pigs were driven down the street from the Swinegate area, while its current name probably comes from the Germanic word ‘winkel’, which means corner. Amongst modern-day Yorkies, Finkle Street is best known as the site of Victor J’s Bar, a well-loved local establishment that will celebrate its 29th anniversary this year!
Nether Hornpot Lane / Hornpot Lane
Running just parallel to Finkle Street is Nether Hornpot Lane, a narrower cut-through used by wanderers passing from St Sampson’s Square (formerly the site of Thursday Market) to Back Swinegate. Its name likely derives from the horn-making industry, a thriving element of the local economy during the medieval period. Once cattle and sheep had been sold or exchanged at the market, any discarded horns were used to craft combs, cutlery, weapons, and utensils, which are now highly priced artefacts cherished by collectors.
Another snickelway with links to the city’s industrial past is Hornpot Lane, which sits at the south-east of Petergate (itself associated with medieval horn and metalworks) and leads to the beautiful Holy Trinity Church. Its name likely comes from the old-fashioned moulds (known locally as ‘pots’) used to cast metal, or the pits used to soak horn before it was worked by medieval horn-makers. This hidden gem of a snick was first described in writing in 1257, and officially recorded in 1295!
Little Peculiar Lane (Hole in the Wall)
With a tiny entrance located next to the Hole in the Wall pub (from which it takes its colloquial name), Little Peculiar Lane is truly a ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’ snickelway, which leads to the stunning Precentor’s Court, previously the home of famed artist Nathan Drake and one of York Minster’s most prominent glazers, Peter Gibson. Little Peculiar Lane is still used by the wiser Yorkies amongst us as a handy cut-through to avoid the throngs of tourists on High Petergate.
Catch Part Three of Walking York’s Snickelways in our next issue!
Calling all photographers! We’re still after local photographers looking to submit their snickelway snaps to be used for our new HIDDEN YORK feature. Thanks to Andrea Selley, Geraldine Lowes, and Peter Graves for sending their snaps! To submit your pictures of York that will POP on a page, please email info@yourlocallink.co.uk today!
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