Treasurer's House, York, UK, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

Treasurer's House is a largely seventeenth-century house in Minster Yard, directly behind York Minster in York, and is now cared for by the National Trust. It is best known for a ghost story from 1953, when a young workman in its cellar reported seeing a column of Roman soldiers pass through the wall. It remains one of the most retold ghost stories in the city.

The story behind it

The house takes its name from the Treasurer of the Minster, and it stands right beside the cathedral. The building is mostly seventeenth century, with earlier fabric inside it, and it was given to the National Trust in 1930.

The legend dates from February 1953. Harry Martindale, an eighteen-year-old apprentice, was working in the cellar when he said he heard a trumpet. He then described a helmet emerging from the wall, followed by a soldier on a horse and some twenty men on foot, marching two abreast. He said they were visible only from the knees up. Excavation afterwards is reported to have shown a Roman road, the Via Decumana, lying a short way beneath the cellar floor, which many tellers say explains the missing legs. Some details of the soldiers' dress have been debated since, but the National Trust still shares his account.

What to look for

• The house sits in Minster Yard, so notice how close it stands to the Minster, with the cathedral looming over its walls.
• The brick-and-stone frontage shows a building that has been altered over several centuries rather than built in one go.
• Inside, the cellar is the heart of the legend: picture the Roman road lying just beneath your feet as you look at the walls.
• Look for the quiet courtyard setting around the house, which feels removed from the busier streets nearby.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about an hour if you go inside, or ten minutes if you only want to see the outside and the setting in Minster Yard.
• Check current opening hours and what is open to visitors before you go, as National Trust houses vary through the year.
• Go early or late in the day for a quieter Minster Yard and better light on the stonework.
• York Minster and the medieval streets around it are a short walk away, so it fits easily into a wider stroll.

See it on a quest

Ghosts of York - The UK's Most Haunted City is a good way to meet this place. You reach the house on foot as one stop on a longer route through the old city, the app tells you about it when you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

The Haunting File: York, UK - The Most Haunted City in Europe also passes Treasurer's House. You walk to it as part of a wider haunted route, hear its story as you stand there, and solve a puzzle in front of you. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.