‘Void’ opens up next to historic theater in England — and reveals medieval find
For hundreds of years, the York Theatre Royal has stood over the city of York as history passed by.
The theatre is one of the oldest in the United Kingdom after its establishment in 1734, and has undergone changes with the times to be the icon standing today.
Now, after a “void” opened up in the road in front of the theater, a much older discovery has been made just feet outside the landmark.
Archaeologists were called to a sinkhole to investigate its contents after contractors worked to secure the area along the road, officials said in a June 9 release from the City of York Council.
“Remnants of what is believed to be one of the largest medieval hospitals in the north of England have been found inside the void which recently opened on St. Leonard’s Place in Central York,” officials said.
Once the street was deemed safe, archaeologists unearthed parts of the hospital dating to the 12th and 13th centuries, according to the release. The structure stretched from the Theatre Royal to Museum Gardens, a park down the block.
During the post-Reformation era, or the end of the 16th century, this area of York was used as the Royal Mint, officials said, earning it the name “Mint Yard” in later years.
Mint Yard was demolished centuries ago and a road was built on top of it, according to the release.
“It is anticipated that the remains are likely the buildings of Mint Yard, which by the 1800’s were a warren of residences, yards and stables and were demolished to make way from the new Georgian streetscape in 1836, as it became one of the most fashionable parts of the city at the time,” officials said. The demolished city walls were then used to provide a foundation for a new road, where the sinkhole appeared nearly 200 years later, according to the release.
There is history in this part of York dating back to the Roman legionary fortress, officials said, so works to repair the sinkhole while preserving the structures found underneath will take longer than originally anticipated.
The hospital was originally built on the site of a former hospital after it was severely damaged by a fire in 1100, according to the York Museums Trust.
It was focused on feeding the poor, taking care of the sick and elderly, and feeding those imprisoned in York Castle, and was self-sufficient until the rise of the Reformation movement.
The hospital was closely associated with the Minster, so when religious conflict took over the United Kingdom, the hospital was nearly destroyed, and another was not built until 1740 under the rule of Henry VIII, according to the trust.
York is in northern England, about a 220-mile drive north from London.
This story was originally published June 20, 2025 at 5:14 PM with the headline "‘Void’ opens up next to historic theater in England — and reveals medieval find."
