The King's Manor

The Manor's original purpose was to house the Abbots of St Mary's
Abbey (the remains of which can be seen in the Museum Gardens).
The Abbot's house probably occupied the King's Manor site from the
11th century onwards but it's earliest surviving remains are 15th
century.

When the Abbey was dissolved in 1539, Henry VIII instructed that it
be the seat of the Council Of The North. It performed this role
until the Council was abolished in 1641. The building has been
referred to as King's Manor since 1545 and it has been visited by
Henry III, James I and Charles I.

Prior to the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, the Manor was the scene
of a skirmish during the siege of York. Following the Civil War, the
building was hired out to private tennants and during the 18th
century, the Manor was divided into apartments.

After an appeal in 1833, the Yorkshire School for the Blind was
established in memory of William Wilberforce, the anti-slavery
campaigner. The school gradually restored the building. It is now
the home for the University's Centre for Medieval Studies and the
Institute for Advanced Architectural Studies.