The street lay immediately outside the walls of Roman Eboracum, and it may well be of Roman origin. It was first recorded in about 1200, taking its name from its church, St Andrew, St Andrewgate. At this date, part of the street may also have been known as "Ketmangergate", distinguished by an early stone house. In the Mediaeval period, it was sometimes called "Great St Andrewgate", to distinguish it from the Little St Andrewgate running around the church, now part of Spen Lane. There was a religious hospital on the street, although its exact location is not known.[1][2]
In the Georgian period, numerous large merchant's houses were built on the street.[3] The York City Commission lay on the street, and in 1821, the city's first police station was established in its building. In 1830, the entrance to the street from King's Square was widened, while in 1850, the street of Bedern was extended to reach St Andrewgate. In 1873, the Bedern National School opened on the corner of St Andrewgate and Bedern, operating until 1940. While many of the street's 17th- and 18th-century buildings survived World War II, most were demolished in the 1960s and 1970s and have been replaced with modern housing.[1][2]
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