Grays Court

About Grays Court

Grays Court sits on Chapter House Street, immediately behind York Minster, in a building whose earliest parts date from 1091. It was for centuries the home of the Treasurers of York Minster and later the Archbishops of York, and it became a hotel in 2009. The Jacobean Long Gallery upstairs is the most striking room in the house and is used for drinks and afternoon tea.

There are twelve bedrooms, each different, looking out over the cobbled courtyard, the gardens or the Minster itself. Furnishings are period-appropriate without being stuffy, with antique beds, wide floorboards and en-suite bathrooms fitted into the original rooms. The larger rooms have four-posters and seating areas; a couple of the smaller ones are genuinely compact, so it is worth reading the descriptions before booking.

The Bow Room Restaurant holds three AA Rosettes and appears in the Michelin Guide, serving tasting and a la carte menus built around Yorkshire suppliers, with fruit, vegetables and herbs grown on site. Breakfast is cooked to order. The garden runs up to the city walls, which is a rare thing in York, and guests can take a drink out there in the evening once the day visitors have gone.

The appeal is the position and the building rather than facilities: there is no spa, no gym and no car park, though the hotel can advise on nearby parking. It suits couples on a short break, guests who care about the restaurant, and anyone who wants to be able to walk out of the front door and be at the Minster in under a minute. Light sleepers should note the Minster bells.