Snickelways

Snickelways only exist in York. The word to describe them was invented in 1983 by an author writing about them and caught on quickly. It's a clever combination of snicket (a passageway between walls or fences), ginnel (a narrow passageway between or through buildings) and alleyway (a narrow street or lane). Although a little esoteric, this combined definition is accurate. Now that's not to say that other cities in the UK don't have similar city planning oddities, but they call them by different names including Wynds, Jiggers, Backcracks, and Twittens.

Like the street names of York, many of the Snickelways have an interesting history and their names reflect it. The following Snickelway trivia is provided by the York Tourism Bureau site.

Hole-in-the-Wall is the shortest Snickelway. It is either named after the adjacent pub, the gate through the city walls nearby, some hole in the old Minster walls, or a jail previously occupying the site.


Finkle Street is derived from Germanic "Winkel" (corner). It bends and funnels to control passage of cattle, etc. out of St Sampson’s Square (the market). It was also known as ‘Mucky Pig Lane’ as it led to Swinegate, the pig market. Or ‘Mucky Peg Lane’—after a dirty lady.


Coffee Yard is the longest Snickelway—nearly 220 feet long. It was named after a late 17th century coffee house down here, the first one in York.


Mad Alice Lane (also known as Lund's Court) was named after a woman hung in 1823, after pleading insanity, for poisoning her husband. I don't think, however, that she was hung in the Snickelway :)


Nether Hornpot Lane (also known as Cut Throat Lane) was the street of the Hornworkers and their rubbish pits. A lot of empty medieval purses were found in medieval rubbish pits here and in Mad Alice Lane—relics of medieval muggings!


Lady Peckett's Yard is named after the wife of a former Lord Mayor of York. Today, it holds more pest control traps than any other Snickelway I ventured into. Very lady-like.


Carr's Lane is named after a former Lord Mayor of York whose house was thought to have butted up to the alley. Today it is a well-preserved example of a medieval lane. Its walls incorporate various building materials that were handy at the time of construction including stone stolen from medieval churches or walls, bricks, pebbles, etc.


Pope's Head Alley is the thinnest at only 2'-7" wide, but still has room to squeeze in a little lighting. Considering this was actually a sunny day, very necessary indeed.