Barley Hall, Medieval house museum in York, England.
Barley Hall is a restored medieval house in York featuring timber-framed architecture across multiple rooms filled with period furnishings and household objects. The building displays how a prosperous merchant's home was organized and used in the 15th century.
The building began in 1360 as a residence for monks from Nostell Priory and later passed into private hands. Over centuries it was modified and hidden under later additions until archaeologists revealed its medieval core in the 1980s.
The rooms show furniture and objects that reflect how wealthy people lived in the medieval city. Visitors can see the daily arrangements and furnishings that filled a merchant's home.
The house sits in York's old town and is easy to reach on foot, though medieval streets are narrow and uneven. Wear sturdy shoes and allow time to move slowly through the different levels and rooms of the building.
A detailed household inventory from 1478 guided researchers in reconstructing the furnishings and objects with unusual precision. This reconstruction gives visitors a remarkably accurate picture of medieval daily life.
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