Beverley Friary

A short stroll from the delights of Beverley Minster church stand the remains of a 600-year-old Dominican Friary mentioned by Geoffrey Chaucer in the Canterbury Tales. Beverley Friary was built with the help of Henry III, who in 1263 granted the monks the wood from fifteen oak trees in the Forest of Gailtres.

The interior of Beverley Friary features wall paintings from the medieval and Tudor periods, and in the front garden stands a 15th-century gateway, moved here from another location.

The friary was suppressed by Henry VIII in 1539 and the building saw many uses over the following centuries. It is now a YHA Youth Hostel and occasionally an exhibition venue.

It is well worth taking the short stroll from the Minster to have a look at the Friary. Even when there is no public access you can still see the garden and the 15th-century gateway, and it is fascinating to see how the older medieval part of the building has been added to and evolved over the centuries.