The building's history continued to evolve with its occupants. It was bought in 1788 by William Gray, and today the building bears his name. His decedents lived in it until 1962. In 1900, architect Temple Moore was commissioned to undertake a campaign of work at Grays Court, the Treasurer’s House and St William’s College. He transformed the Lower Gallery into the entrance hall we see today; until then, it had apparently been treated as a vault.

Moore also worked with Edwin Gray to dramatically reshape the area in front of the house. The rather decrepit collection of stables and outhouses was removed, transforming the courtyard into something much closer to the elegant approach we see today. In 1924, Gray planted the London Plane trees that have since become an instantly recognisable part of Grays Court's setting.

Perhaps this is what makes visiting an ancient house so rewarding for anyone interested in architecture and interiors. Age is not necessarily about preserving a building unchanged. Quite the opposite: buildings survive because they adapt. At Grays Court, medieval masonry sits alongside Jacobean craftsmanship; later alterations coexist with earlier fabric; and Victorian and twentieth-century interventions have become part of the story rather than simply erasing what came before.

Even the house’s more recent history adds another layer. The iron railings now standing in front of the nave of York Minster were once the garden steps of Grays Court, before being presented to the Minster by Helen Faith Gardner (née Gray) and her husband, Colonel Gardner.

Nearly a thousand years after its beginnings, Grays Court remains a living architectural palimpsest. Look beyond the beautiful rooms and oak panelling, and you see a building in which successive generations have left their mark, allowing the past to remain visible while the house continues to evolve.

Visit: Grays Court, York