38, Ousegate

38 Ousegate is a mid-19th century building constructed of red brick with a pitched slate roof. It stands two storeys high and features paired brackets at the eaves. The façade includes four first-floor windows that have moulded lintels. The shop front is adorned with Tuscan pilasters and an entablature that has a dentilled cornice.

The name Ousegate may have Viking origins, as the suffix ‘gate’ comes from the old Norse word ‘gatta’, meaning street. Ousegate is the historic riverfront street of Selby and has been a significant area for commercial activity since the opening of the Selby Canal in 1778 and the completion of the Selby Toll Bridge in 1792. An 1848 map indicates that the area behind 38 Ousegate was once fully developed with a terrace of three properties, a small enclosed yard, and a rectangular garden, all accessible via a passageway beside the shop. This arrangement remained largely unchanged until around 1980, when most of the buildings were demolished and the garden was incorporated into the car park for the Church Lane/Gant Walk housing development.