diff --git a/synapse/server.py b/synapse/server.py
index 41a26ad91..32013b1a9 100644
--- a/synapse/server.py
+++ b/synapse/server.py
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ from synapse.api.auth import Auth
 from synapse.handlers import Handlers
 from synapse.state import StateHandler
 from synapse.storage import DataStore
-from synapse.types import EventID
 from synapse.util import Clock
 from synapse.util.distributor import Distributor
 from synapse.util.lockutils import LockManager
@@ -124,14 +123,6 @@ class BaseHomeServer(object):
 
         setattr(BaseHomeServer, "get_%s" % (depname), _get)
 
-    # TODO: Why are these parse_ methods so high up along with other globals?
-    # Surely these should be in a util package or in the api package?
-
-    def parse_eventid(self, s):
-        """Parse the string given by 's' as a Event ID and return a EventID
-        object."""
-        return EventID.from_string(s)
-
     def serialize_event(self, e, as_client_event=True):
         return serialize_event(self, e, as_client_event)