York Guildhall

York Guildhall is a municipal building located in St Martins Courtyard, Coney Street, in York. Located behind the Mansion House, it is a Grade I listed building.[1]

York Guildhall
The Guildhall facing the River Ouse
LocationYork, North Yorkshire
Coordinates53.95963°N 1.08563°W / 53.95963; -1.08563
Built1459
Listed Building – Grade I
Designated14 June 1954
Reference no.1257929
York Guildhall is located in North Yorkshire
York Guildhall
Location of York Guildhall in North Yorkshire

History
York Guildhall as seen from the rear of the Mansion House
Council chamber in the Guildhall

The building was constructed as a meeting place for the City's guilds between 1449 and 1459.[1]

King Richard III was entertained in the building in 1483,[2] and the Guildhall was the venue for the trial of St Margaret Clitherow, a Catholic martyr, in 1586.[3] it was also the place where a ransom of £200,000 was counted before being given to the Scots in payment for the release of Charles I in 1647 during the English Civil War,[3] and where Prince Albert, the Prince Consort to Queen Victoria was a guest of honour at a royal banquet in the building in October 1850.[4] At the north end of the Guildhall was a stained glass window painted by Henry Gyles in about 1682.[5]

In 1811 a building, designed by Peter Atkinson the younger as a council chamber, was erected to the south of the original hall (this is now known as "the Atkinson Room").[6] Then in 1891, another building, designed by Enoch Mawbey, the city surveyor, accommodating a larger council chamber, was built to the north of the original hall (this building is now known as "the Municipal Offices").[6][7] The new council chamber was decorated by Kendal, Milne and Co in the 1890s.[8]

The interior of the original building, including the stained glass window, was destroyed during a Baedeker raid in 1942.[3] After the war the Guildhall was rebuilt and a new stained glass window, depicting five aspects of the city's history (architecture, war, civic affairs, commercial trade and religious education), was designed and installed by Harry Harvey of York.[9] The complex was re-opened by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1960.[10]

Throughout the 20th century meetings of the City of York Council were held in the Guildhall;[11] however, in Autumn 2017, when a programme of restoration work began at the Guildhall, temporary arrangements were put in place for the council to meet in the former Salvation Army Citadel on Gillygate.[12] The renovation, which cost £21 million and was carried out to remedy serious structural issues, was completed in 2022 and the building was subsequently leased to the University of York, as a centre for start up businesses.[13]

See also

References
  1. Historic England. "Guildhall and Chamber Range, Atkinson block, Common Hall Lane and boundary wall containing entrance to lane (1257929)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  2. "Walking with King Richard III". York Press. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  3. "York Guildhall". History of York. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  4. McWilliams, Mark (2012). Celebration: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2011. Prospect Books. ISBN 978-1903018897.
  5. "York Guildhall Painted Glass Window". History of York. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  6. Tillott, P M (1961). "'The Guildhall, Council Chamber and Mansion House', in A History of the County of York: the City of York". London: British History Online. pp. 542–544. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  7. "York Guildhall Options Appraisal" (PDF). York Council. p. 6. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  8. "Municipal Offices". Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  9. "Meet the man who designed the Guildhall's post-blitz stained glass window". York Press. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  10. "The Guildhall". York Press. Archived from the original on 21 August 2006. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  11. "The Guildhall". York Council. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  12. "Date set for £9m plan to transform York Guildhall into 'world-class business venue'". York Mix. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  13. "York council hands over keys after £21m Guildhall renovation". York Press. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
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