// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did York Guildhall go to therapy? It had a lot of hall issues.
| York Guildhall | |
|---|---|
The Guildhall facing the River Ouse | |
General information | |
| Location | St Martins Courtyard, Coney Street, York, North Yorkshire, England |
| Coordinates | 53°57′35″N 1°05′08″W / 53.9596°N 1.0856°W |
| Year built | 1449–1459 |
| Renovated | 1958–1960 (restored) |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
Official name | Guildhall and chamber range, Atkinson block, Common Hall Lane and boundary wall containing entrance to lane |
| Designated | 14 June 1954 |
| Reference no. | 1257929 |
The York Guildhall is a municipal building in St Martins Courtyard on Coney Street in York, England. Located behind the Mansion House, it is a Grade I listed building.[1]
History
[edit]

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
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 Historic England. "Guildhall and Chamber Range, Atkinson block, Common Hall Lane and boundary wall containing entrance to lane (Grade I) (1257929)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ↑ "Walking with King Richard III". York Press. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- 1 2 3 "York Guildhall". History of York. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ↑ McWilliams, Mark (2012). Celebration: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2011. Prospect Books. ISBN 978-1903018897.
- ↑ "York Guildhall Painted Glass Window". History of York. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ "York Guildhall Options Appraisal" (PDF). York Council. p. 6. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ↑ "Municipal Offices". Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ↑ "Meet the man who designed the Guildhall's post-blitz stained glass window". York Press. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ↑ "The Guildhall". York Press. Archived from the original on 21 August 2006. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ↑ "The Guildhall". York Council. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ↑ "Date set for £9m plan to transform York Guildhall into 'world-class business venue'". York Mix. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ↑ "York council hands over keys after £21m Guildhall renovation". York Press. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
External links
[edit]- Buildings and structures completed in 1459
- Buildings and structures of the University of York
- City and town halls in North Yorkshire
- Government buildings completed in the 15th century
- Grade I listed buildings in York
- Grade I listed government buildings
- Guildhalls in the United Kingdom
- St Helen's Square
- Tourist attractions in York