York Civic Trust have launched a new programme of conservation and restoration work for 2023 – 2024. Following in the footsteps of previous successful years which have seen Clifton Green, Acomb War Memorial, Church Monuments, historic railings across the city and important mile markers benefit from the work of the Civic Trust and its partners.

To find out more click here.

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The three streets are Stonegate, Colliergate and Church Street. Sadly the impact of delivery vans, in particular, have damaged the paving and historic features such as coal-shoot covers and basement / light well areas.

CYC’s work has revealed the poor structural condition of two light wells on Colliergate that need to be replaced for public safety. The light wells are not especially historic themselves, dating from the early to mid-twentieth century, but have high evidential value to show that the buildings on these streets, many of which are Listed and date back to the Georgian era and earlier, have basements, which historically, at least, served important functions and give clues to their former uses. The loss of the light wells, which usually include ventilator plates alongside glass lights, would risk the historic fabric of the basements and complicate any decision to use these spaces in the future.

As a Trust we value this heritage, so are offering property owners a grant to help fund suitable, near like-for-like bespoke replacements of the two light wells on Colliergate.

The replacement paving lights were installed on the morning of 15th February.

Here is the moment one was lifted into place:

We will continue to update you as repaving works take place on Church St and Stonegate in the coming years.

The post Hidden heritage beneath our feet! first appeared on York Civic Trust.

The installation event builds on our earlier discussion event and the happening we held on Sunday afternoon in and around Black Horse Passage (besides the ‘green’ area next to the BT Telephone Exchange building, eg. behind the bus stops opposite Stonebow House), which is identified as a less safe space in York.

The installation event is on Tuesday (26th October), late afternoon / early evening, and will again take place at Black Horse Passage.

The installation will use the passage as a direct canvas to showcase the contributions of the public to the issue of public safety in York over the last two Safer Places By Design events. It aims to encourage us to rethink less-safe spaces such as Black Horse Passage for one evening only and through the use of bunting and glowsticks, no less.

Please send us your photos of the installation, your thoughts on it, or on the wider project to info@yorkcivictrust.co.uk or via our social media channels.

For more details on the Safer Places By Design initiative, have a look at: https://yorkcivictrust.wpengine.com/safer-places-by-design/

The post Making York Safer for All? first appeared on York Civic Trust.

We are delighted to present ‘Voicing the Hidden’ — two creative walking tours on Fossgate and Walmgate led by renowned York-based poet Robert Powell, film-maker Ben Pugh, and historian Joshua Scarlett. The tours focus on the hidden and less noticed aspects of these two much-loved York streets. Participants will be encouraged to creatively capture their own impressions — on Tour 1, through words and writing, on Tour 2, through writing, photography (or both!), and Tour 3 through photography. The tours are open to all as part of Heritage Open Days.

Following the tour there will be an opportunity to relax with a coffee, reflect, and share ideas, words and images. The aim of the event is to explore and enjoy York’s heritage and to consider ‘hidden histories’, tangible and intangible, and the role of imaginative approaches in exploring and valuing the city’s past.

Each tour is available for 12 people. People with all levels of experience are welcome, and no special equipment is needed. Each tour will last approximately one hour, followed by 45 minutes in Hungate Reading Café.

Drawing on the pool of creative material produced from the tours, an event consisting of presentations and discussions is set to take place this Autumn. Tour participants, artists, York Civic Trust Members ,and the general public are invited. Follow the links below to sign up, as booking is essential.

Tour 1 – Monday 13th September at 13:00 – 15:00

Tour 2 – Wednesday 15th September at 13:00 – 15:00

Tour 3 – Sunday 19th September at 10:00 – 12:00

These tours will run along part of the historic city walls and therefore may not be fully accessible.

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It is hoped that work can soon starting on painting the gates, and repairs made to the damaged City of York coats of arms that are attached to boards on the gates.

The work has been funded by York Civic Trust’s City Enhancement Programme. If you would like to donate to this project, or suggest another restoration project within York that our team could look at in 2020, please contact cityenhancement@yorkcivictrust.co.uk

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Partnering with the York Environment Forum and York Bus Forum, The Trust has launched a survey that runs throughout September 2019.

All York residents can take part in the survey by visiting:

https://surveys.qaresearch.co.uk/YorkTransportResidents.asp

Commuters into York can take part in a specific survey which can be found at:

https://surveys.qaresearch.co.uk/YorkTransportCommuters.asp

[Survey users are recommended to use a tablet, laptop or PC when completing the survey. Rotating a smartphone to ‘landscape’ will also help]

The surveys ask residents and those commuting into York to work to outline what they feel are current issues with transport in the City, how and why they move around the City and how they would like to see transport changed in the future.  

The response to the survey will feed into the Council’s new Local Transport Plan, work on which is expected to be started next year.

As an extra incentive, everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a prize draw, with a chance to win one of three £100 prizes, to be made at random at the end of the survey period.  

A Citizens’ Transport Forum, drawn from those who complete the survey, will be established to discuss and review the implications of the responses, and to work with the Council as it develops its Plan.  

“We would like to see as many people as possible take part in the survey so we can get a wide range of feedback on transport issues facing everyone who lives and works in the City.”

“Transport is one of the key challenges, and opportunities, for York in the future and we hope this exercise helps to inform this debate in the coming months and years.”

[Professor Tony May, Chair of the Trust’s dedicated Transport Advisory Group]

A large display can be found inside the main Explore York Library in Library Square, and information will be made available to all 17 of York’s library branches by Tuesday 3rd September.

This consultation is funded by York Civic Trust, The National Lottery Community Fund, the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund, York Environment Forum, York Bus Forum and York BID.  

The post YCT launches major, city-wide local transport survey in York first appeared on York Civic Trust.

Dave Barnes has worked to make repairs to the gates in line with City of York approved conservation practices, where the gates had eroded and were in danger of collapse. The gates will be painted in traditional black, once the July rain stops.

A second set of railings closer to Prices Lane have now been removed for similar repairs.

The post Bishopgate Street Railings Work first appeared on York Civic Trust.

The memorial contains names of servicemen who died in both wars and their names were read aloud during the service.  The Rev. Pete Vivash, St Stephen’s Parish Church.  The congregation consisted of members from 3 of the Acomb Parish churches, war veterans, 2^nd Acomb Scout Group lead the ‘Last Post’ and the local community.

93 yr old York Nomandy War Veteran, Bert Barritt (pictured) laid a wreath on behalf of the war veterans along with local churches and organisations.

Estra Eastwood from Strensall was in the congregation, her brother Kenneth Woodall died in WW2 and his name is inscribed on the ‘Book of Remembrance’ which YCT recently completed restoration works on.

York Civic Trust Memorial Restoration

York Civic Trust in conjunction with City of York Council have completed the restoration and conservation of the war memorial in preparation for Remembrance Day.  The war memorial was sympathetically cleaned and stonework repairs effected.  The work was carried out by a contractor, Matthias Garn and included re-carving the WW2 Book of Remembrance.  This project was managed in its entirety by York Civic Trust.

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York’s internationally-renowned wood and stone carver, Dick Reid, was responsible for the carving of a new cap, which was attached to the restored coat of arms and painted by Rob Oldfield.

The restored arms were fitted by Dave Barnes.

The Trust thanks all partners involved with the restoration of the city’s coat of arms, which was re-installed in time for the Remembrance Day service, this year marking a century since the 1918 Armistice.

The post York Coat of Arms Restored first appeared on York Civic Trust.

Works on site over the coming days will include non-invasive works to improve the appearance of the stonework, installation of indents and replacement of missing lead lettering. The project to improve the appearance of the Acomb War Memorial is scheduled to be completed on or before 4 November 2018, weather permitting, in time for the centenary of the 1918 Armistice.

The book of remembrance includes the names of 79 servicemen killed during the First World War, 59 who died during the Second World War, and there is also a plaque in honour of the local serviceman who died during the Falklands War.

The project is being led by York Civic Trust’s Nick Beilby and two-thirds of the £18,000 cost has been met from the Trust’s own City Enhancement Fund, which is made up of public donations. Efforts to obtain financial support from other bodies proved largely unsuccessful. A donation of £6,000 has been graciously offered by City of York Council’s ‘Public Realm’ department and the York Civic Trust thanks Dave Meigh (Operations Manager) for his department’s generous contribution to the cost of the restoration.

Interest in the restoration of the Grade II Listed Memorial started last year when the Trust was approached to consider managing a project. The proposal was included in a public voting exercise in the summer of 2018 in The Press . The campaign attracted the attention of many who had strong connections to those remembered on the Memorial, including Estra Eastwood, who wrote to The Press.

The annual Remembrance Sunday service on Sunday 11 November 2018 will this year be held in Acomb with the Memorial rightly restored in honour of those who have fallen. A suitable and fitting restoration in time for the centenary of the 1918 Armistice.

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