York County Savings Bank Building

The York County Savings Bank Building is a historic building in the city centre of York, in England. The York County Savings Bank was established in 1816, and in 1829 it purchased a large timber-framed house on St Helen's Square, from R. Cattle. Watson, Pritchett and Watson designed a new headquarters building for the bank on the site, which was completed in March 1830, at a total cost of £4,691. In the early 20th century, the position of the doors was moved, and the internal ground floor layout was altered. In 1924, it was extended to the north-west, along Blake Street. In 1976, the bank became part of the Trustee Savings Bank (TSB). The ground floor was further altered in 1991. The TSB became part of Lloyds TSB, then independent again before leaving the building in 2015. In 2022, the building was converted into the Impossible Motel. The original part of the building has two storeys and is built of brick, but is faced with sandstone which was quarried near Huddersfield. It has one-and-a-half bays facing St Helen's Square, one curving around the corner, and three-and-a-half bays facing Blake Street. The extension has three storeys, but each is lower, allowing the roof level to remain the same, and continues a further three bays along Blake Street. The entrance is a double door on the curved bay, flanked by Doric columns, while the first floor has Composite columns and plain pilasters. The original doors have been converted to windows, while there is a secondary door at the far end of the extension. Atop the corner is a pediment, carved with the words "SAVINGS BANK". Inside, the former boardroom on the first floor has a coffered ceiling, with oak leaf and acorn decorations. In the extension is an early 19th-century chimney piece, which has been relocated. The building was grade II listed in 1968.

Nearby Places View Menu

3 St Helen's Square

3 St Helen's Square is a historic building in the city centre of York, in England. In 1818, the confectionery business of Bayldon and Berry had a shop at 3 St Helen's Square. In 1828, the company became Terry's of York, and later in the century, the firm added a restaurant to the building. In 1922, the building was demolished and reconstructed to a design by Lewis Wade, adding a ballroom on the top floor of the venue. External events were also catered from the building, including the 1961 wedding of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent to Katharine Worsley. In 1974, the building was grade II listed. The shop and restaurant closed in 1981, and the premises became a shop for the National Railway Museum. It later served as a branch of Swarovski jewellers, then a Carluccio's restaurant. Since 2020, it has housed the Impossible WonderBar. The building has two storeys and an attic. It is constructed of stone, with bronze framing around its shopfront and windows. Its front is three bays wide, and it has Corinthian columns. There is a frieze above the first floor, inscribed "TERRY".

Landmark Restaurant

St Helen's Square

St Helen's Square is an open space in the city centre of York, England.

Landmark Plaza

Harkers, York

Harkers is a pub in the city centre of York, in England. The building was designed by George Townsend Andrews as the headquarters of the Yorkshire Insurance Company. It was completed in 1847, and lies on St Helen's Square, at its corner with Lendal. It was Grade II listed in 1968. In the 1990s, it was converted into a pub. The pub is owned by the Mitchells & Butlers group. It was renovated in 2022.

Historic Site Landmark

8 Stonegate

8 Stonegate is a historic building in the city centre of York, in England. The building lies on Stonegate. It was constructed in the early 17th century, on a narrow plot, a single bay wide and two bays deep. It is three storeys tall with an attic, but in about 1830, the second and attic floors were lowered, to give more headroom in the attic. Most of the jettying was removed at this time, with just the first floor jetty retained, and new windows were installed, in a Gothic revival style. Later in the century, there was a small extension at the rear of the building, to house a new staircase. The building is timber-framed, with a stucco front and stone dressings, while the roof is covered with slates. The ground floor has a late 19th-century shopfront, with a large three-paned window and a glazed door. The first and second floors have narrow paired sash windows, while the attic has a pointed window. Inside, some timber framing is visible on the second floor, and there is a moulded ceiling beam on the first floor. The building was Grade II* listed in 1954. It is used as a shop, with accommodation above.

Historic Site Landmark