Medieval guildhall repairs proposed

Repair works have been proposed for a York building that dates back centuries.

St Anthony's Hall is a Grade I listed building, first built as a religious guildhall in the mid 15th Century.

Proposed work includes fitting wrought iron straps to the timber-framed roof and repairing a crack in one of the walls.

York Conservation Trust's plans state the works are needed following the discovery of minor structural defects.

The building in Peasholme Green has had many uses since its beginnings in the 1400s, including as a prison, workhouse, hospital and armoury. It was also the site of York's Blue Coats School, which was founded in 1705 and closed in 1947.

Currently, the ground floor is home to the Quilters' Guild, which aims to promote patchwork, quilting and applique whilst also preserving its heritage.

The Trinity Church also calls the building home, meeting regularly on its first floor.

Plans lodged with City of York Council would see wrought iron straps fitted to wooden beams in the roof of the building's first-floor hall, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A crack in the northeastern external wall is also set to be repaired, with the plans stating the proposed conservation-led works are sensitively designed to preserve the building's historical and architectural interest.

They said: "The site exhibits very high value as a rare surviving example of a late medieval religious guildhall."

"Although one of four guildhalls remaining in York, it is one of the very few surviving examples in the UK of these underexplored religious-cum-public buildings.

"As one of York's four surviving medieval guildhalls, the site also has communal value as an example of the rich and complex religious and civic heritage of the city.

"Later converted to numerous civic uses, the site demonstrates how medieval religious guild buildings were adapted and repurposed following the Reformation."

St Anthony's Hall also has a public garden, with several local businesses operating from it including the York Ghost Merchants' Dispensary and the Arras restaurant.

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