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River House, York

Coordinates: 53°57′37″N 1°05′11″W / 53.96041°N 1.08650°W / 53.96041; -1.08650
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Museum Street facade of River House, in 2018

River House is a historic building in the city centre of York, in England.

The building was constructed in 1868, as the Yorkshire Club. The Yorkshire Club had been founded in 1839, at 5 St Leonard's Place, and grew by absorbing the Yorkshire Union Hunt Club in 1856. With its larger membership, it decided to move to bigger, purpose-built premises, on a prominent site on the south side of Museum Street, next to Lendal Bridge. The site enabled it to have a private waterfront area on the River Ouse, which is now the Lendal Boatyard. Inside, there was a dining room, bar, billiards room, studies and bedrooms.[1]

River facade of River House, in 2012

The club closed some time after World War II, and was converted to offices.[1] It was Grade II listed in 1971.[2] By 1980, it housed Savills estate agents. From the early 2000s, Pizza Express occupied half the building. It was refurbished in 2017.[1][3]

The building was designed by Charles Jocelyn Parnell and it is built of brick, with stone dressings and quoins, and granite columns. It has a basement, two main storeys, and attics. The central part of the building is three bays wide, with single-bay wings either side. On the Museum Street front, a portico fills the space between the wings, with a balcony above, and a projecting porch in the centre. The river front is of four bays, with the basement above ground, and a ground floor terrace supported by cast iron columns.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Newton, Grace (9 October 2019). "The fascinating past of the Pizza Express in York that was once a Victorian gentlemen's club". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b Historic England. "River House and attached area walls and railings (1257074)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  3. ^ Brooks, Claire (28 October 2019). "Time Travel: River House". York Local Link. Retrieved 30 November 2022.

53°57′37″N 1°05′11″W / 53.96041°N 1.08650°W / 53.96041; -1.08650