York Historic Environment Record

YAT report: The current building dates from 1867 and was more or less built with its current function in mind, that of a Wagon Repair Works. The building has been altered significantly over time but
original plans and elevations from 1865 show how the building was arranged when it was built. Occupying roughly the same footprint, the building comprised two full-length
ranges and two shorter ranges to the north. The two southern ranges formed the machine and
repair shop, each under their own roof. The north-east range functioned as a large smithy and
had a series of chimneystacks; one between each window. The north-east range contained a
store, an engine house and a boiler house. Between the two north ranges was an empty space
with access to the southern ranges.
The first map to show the building is the 1892 OS map, which shows the building in
its current position but with no break to the northern range. This would indicated that the gap
had already been infilled, however this is not shown in contemporary plans. The OS map also
shows a long range directly to the east of the Wagon Works which later plans identify as part of
the broader wagon repair works. By the 1909 OS map the two buildings are shown as
continuous and there are further ancillary buildings around the site. The complex was extended
by the 1931 OS map (surveyed 1929).
Later notes made on the original plans indicate that the building was destroyed by a fire in 1931,
although much of the original building remains standing. The 1941 OS map shows
little change in the site, although plans from 1933 (Figure 14) show much of the building had
been rebuilt, especially above the roofline. The plans show that the two southern ranges had
been consolidated into one space beneath a single roof span, whilst the northern ranges were
by that point joined. The plans indicate that whilst the structure had been largely rebuilt, the
use of space remained mostly the same.
Aerial photography from 1951 and 1962 shows the building at its maximum
extent, with the same footprint as the 1941 OS map. The 1962 aerial photo also clearly shows
the smithies’ chimneys clearly intact. An aerial photograph from 1971 shows that by
then the east range had mostly been demolished but with the present tracks still in place.
A plan from 1975 shows that by then the north east range was used as a timber store
rather than a smithy and the north west range used as a machine shop, although the boiler
house stayed the same. The 1975 plan also shows the addition of the partition into the main
range splitting it into two spaces.
The building has most recently been occupied by Freightliner, however they vacated the
building in March 2019.

Dr Bill Fawcett, John A Ives and Alison Sinclair, 2013, YORK CENTRAL AUDIT OF HERITAGE ASSETS,NOVEMBER 2013 (Report). SYO1457.

YAT, 2019, York Central BR (Unpublished document). SYO2507.