York Historic Environment Record

The original air raid shelter was built between 1939 and 1945 by the War Department, under the auspices of the Defence of The Realm Act 1914. After World War 2 Ovington CC (OCC) and Alliance Cricket Club (ACC) shared the use of the building as a changing room until OCC took it over completely when ACC moved to a new home at Clifton Without.

In 1991 OCC extended the building to the west to create a veranda and to cover the whole building with a pitched roof.

York Civic Trust:
The original brick-built air raid shelter was built between 1939 and 1945 by the War Department under the auspices of the Defence of The Realm Act 1914. After the World War, it found use as a changing room for the Ovington Cricket Club and the Alliance Cricket Club until the latter relocated to Clifton Without. In 1991 the Ovington Cricket Club was granted permission to extend the building to the west to create a veranda and cover the building with a pitched roof. It is still in use by the expanding club, with plans to further extend it. It is historically important, serving as a reminder of the last War and one of the very few examples of air raid shelters remaining in York. Its later use by the cricket clubs demonstrates its valuable role in the local community.