Civic Trust praises student bed scheme

THE redevelopment of an historic building which has stood empty for almost a decade has been praised by the Civic Trust.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Sep 2016, 16:45 BST
Updated 15th Sep 2016, 16:40 BST
HISTORIC SITE: (L-R) Angie Creswick, Peter Addyman, June Hargreaves, Dr David Fraser, from York Civic Trust; Tony Bowes, of Robertson Construction, and Chris Hale, of S Harrison.HISTORIC SITE: (L-R) Angie Creswick, Peter Addyman, June Hargreaves, Dr David Fraser, from York Civic Trust; Tony Bowes, of Robertson Construction, and Chris Hale, of S Harrison.
HISTORIC SITE: (L-R) Angie Creswick, Peter Addyman, June Hargreaves, Dr David Fraser, from York Civic Trust; Tony Bowes, of Robertson Construction, and Chris Hale, of S Harrison.

It will see Lawrence Street’s former Working Men’s Club and The Tam O’Shanter pub in York transformed into a 115-bedroom student scheme, with communal work space and leisure facilities.

York-based development company S Harrison started work on the scheme earlier in the summer.

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The grade two listed Working Men’s Club was originally the family home of Samuel Tuke, the founder of modern mental healthcare reforms, who helped pioneer new and humane methods of treating the mentally ill.

Dr David Fraser, chief executive at York Civic Trust, said: “The Tuke family was hugely influential in York during the 18th and 19th centuries. Samuel Tuke brought up his family of 13 in this house while working as manager of The Retreat, founded by his grandfather William Tuke. Inspired by the family’s Quaker ethos, Samuel helped to invent and develop mental health nursing, in York and throughout the world.

“We are very pleased to see this building being restored and given a new lease of life. After standing empty for the last decade, and being underused for many years, we were in danger of losing it completely.”

Chris Hale, from S Harrison, said: “We’re delighted that York Civic Trust and their planning committee has taken such a keen interest in our work on this project.”

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