Historic York building with links to King Richard III provides home for digital search agency

Edge45 has moved to its new offices in the 15th century York Guildhall, which sits next to the city's Mansion House.

Over the centuries, the guildhall has welcomed many famous figures, including Richard III who reigned from 1483 to 1485 and had strong links with York.

A spokesman said: "The York University-run offices will be a hub of innovation. The move comes after the £21.7 million renovation of the historic building."

Colm Docherty, CEO and Founder of Edge45, which has 10 staff, said: “Moving to the Guildhall has allowed us to engage in the next chapter of growth.

“The expanded office gives us the space we need to bring in new talent, something that our smaller office was holding us back from doing.

“We are now excited to start putting into action some ideas we’ve been brewing for a long time: such as SEO workshops for local businesses, podcasts and more.”

Joanne Davey, Managing Director, Edge45, said: “Despite key challenges presented by COVID-19, we’ve been able to achieve incredible feats thanks to some key client wins and expanding our work with our loyal client base."

“Moving forward, our aim is to be more proactive with the next generation of talent as well as to create new job opportunities within York.”

The Guildhall was built as a meeting place for the City’s guilds – an association formed to protect the common interests of trade and craftspeople – between 1449 and 1459.

The building was visited by King Richard III in 1483, Prince Albert in 1850, and many other dignitaries who either hosted or attended banquets here.

The building was also used in the 1600s for counting the £200,000 ransom paid for King Charles I’s release during the Civil War.