Two recent pages focused on former places of worship facing redevelopment. One of which is to be retained and remodelled, while the remaining parts of the other one seem likely to be demolished.
Another former place of worship decorated with a For Sale sign in recent years didn’t stay empty and unused for long, and hasn’t needed a planning application for its reuse.
The York City Church now occupies the proud and impressive building on Gillygate built in the late 19th century as the Salvation Army’s York Citadel, and used by the Salvation Army until last year. The new use leaves the distinctive frontage unaltered, apart from the additions of a new flag (see above) and some subtle signage.
Someone asked me recently how the church could afford it. I really don’t know, and it’s none of my business, but presumably the Salvation Army were free to choose from bids submitted ‘by informal tender’ and perhaps weren’t totally focused on getting the highest profit possible from any sale — unlike the NHS Trust down the road, selling Groves Chapel. I’m not an expert on these matters, just musing on them in passing, so if you have any more knowledge on this then do add a comment.
Good to see a building back in use for the purpose it was built for, and presenting an almost unchanged face to the street it was built on. This tweet from earlier this year conveys what this meant to the new owners:
Thoroughly stoked to announce that The Citadel on Gillygate now belongs to York City Church!! #Inthecityforthecity pic.twitter.com/giPF53LcKL
— Alan Rose (@alantherose) August 10, 2015
More information
Elsewhere on this site: a page on the building and its history, from 2014
Other links:
New church moves into historic York building — The Press, 24 August 2015
Landmark Headquarters on Gillygate sold by the Salvation Army — (Barry Crux & Co, estate agents)
Citadel, for sale by informal tender, in 2014 (Barry Crux & Co)
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