YORK’S Bonding Warehouse has a long history.
It’s a well-known building at the southern end of Skeldergate.
Now grade-II listed, it was built in two stages; the northern block dates from 1872-3 and the southern block from 1875.
It was originally known as the Bonded Warehouse, as it was where custom house officials stored goods such as wines and spirits before duty was paid.
A handsome building, inside there are brick-vaulted ceilings on the ground floor, supported on cast-iron columns.
Archive photo of The Bonding Warehouse in York
If you look carefully in the ceiling, you can see where the old spiral sack chute was housed. It would have transported sacks of cocoa beans, brown sugar, peanuts or other commodities from upper floors to the ground floor in the working warehouse.
It was lost prior to the 21st century redevelopment of the building.
Historically, the Bonding Warehouse symbolises the importance of the river in the commercial life of York for many centuries.
The common crane stood here in mediaeval times, and the port of York was managed and controlled around here for centuries.
You might not know that there was originally a ferry crossing the Ouse here at the end of Skeldergate from at least 1541, later let by the Corporation of York in the 18th century.
The Gilliam family were lessees of the Skeldergate Ferry for a long time from 1732 until around 1860. A famous sailor’s epitaph, Tom Bowling, by Charles Dibdin, is reputed to be about the son of a Skeldergate ferryman.
Wilkie Collins painted a distinctive picture of mid-19th century Skeldergate in his 1862 novel, No Name. Together with Charles Dickens, he was a regular visitor to the city. He wrote about this end of Skeldergate “at its southward extremity the street ceases on a sudden, and the broad flow of the Ouse, the trees, the meadows, the public-walk on one bank and the towing-path on the other, open to view”.
In 1873 the Corporation reported that more than 800 people a day were using the ferry crossing, leading to a campaign for a bridge across the river here, and eventually Skeldergate Bridge was built and opened as a toll bridge in 1881.
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By the 20th century a decline in commercial traffic along the River Ouse led to a reduction in business for warehouses along here, and it closed in 1958. It was used by Rowntree’s at one time.
Owned by the council, it was leased out in the 1970s and 1980s. Many York people will have fond memories of the pub and steak house in 1981 and then a music and comedy venue in the 1990s, with Jo Brand, Mark Thomas, Dave Gorman, Rhona Cameron, Lee Evans and Jeremy Hardy playing here, among many. Simon Pegg was a “talented newcomer”. Did you come and see them here?
But flooding problems led to its closure in 2000. For the next ten years it suffered from vandalism and became increasingly derelict. In 2004 it briefly became a squat, occupied by the York Peace Collective.
Eventually York developer Grantside bought it in 2012, and completed a re-development and restoration of the building. They introduced a new footbridge and concrete casing to resolve flooding problems, converting it for residential and office accommodation. It included York’s first £1 million apartment at the top.
San Francisco-based forecasting software company Anaplan moved their core product development group here in 2014. Founded in 2006 by British software engineer and York resident Michael Gould, the company provided a financial planning platform for businesses. In 2015 the building was sold to the Helmsley Group.
The Bonding Warehouse now houses Patch (in the former Anaplan HQ), with an innovative new hub for start-up, tech and creative businesses. When fully-occupied it is expected to host 50 companies and 400 staff.
Site director Thom Feeney, who is a local lad from the Hull Road area, is keen to increase community use in Patch at the Bonding Warehouse, by offering the space for events such as music or comedy gigs, parent and toddler groups or industry meet-ups and events. He also tries to ensure that catering comes from local businesses.
Thom said: “We would very much like to get hold of any old photos of people enjoying the Warehouse in its past reincarnations, for our history wall. For example it would be good to try and match interior views with those of today. And one photo from 40 years ago shows on the balcony Brenda and Ian Henry, who was from Tetley’s Brewery White Rose Taverns there. We wondered if they would still be in York?”
Clements Hall Local History Group are keen to carry out more research on this building and its surroundings too, as it features in their latest book Bishophill and Skeldergate: exploring old shops, pubs and industries in York.
It is also the starting point for their new walk leaflet, A Walk around Historic Bishophill in York. For details visit www.clementshallhistorygroup.org.uk.
* If you have photos and memories of The Bonding Warehouse, please share them. Contact by email: [email protected]
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