06th February 2019

Two new research projects

One of our members, John Stevens, has embarked upon two research projects focusing on aspects of our area.

Industrial development and employment in Clementhorpe

Between around 1850 and the end of the twentieth century, Clementhorpe was the location of choice for a wide range of trades and industries. This research describes the growth and later decline of these industries, which included shipbuilding, fertiliser manufacture, confectionery, brewing, glass making, dyeing and thread making.

Alongside large manufacturers such as Terry’s Confectionery Works and Richardson’s Chemical Manure Works, there was the Yorkshire Equitable Industrial Society (later the Co-op) and numerous small workshops and businesses. The pattern of industrial growth and decline in Clementhorpe mirrored the changes in the economy of York as a whole.

Clementhorpe is now almost entirely a residential area. The research shows how this came about, and identifies traces of the old industries in the modern street scene.

 

The history of the Terry’s site

This research traces the history of the Terry’s site on Bishopthorpe Road from its agricultural origins, through to the present day. The site changed dramatically in the late 1920s, when it was chosen by Joseph Terry & Sons as the site for its new confectionery factory. A further major change occurred in 2005, when the factory closed and people started to think about the future use of the site. Today, it is being developed primarily as a residential area.

The research sets the redevelopment of the site in its historic and geographical context. It focuses, in particular, on the planning process, from the initial Planning Brief and Master Planning through to the – as yet unfinished – urban environment of the ‘Chocolate Works’. It questions the extent to which the original aspirations for the site have been achieved.

If you have any information about these topics please contact John Stevens.