YORK’s higgledy-piggledy streets and wealth of old buildings can sometimes leave us feeling that nothing in this city ever changes - not, at least, when it comes to the look of the place.

But that’s not true. Conservation is a big deal in York, certainly - and quite rightly so.

Nevertheless, we have still lost many old buildings that, a century or so ago, would have been a familiar sight to the city’s people.

There was the Old Deanery, which once stood on the south-east side of York’s Minster Yard, for a start.

Designed in a mock Tudor style by J.P. Pritchett and built between 1827 and 1831, this was demolished in 1938 and replaced by a new building.

Then there were the grim Victorian walls of the old York prison, which were once such a dominant feature of the centre of the city - shutting off Clifford’s Tower from view to those lucky enough to be outside the prison walls - and which were demolished in 1935.

York Press: The Criterion Cocoa WorksThe Criterion Cocoa Works (Image: Explore York Libraries and Archives)

Other buildings long since vanished include the old Criterion Cocoa Works, pulled down to make way for the development of Piccadilly; buildings on Little Blake Street (once called Lop Lane), which went when Duncombe Place was created; and even some relatively modern buildings which, a few decades ago, were a familiar part of the York streetscape - buildings such as the Castle Garage next to Clifford’s Tower, which was demolished to make way for the Hilton Hotel.

We trawled through the wonderful online image archive kept by Explore York Libraries and Archives to dig out a series of old photos of lost York buildings.

We hope there are a few here that will surprise you...

You can see countless more historic images of York just like these at images.exploreyork.org.uk/