More than a thousand people have signed a petition to save a historic building in York.

As The Press previously reported, the University of York decided in June to end its use of King's Manor, in Exhibition Square in the city centre.

The site was first rented to the university by City of York Council in 1963 and became home to the university's department of archaeology, the centre for medieval studies and the centre for eighteenth century studies.

The university's decision to withdraw from the site has sparked anger, with a PhD student at the university - Constance Halstead - launching a petition to "save King's Manor".

The petition - which started on June 30 - has already had more than 1,000 signatures.

In the petition, Constance wrote: "The future of York’s King’s Manor is under threat. This historic building has been a cornerstone of the University of York for over 50 years.

King's Manor was the former home of Manor School (Image: Newsquest)

"This petition asks that the centres of medieval and eighteenth century studies remain at King’s Manor. We argue that the proposed changes will have a detrimental impact on the site of King’s Manor and the future of its academic communities.  

"The central location of King’s Manor in York roots the university in the historic core of the city."

In a statement, the University of York had previously cited cost and accessibility issues as the reason behind the decision - saying that it would be moving all teaching back to its campus.

Constance added: "Withdrawing the centres for medieval and eighteenth century studies to the university’s main campus is a short sighted and insular act which would diminish the local and global impact of the university. 

"The beauty and history of King’s Manor and the academic communities of its centres are deciding factors in many students’ decisions to choose York as a place to pursue higher education. 

"The lack of communication, consultation, and transparency regarding the proposed plans for King’s Manor has created stress and anxiety for students about their future at King’s Manor and the University of York."

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York Georgian Society, a group focussed on preserving York's old buildings, added: "We recognise the challenges that come with occupying historic buildings like King’s Manor, including equal access, suitable teaching spaces and repair costs.

"These issues affect many historic institutions nationally and the best custodians are those that think creatively about unique solutions, recognising that historic buildings bring social, economic and environmental benefits.

"We expect to see the university partnering with wider organisations as they think strategically about viable future uses. 

"Future proposals for King’s Manor must first deal with the high conservation deficit and mounting repairs that are beginning to cause harm to the building.

"We would like to see increased public access, so that York’s important stories can be shared more widely – those of St Mary’s Abbey, Henry VIII’s Council of the North, and the human stories of people tenanting the site in the eighteenth century."

A University of York spokesperson, speaking in June, said: "We have made the difficult decision to change how we use King’s Manor, moving teaching and research to campus to join our other departments.

"There are substantial running and conservation costs, and accessibility is a major concern, meaning King’s Manor is a space that does not meet the needs of our entire community. 

“We fully understand the deep attachment many of us have to this beautiful and historic space, but sadly it is not possible to reconfigure this Grade 1 listed building so that it is fit for modern academic use.”