University of York respond to petition to save King's Manor

Back in June the university revealed that it would soon move its department of archaeology, centre for medieval studies and centre for eighteenth century studies out of the ancient King's Manor site, near York Art Gallery,  to the university's campus.

After the announcement, a petition was launched by PhD student Constance Halstead to "save King's Manor".

Constance's petition claims that the move would "have a detrimental impact on the site of King’s Manor and the future of its academic communities".

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In response to the petition, a University of York spokesperson said: "We fully understand the deep attachment many have to this historic space, and we are aware of the petition, but sadly substantial running and conservation costs, in addition to accessibility concerns, mean it is not possible to reconfigure King’s Manor so that it is fit for modern academic use.

"We are now focused on the future, including how we conserve and protect the building, as well as talking to staff and students about how we can support them in their new home on campus and how best to evolve our exceptionally strong arts and humanities community."

Meanwhile, City of York Council - which owns King's Manor - said talks were taking place over the future of the site.

Debbie Mitchell, director of finance, added: "We understand that King's Manor is an important building in our city.

"We are currently in dialogue with the University of York about future plans."