The recent letter by Mr John H Ward points out Railtrack's intention to demolish the leisure facility and building run by York Railway Institute.

Railtrack, recently prevented at the 11th hour from ruining the aesthetic feel of the railway station by re-paving the platforms in tiles suitable for a patio extension, now wish, in similar cavalier fashion, to demolish a building important to many people in York as well as one with historical significance in the development of railways in the city.

There is a danger here of York losing its buildings which relate to the Victorian era while counting itself a historical city as our medieval buildings remain intact.

Buildings such as the Railway Institute have an atmosphere steeped in social history - some ex-railway workers have been using this building all their lives and its removal will be disorientating both to them and to the fabric of York as a whole.

It is hoped the city council, Civic Trust etc., will help to defend it.

Anyone who wishes to form a group defending the future of this building can contact me on 01904 642007.

Jonathan Charles Bonner,

Huntington Road,

York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.