Places · Yorkshire · York
Façade & building consultants in York.
From Roman walls and the Gothic Minster to timber-framed streets and new Passivhaus homes, York's buildings span almost 2,000 years. McKay Turner Consulting provides façade condition surveys, defect and water ingress investigations, FRAEW (PAS 9980) and EWS1 assessments across the city.
YORK 53.9590° N, 1.0815° W
A short history
Roman fortress, Viking town, medieval city
York has been a regional capital for almost 2,000 years. Each era left a layer, often built on top of the one before.
- AD 71
Eboracum is founded
The Ninth Legion builds a fortress for 6,000 soldiers. Its headquarters lies beneath the Minster.
- 866
Viking Jorvik
Vikings capture the city. At its peak Jorvik has over 10,000 people, second only to London.
- 1357
A merchants' city
The timber-framed Merchant Adventurers' Hall is built, as jettied houses rise on streets like the Shambles.
- 1472
The Minster is finished
After more than 240 years of building in creamy magnesian limestone, York Minster is consecrated.
- 1732
The Assembly Rooms
Lord Burlington's Assembly Rooms open, one of Europe's earliest high Palladian buildings.
- 1877
The railway city
The new station opens under a curved iron train shed. At the time it is the largest station in the world.
- 1963
A new university
The University of York opens at Heslington, its first buildings assembled from prefabricated CLASP parts.
- 2026
York Central moves forward
A first phase of over 1,000 homes, a hotel and a new station entrance is approved on former railway land.
Architecture
What makes York's buildings distinctive
Inside its medieval walls, York packs Roman remains, Gothic stone, timber-framed streets and Georgian brick into a compact centre. The historic core has been a conservation area since 1968.
Key styles
Medieval Gothic
York Minster, parish churches and the city walls, mostly built in pale magnesian limestone.
Timber framing
Oak-framed houses and guildhalls with upper floors that overhang the street, as on the Shambles.
Georgian & Palladian
Brick town houses with sash windows, and Lord Burlington's Grade I Assembly Rooms (1732).
Victorian railway city
The station (1877) and Royal Station Hotel (1878), in yellow brick with cast and wrought iron.
Modernism
The University of York's "plate glass" campus, built quickly from a prefabricated system.
Contemporary
Riverside apartment schemes on brownfield land, and award-winning Passivhaus council homes at Duncombe Square.
The city's material palette
Did you know?
The Great Hall of the Merchant Adventurers' Hall is the largest timber-framed building in the UK still standing and used for its original purpose.
When York station opened in 1877 it was the largest railway station in the world, with 13 platforms.
The Minster's Great East Window, around 23m tall, is the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the country. Its restoration took ten years.
Typical building types
What York is built of today
A compact heritage centre, two universities and a busy visitor trade shape York's buildings. Many older buildings, from merchants' houses to chocolate factories, now have new uses.
Listed shops & mixed use
Medieval and Georgian buildings with shops below and homes or offices above.
Where: Stonegate, Shambles, Coney Street
Heritage & civic
Churches, guildhalls, museums and city walls that need specialist care.
Where: Minster Yard, Museum Street, Eye of York
City-centre apartments
Riverside and brownfield apartment schemes, many built since 2000.
Where: Hungate, Piccadilly, Skeldergate
Purpose-built student
Campus colleges and city blocks for over 22,000 University of York students and York St John.
Where: Heslington, Foss Islands Road
University buildings
1960s prefabricated buildings on Campus West and newer colleges on the 117ha Campus East.
Where: Heslington, Lord Mayor's Walk
Hotels & hospitality
A historic railway hotel and new builds serving a strong visitor economy.
Where: Station Road, York Central
Offices
Converted period buildings, modern blocks and business parks, with new space planned at York Central.
Where: Station Rise, Toft Green, Clifton Moor
Factory conversions
Former chocolate works turned into homes, such as The Cocoa Works with 279 apartments.
Where: Haxby Road, Bishopthorpe Road
Current construction trends
Where York is building now
After decades of planning, York Central is moving, alongside new public spaces, museum investment and careful repair of the historic centre.
York Central
Around 2,500 homes and over 1m sq ft of commercial space are planned on 110 acres of former railway land. The first phase of over 1,000 homes was approved in September 2026, with building due to start in 2027.
National Railway Museum Central Hall
Main construction of a new circular entrance building began in summer 2026 and is due to finish in 2028.
Castle Gateway
Plans to replace Castle car park with The Castle Gardens, a park and riverside walk around Clifford's Tower, were approved in December 2025.
Student housing
Smaller student schemes continue near the universities, such as 133 rooms on Foss Islands Road due for the 2026–27 academic year.
Building safety remediation
As across England, apartment and student blocks from the 2000s and 2010s are being assessed under PAS 9980 and remediated under the Building Safety Act.
Heritage reuse and repair
Listed shops, houses and former factories are being repaired and converted, which needs care with stone, brick, render and timber.
How we help in York
Every era of building has its own risks
We match our inspections and advice to the age and construction of your building.
Georgian, Victorian & Edwardian stone, brick and terracottac.1750–1930
Weathered stone, failed pointing and mortar, corroding iron fixings and water ingress through older details.
Post-war concrete and system buildsc.1950–1990
Spalling concrete, corroded reinforcement, ageing windows and poor thermal performance.
Curtain walls, rainscreen and high-rise residentialc.1990–2018
Leaking seals and gaskets, combustible cladding and insulation, and missing cavity barriers.
New build and conversionstoday
Design and specification gaps, workmanship defects and Building Safety Act requirements.
The Northcliffe, City of London: a stone condition assessment of a 1925 cast-stone office, with a prioritised repair, cleaning and maintenance plan.
Read the case study →FAQs
Façade services in York
Can you survey listed and timber-framed buildings in York?
Yes. We inspect stone, brick, render and timber-framed façades and recommend repairs that suit the building's age, construction and listing.
How quickly can you respond to an enquiry in York?
We work across York and North Yorkshire. We aim to respond to new enquiries within one working day, and we arrange site visits and access to suit your programme.
Do you carry out FRAEWs and EWS1 forms in York?
Yes. We carry out Fire Risk Appraisals of External Walls to PAS 9980 and EWS1 assessments on apartment and student buildings across York and North Yorkshire. We are Homes England approved Cladding Safety Scheme assessors.
Which other services do you offer in York?
Technical due diligence, defect and water ingress investigations, façade condition surveys, specification and tender, development monitoring, remediation project management and expert witness services.
Work with us
Own or manage a building in York?
We provide façade condition surveys, defect investigations, PAS 9980 appraisals and EWS1 assessments, and manage remediation across York and Yorkshire.
Photographs: Karl Moran and Matt Whyatt on Unsplash.