Yorkshire Gazette. 19 January 1850
Harkers York Hotel, St Helens square, York.
C Harker begs to Inform his Friends and the Public that he has Entered upon the above Old Established Hotel, for many years known as the "York Tavern".
The Interior of th Hotel has recently been thoroughjy Repaired, Decorated and Re-Furnished and is now Replete wiyj every Convenience and Comfort.
The Establishment affords ample Accommodation for Families and for Professional and Commercial Gentlemen, and will be conducted in every respect in the first style.
C H, having taken the adjoining House, lately occupied by the Misses Hall, intends to set the same apart entirely for the use of Commercial Gentlemen and Stock Rooms.
Good stabling and Lock up Coach Houses.
York, 1st January 1850.
1861, Christopher Harker, Harkers York Hotel, St Helens square
1885, Philip Matthews, Harkers Hotel, St. Helens square
Yorkshire Gazette. 10 October 1891
City of York - Harkers York Hotel and Livery Stables.
The Corporation of York invites Tenders for the tenancy of the old-established Family and Commercial Hotel, known as Harkers "York Hotel" situate ub St Helens square, York, together with the adjoining vaults in Davygate, and the Livery stables in Museum street.
Arrangements can be made with the present tenants, the executors of the late Mr Matthews, for immediate possession.
Offers for a lease either from year to year, or for a term of years, to be sent to me the undersigned, under sealed covers, and endorsed "Tender for York Hotel", not later than noon on Wednesaday, the 14th October.
1895, Charles William Simmons, Harkers York hotel, St. Helen’s square
##Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 06 September 1938
Changing York - Davygate Widening scheme
The street Widening scheme for Davygate, York, advanced a further stage today by the transference of the licence of the London Hotel.
By the removal of this license, the last of four licensed houses of recent memory in that street will have gone.
Davygate, which takes its name from the fact that Davy Hall, the official residence of one, David, the Larderer of the Kings Forest of Galtres to King Stephen formerly stood there was a narrow cobbled street, leading from the ancient churchyard of St Helen, now the site of St Helens square, to St Sampsons square.
The distance was not more than three hundred yards, and it had four licensed houses until well into the present century. Under street improvement schemes they have all disappeared, first the old Wheatsheaf, which stood at the St Sampsons end, then the Clarence at the opposite end; after that Harkers Vaults, and now the London, from the centre of the street.
The London was the successor of an old hostelry known as the Cricketers Arms which was a well known sporting house, the resort of racing folk and the patrons of other sports. More than 50 years ago it passed into the possession of the father of Sir William Forster-Todd, the senior alderman and ex-Lord Mayor of the city.
The late Mr Todd rebuilt the hotel, changed its name, and under the management of two generations of the family its character entirely changed. More than a generation ago it was the rendezvous of the members of the City Council who used frequenty to conclude the civic evening at the London, and aldermen and councillors could be met there continuing their municipal discussions of earlier in the evening.
It was a popular resort of the theatrical profession and several celebrated actors have been entertained there.
In more recent years it became a market house and farmers could always be found there on market mornings.
Under the street widening scheme the sites have been acquired by the Malton Trust, who have already begun to rebuild the street at the St Helens square end and are to continue the line of neo-Georgian premises along the New Street. At the same time an arcade is to be carried through from Coney street, which runs parallel with Davygate. The elevation is of a dignified character. All the century old houses and shops which formerly occupied the frontage will disappear and modernity will be the key note of the new thoroughfare.
York Licensing Justices granted the transfer of the licence of the London Hotel, Davygate to the Embassy Hotel, the Mount, York. A condition of the transfer was that the Embassy should continue to be a residential hotel.
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