A remarkable virtual tour of York Mansion House has just gone live. And it gives everyone an “access all areas” pass to all the rooms visitors never see.
The online tour was created by volunteers at York Past & Present along with Joe Simpson of Eboracum Imagery in partnership with City of York Council.
After the council gave the team “unprecedented access”, they took more than 8,000 images of every corner of the Lord Mayor of York’s official residence.
They photographed the 18th century property when it was empty of furniture and before construction work started on a £1.6 million restoration.
Joe stitched them together to allow a 360˚ view of the rooms.
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“The whole of the house is absolutely magnificent,” said Lianne Brigham, one of the founders of York Past & Present.
“And this tour will make it so much more accessible.”
It offers a fascinating insight behind the scenes. As the pictures show, the top floor flat, where every Lord Mayor resides during their year in office, is certainly in need of modernising.
But the State Room and dining room look as splendid as ever.
The downstairs rooms
Hopefully the Mansion House will fully re-open to the public early next year.
Deputy council leader Cllr Keith Aspden said:
This is another development in this exciting project and offers a great opportunity for people to tour an empty Mansion House and view how it appeared before restoration works started.
Hard hat tours
More ‘hard hat tours’ of the Mansion House take place on Saturday, April 2. These offer the chance to see how the works are progressing and speak with those involved with the project.
To book a place on the hard hat tour please call in to the Visit York information centre on Museum Street, ring 01904 550099 or email [email protected]
Moving upstairs
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