Plans have been lodged to refurbish York’s former visitor information centre into a huge bookshop.
We revealed last September that Topping & Company was planning to create the biggest independent book shop in the UK in the former Make It York HQ on Museum Street.
Now more details have been revealed about the transformation in the building, originally built as an office to register births and deaths in 1860.
It would have its visitor information centre featrues stripped out if the plans are approved..
The refurbishment would also see outdated electrical and plumbing systems removed.
The company’s application stated that the works would see a significant historical building, which has stood empty since 2020, brought back into use.
Plans for the building include stripping out modern additions to the building including vinyl flooring and carpets and internal partition walls.
Original features will not be altered.
“This proposed new use of the property will allow inhabitants and visitors of the city to appreciate fully its elegant spaces, including the principal room at first floor which for its
history has been used as a private workplace,” planning documents say.
Long history
The building, on the corner of Museum Street and Blake Street, was designed by York-based architect Rawlins Gould to house the offices of the Poor Law Union.
The unions oversaw relief for the poor from the mid-19th Century to the early 20th.
It was transferred to local authorities in 1929 when Poor Law Unions were replaced with Public Assistance Committees.
The building housed council offices before it was converted into an information centre for Visit York in 2008.
It is set to become the fifth site of Topping & Company Booksellers if proposals to refurbish the building get the go ahead.
The company said: “We hope our new bookshop will be a fantastic addition to York’s literary scene.
“You can expect our signature handcrafted bookcases, rolling library ladders – and space for over 75,000 titles on the shelves. We aim to offer an exceptional space for readers, with complimentary pots of fresh tea and coffee, reading groups, and plenty of friendly, bookish advice.
“We also run an extensive, year-round book festival programme. Our soon-to-be bookshop in York will host an array of author events – from novelists, journalists, and historians, to celebrities, and chefs.”
An event with poet and author Holly McNish has been planned for October to mark the opening of the company’s York store.
Their application stated that the refurbishment would help prepare the building for its adaptation into a high-quality bookshop.
The company also has bookshops in Bath, Edinburgh, Ely and St Andrews. York’s new bookshop will open in autumn.
You can read and comment on the plans here.