South Parade: a genteel street that’s seen some hard times

The street’s bones are posh - the houses which line it were designed and built in the 1820s as ‘relatively high-class housing for genteel occupiers’, according to the Royal Commission.

But in the 200 years since, it has seen its ups and downs.

In the 1950s and 60s ‘the Parade’ - which runs from Blossom Street down towards Scarcroft - was in a ‘very sorry state’, with most of the properties divided up and used as lodging houses or bedsits, according to Peter Thompson, who is writing a history of the street.

Until as recently as 1979, the road surface was a muddy cinder track

And the street may even, whisper it, at one time have been a regular haunt of prostitutes.

“Though I can’t find hard evidence of this beyond the recollection of a couple of people I’ve spoken to who say they were not allowed to walk on South Parade when they were children,” Peter says.

Today, however, the street is once more respectable and even desirable. As we said, pretty much like York itself...

Peter, a retired University of York academic, has already pulled together plenty of research about the street, and some fascinating old photographs.

But he’s very keen to hear from any locals who might have information of their own to supplement his research.

Peter’s contact details are at the bottom of this page.

Meanwhile, here, in his own words, are some of the things he has discovered...

A potted history of South Parade

The land on which South Parade is built was, in the Eighteenth century, in the possession of the Bouchier family, writes Peter Thompson.

John Bouchier (1684-1736), a wealthy landowner, had Beningborough Hall built for his family in 1716.

By 1813 the property is solely owned by George Ellin. Incidentally, George Ellin lived at 42, Blossom Street and was clearly a wealthy man. His house was on the site of the Odeon cinema.

Late in 1823, on December 1 to be precise, a group of local businessmen met at the Punchbowl Inn on Stonegate for the inaugural meeting of the York Commercial Building Company.

They issued 40 shares with intention of buying land to build some houses.

By March 1 1824 they had bought the land from George Ellin for £1,050. Clearly the plot wasn’t big enough for 40 houses but was big enough for 20.

The first stone was laid on Monday November 8, 1824; all 20 houses were completed by 1828.

The architect was almost certainly Peter Atkinson II, the distinguished York architect, who designed the new Ouse bridge, Lady Anne Middleton’s hospital and the City gaol.

Atkinson lived at No 17 South Parade from 1827-1833. His neighbour Thomas Rayson was almost certainly the builder of the parade.

Apparently the houses were ‘designed as a venture in relatively high-class housing for genteel occupiers’ according to the Royal Commission.

Over the years more of the houses became lodging houses, often with absentee landlords. By the 1950s and 60s the street was in a very sorry state. Most houses were in multiple occupancy with several offering overnight accommodation for lorry drivers.

I have been told that it was an area of prostitution at that time but I can’t find hard evidence of this beyond the recollection of a couple of people I’ve spoken to who say they were not allowed to walk up South Parade when they were children!

When one house was sold as late as 1976 it was advertised as having 19 beds in six bedrooms. Another did not have electricity installed until the late 1970s.

In 1979 the road surface, which was a muddy cinder track, was surfaced in cobbles and setts at the residents’ expense, as the street has never been adopted.

In 2000 the shop which had occupied Nos 1-3 - Shearsmith’s - was converted back into three houses which matched the rest of the Parade.

In the late 1970s, perhaps after the blight of the inner ring road was lifted, the houses improved. Now all the houses are owner-occupied.

There have been several interesting characters in the street. From the early days Francis Moss Sr owned several houses. He was coach master and bred race horses.

He bred a horse - ‘Blackstock’ - which he sold for £40. Blackstock was the grand sire of Voltigeur, one of the most famous race horses in history, who competed in the ‘Great race’ of 1851 – there is a Voltigeur bar at York racecourse.

Francis Moss’s daughter, Sarah Moss, inherited several houses in South Parade as well as gardens where Moss Street stands today.

One more recent resident that some readers might remember is Tony Hurst, whose wife ran a guest house with a colourful reputation. If anyone has a photo of Tony I’d love to see it...

There is much more to tell – the convent nuns hoped to build a convent at the bottom of the Parade in the 1990s for example.

So any memories or photos your readers can provide about the Parade would be most welcomed!

If you have old photos or memories about South Parade to share with Peter, email peter.thompson@york.ac.uk