Historic York pub looks set to be turned into student accommodation
The proposals would see The Castle Howard Ox on Townend Street in The Groves become 17 student apartments
A historic York pub is set to be turned into student flats.
The Castle Howard Ox on Townend Street in The Groves, will be extended and transformed into 17 student apartments.
The building dates back to 1852 but the pub has been empty for some time.
Under the plans submitted by Alfa Homes there will be a shared garden and a lounge on the ground floor.
The 17 studio flats will be set out over three floors.
A planning statement says:
“The scheme has been carefully designed to create a high quality, contemporary looking addition to the existing building.
“Our proposals will create a dedicated student development that has been designed to suit modern needs.
“The building will serve a small group of students, providing individual studios with en-suite and kitchen facilities as well as a shared communal lounging space at ground floor.
“The proposed development is less than a two-minute walk from the York St John University and is supported by communal space at The Coal Yard Development on Mansfield Street. The site also benefits from excellent transport links.”
The name of the pub is said to have come from an ox called White Willy, which was owned by a syndicate who lived near Castle Howard and which was exhibited in York in 1833.
A heritage statement reviews the history of the building, saying:
“The public house is shown on the first Ordnance Survey map of York published in 1852.
“At that time it was considerably smaller than the present day building, consisting of just the southwestern of the present building.
“There was a range of two buildings behind the public house that are no longer present, which the 1891 map shows were a smithy and – possibly – a stable.”
It says the pub was extended between 1909 and 1931 and a turret was added – which might have been used as a toilet.
Star Pubs and Bars put the pub up for sale in November 2018, saying there was a high turnover of landlords running the pub and that it was struggling to compete with the nearby Punch Bowl.
More than 80 people showed an interest in buying the pub and 12 offers were received for the site – but not one of them was from a pub or restaurant company, a letter says.