View Over Rooftops of Aldwark

Two ugly buildings for the price of one! Dominating the view over the rooftops of Aldwark from the city walls is Hilary House, almost as ugly Stonebow House in the background. When considering ugly buildings most people in York forget about Hilary House which looks down one of nicest streets, St. Saviourgate. Several of my "Doors within the walls" photographs are of doors in St. Saviourgate. I suppose that it could be perversely argued that the houses in Hunts Court were not designed in sympathy with their surroundings of Hilary House which predates the houses in the foreground. I would place Hilary House as the third most ugly building in the city.

Calverts Carpets - Stonebow

This is a great little carpet warehouse where you can pick up reasonably priced end of roll pieces if you are willing to wait for the right piece to turn up for you. Although the building is similar in style to York's ugliest building which you can just see in the background it is softened slightly by the lower brick level which almost makes it appealing. Prior to Calverts taking the building on it was the the home of Pickles Newspaper wholesalers. Next door to it is building work going on where one of the modern timber structured buildings is being erected. I don't think I have seen any artists impression drawings of what is being erected but hope it is going to be better than the proposed council office over the road which from the artists impression is going to be a monstrosity to rival Stonebow House.

Ugliest Building in York?

Ask anybody in York what they think is the ugliest building in the city and they will almost all reply "Stonebow". Many feel it is a boring concrete obelisk with no redeeming features. However, there are some out there who praise the fact that it has simple straight uncluttered lines. Don't count me in that group, although some of the buildings put up in the fifties and sixties are interesting in their design with fairly clean lines that do interest me like my old secondary school at Easingwold built in 1953. I am afraid that this building does nothing for me but cause irritation that it could have been allowed to become a blot on the landscape. It is to be hoped that the Hungate redevelopment just round the corner does not foist obscene buildings like this one on the people of York.