Twentieth Century Industrialisation of Clementhorpe

Cook’s Directory of York, published in 1900, provides a list of occupations of people living in the Clementhorpe area, i.e. Clementhorpe [the road] and Cherry Hill, as follows:

George Paley	Miller
Mrs Mary Gill	-
Mrs Mary Allison	-
Harry Kendall	Wood turner
George Green	Labourer
Thomas Smith	Labourer
William Denkin	Postman
Richard Malsbury	Porter
Mrs E. Wright	-
Herbert Fred Smithson	Fitter
James Martin	Fitter
William Kendall	Labourer
Thomas Pearson	Slater
C. Horseman	Slip Inn
H. Backhouse & Co	Cocoa and chocolate factory
George Snowden	Groom
John Humblo	Labourer
George Addy	Labourer
John George Helstrip	-
William John Pervis	Engine tenter[1]
Mrs Elizabeth Stogden	-
George Birch	Labourer
Thomas Birch	Labourer
James Birch	Labourer
William Butler	Labourer
Fred Birch	-
Mrs Harriet Ewing	-
Thomas Bonnard	Labourer
Harry Siddall	Police constable
John Clayaby	Fireman
Joseph Parker	Labourer
Christopher Thompson	Shop keeper
William Hillyard	Painter
William Herring	Tailor

Apart from a few public servants and tradesmen, the general picture is of a population of low-skilled, relatively low paid workers.

Seebohm Rowntree’s Poverty A Study of Town Life, published in 1901, describes Clementhorpe on his general map of York as an area “inhabited by the working classes, but comprising a few houses where servants are kept.” It also features on his map of licensed premises, with four such outlets in Clementhorpe. However, the map omits The Slip and The Swan. The report makes no specific mention of conditions in Clementhorpe, though the adjoining area of Skeldergate is noted as having the highest density of population in the City. However, the Yorkshire Gazette of 13 November 1884 reported that the City Council’s Medical Officer of Health had described the insanitary conditions in the Clementhorpe and Bishopthorpe Road areas that had led to recent outbreaks of typhoid fever. Suggestions were put forward for their improvement.

Wandering round Clementhorpe in 1909[2], we would have seen the familiar buildings of the Chemical Manure Works, Terry’s Confectionery Works and the Boat Yard. The Slipway Bridge was still in place. South of Clementhorpe [the road] the new Co-operative Society buildings were in evidence, with a wharf along the River front. Further south the Rope Walk was still visible, and so was the expanded Timber Yard, with a number of new buildings. The site which once housed the Dye Works was now clearly in use as allotments. A number of other industrial/commercial premises were visible on Lower Ebor Street, Vine Street and the eastern end of Anne Street.

The map below shows the Clementhorpe area as it was in 1910.

 (Source: Library of Scotland, Yorkshire CLXXIV.SW Published: 1910)

 What were people doing for a living around 100 years ago? Kelly’s Directory of 1913 gives us some idea: 

Trade/Profession	Name	Address
Coal merchant	Thomas Clark	Anne Street
Builder	Richard Hetherington	Anne Street
Cartage contractor	Henry Howard	Bewlay Street
Joiner	Fraser Sanderson	Bewlay Street
Builder/bricklayer	Thomas Clark	Bishopgate Street
Cowkeeper	George James	Charlton Street
Cowkeeper	John Torr	Charlton Street
Joiner	George Leaf	Cherry Hill Lane
Baker	Jane Long	Cherry Street
Boot maker	Ernest Brook	Cherry Street
Botanical brewer[3]	John Sinkinson	Cherry Street
Boot maker	Thomas Smith	Clementhorpe
Corn and seed merchant	John Garrett	Clementhorpe
Chocolate manufacturer	H. Backhouse & Co. Ltd.	Clementhorpe
Cowkeeper	Henry Stead	Ebor Street
Joiner’s yard	J. G. Humphrey	Fenwick Street
Cowkeeper	William Thompson	Lower Darnborough Street
Dairyman	T. Harper	Lower Darnborough Street
Chemical fertilisers	Henry Richardson & Co.	Terry Avenue
Confectionery	Joseph Terry & Sons	Terry Avenue
Shipbuilding	Hirst & Escreet	Terry Avenue
Wholesalers	York Equitable Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd	Terry Avenue
Boat builder	Edward Hetherington	Terry Avenue
Boat builder	John Stockdale	Vine Street
Dressmaker	Maggie Scawby	Vine Street
Coal merchant	Thomas Clark	Vine Street
Printer	DeLittle	Vine Street
Cab proprietor	George Collins	Vine Street
Cab proprietor	Frederick Dodd	William Street

 (NB. This listing excludes the many shop and pub keepers).

(Source: Library of Scotland, Yorkshire CLXXIV.SW; Revised: 1929; Published: 1932)

By 1931[4] our perambulations would suggest that little had changed, and that industrial Clementhorpe was still thriving. The Chemical Manure Works has a travelling crane on the waterfront. Terry’s has expanded to fill almost the entire site, a factor which had been instrumental in their move to new premises off Bishopthorpe Road between 1926 and 1930. The Boat Yard and the Slip Bridge were still there (the latter described on the contemporary map as a  ‘drawbridge’). The various parts of the Co-operative Society works comprised – a warehouse at the front, a bakery at the rear, and a coal depot facing the River at the southern end. Interestingly, the whole works was fronted by a wharf with a travelling crane. Two new warehouses had been constructed east of Carl Street. The old Nunthorpe Peel Works was now the Clementhorpe Warehouse.

 By 1937-38[5] the Chemical Manure Works and Confectionery Works remain, but the Boat Yard has gone. There is no clue as to its contemporary use. However, the Co-op is still in full swing and the two newer warehouses east of Carl Street are clearly visible 

(Source: Library of Scotland; Yorkshire CLXXIV.SW; Revised: 1950; Published: 1952)

What was going on around 1950?

We have now really entered the modern era, and things are more familiar to those of us who are senior citizens. WW2 was over, but the Korean and Cold Wars had begun. Britain’s manufacturing sector was booming. The electricity, gas and water transport industries had been nationalised, and the NHS was in its infancy.

 In York, war damage was still evident. The construction of Castle Mills Bridge was under way, The Stonebow was soon to open, and traffic still flowed through Coney Street. Yearsley open-air baths were proving popular. The old station was still in use for railway operations, and steam engines continued in widespread use.

By 1962-63[6] the Boat Yard has been converted into a Coal Yard. Immediately to the west is Shipyard Cottage and the adjoining Slip Inn. The Chemical Manure Works is still there with expanded buildings, as is Terry’s Confectionery Works. A large new warehouse has been developed behind the Chemical Works just off Bishopgate Street. South of Clementhorpe the Co-op Works can be seen, with Co-op Cottage facing the old Boat Yard. The Maltings are clearly visible, and there are a number of other ‘works’ and ‘depots’ – mainly round Anne Street and Vine Street. The southern end of the area contains a number of other small workshops and depots. 

(Source: Ordnance Survey 1963; Crown Copyright Reserved).

On the 1972/86 map[7] the Chemical Manure Works is now labelled with the more contemporary description of ‘Fertiliser Works’. With the exception of a few houses at the western end, the whole area north of Clementhorpe [the road] is still industrial. Part of the old Boat Yard is still a Coal Yard, but a new Food Processing Factory covers the western end next to the Slip Inn.

The view across the Ouse towards Clementhorpe, shown in the photo below[8], could hardly be more different from the present-day one. In the immediate foreground, right, are the Fertiliser Works of Richardson’s. To the left foreground are the original buildings of Terry’s Confectionery Works with one of the furnace chimneys towering skywards. Richardsons also has a modern steel chimney, supported by a lattice of struts. Behind this, the modern rectangular block is part of the Terry’s factory. A boat is tied up at Richardson’s wharf, alongside the loading and unloading crane.

By 1985[9] the Co-op is still in existence, as are the Food Processing Works and Coal Yard opposite. Part of the Terry’s factory is identified as a warehouse, but it is not clear what state the remaining buildings are in.

Many industrial buildings go through a clear life cycle. They start small and then expand and adapt to meet demand or the requirements of new production methods. When their day is done, often because they have become out-dated in products or processes, the buildings remain in use for storage or similar uses. Finally, sometimes after many years of disuse, they are demolished and replaced by new industries or other uses such as housing. These days, some of the more attractive industrial buildings are adapted for modern living, community or commercial purposes.

Our contents page provides a list of the main industries in Clementhorpe at various points in history. It is quite a complicated story. Some businesses were long-lasting, for example DeLittle’s wooden printing works lasted for 100 years. Other industries were quickly overtaken by changes in technology or put out of business by growing competition or amalgamation.

[1] An engine tenter oversaw the operation of an engine driving machinery in a factory.

[2] 1909 1:2,500 and 1910 1:10,560 Ordnance Survey Maps.

[3] Botanic brews were popular from the second half of the nineteenth century well into the twentieth. We still enjoy ginger and root beers today. Beers having a strength of 3% alcohol or less could be brewed without license and were tax-free.

[4] 1937 1:2,500 Ordnance Survey Map.

[5] 1937-1938 1:2,500 Ordnance Survey Map.

[6] 1962-1963 1:2,500 Ordnance Survey Map.

[7] 1972-1986 1:1,250 Ordnance Survey Map.

[8] Photo Hugh Murray 1967.

[9] 1985 1:1,250 Ordnance Survey Map.

Picture courtesy of Geoff Shearsmith