Welcome to York Conservation Trust

We own and look after some of the most beautiful and interesting buildings in York.

A charity, property company and responsible custodian of over 70 historic buildings, from our early beginnings in 1945, today, York Conservation Trust looks after some of York’s most iconic properties. Used as flats, small houses, commercial premises and fully furnished guest accommodation, most of which are listed by Historic England, if you are in the City of York you won’t be far from one of our buildings.

Here you can find out about us, our history and all of our buildings, together with our team, our governance and partners. You can also learn about our current work and plans.

Duty, people and place

Landlord to commercial and residential tenants, we own and maintain the buildings we protect and conserve, leasing them to people as homes, commercial premises and holiday apartments. In this way, the revenue we generate supports the cost of building maintenance and our future conservation work.

Most of our commercial tenants are local and independent, though we do have some larger tenants whose names can be found on many of the UK’s high streets. Within our buildings you’ll find dentists, doctors, a registry office, a Presbyterian congregation, newsagents, restaurants, cafes, a top regional theatre, a museum, jewellers, a school of acupuncture, skateboard suppliers, gardeners, archaeologists, accountants, antique dealers, photographers and lawyers…

“... York is one of the UK’s most architecturally characterful cities. And thanks to organisations such as the Trust, that’s how it’ll stay.”

Tom Ough, The Telegraph

Looking for commercial premises for your business? Take advantage of a unique address in one of the UK's most visited city. Find out what our commercial tenants say about us...

If you would like to live in York we have a wide range of residential tenancies available across the city. Hear what our residential tenants think

We offer meeting room hire in our central York offices at De Grey House. Light, airy and elegant, we'll be delighted to welcome you.

Planning on a short break or holiday in York? We are delighted to offer a small number of unique, historic houses and refurbished apartments to visitors. Be Part of York's history and stay with us. 

Learn about our latest news and what we've been up to recently on our Out and About Instagram feed on this page.

Our Latest

Ric Liptrot Artist in Residence 2024 York Conservation Trust
Streetscapes of York

A new artwork of five large painted wooden panels celebrating different aspects of York streetscapes...

Out and about...

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