Exciting plans are underway to convert the historic York Water Tower into a new practice space for the York Railway Institute Band
York: So, there’s some cool news about the York Water Tower. Network Rail is looking to turn it into a practice space for the York Railway Institute Band. Pretty neat, right?
The band needs a new spot since their current place is going away with the redevelopment of York Station. This tower, built way back in 1839, is set to get a makeover.
It’s a Grade II-listed building, and it’s been a bit run down. The roof has this massive cast iron water tank, and the ground floor used to store coke for trains. Talk about history!
They’re planning to fix it up, keeping the cool lantern light above the practice room. Plus, there’s going to be a commercial unit in another part of the building.
This tower was part of a temporary station back in the early 1840s while the main station was being built. It’s seen a lot over the years, including locomotive works and a foundry.
According to Historic England, it’s one of the oldest railway structures still standing in York and maybe even in the whole UK. How awesome is that?
They’ve got plans to replace existing features with similar ones where they can. The practice room will even have a repaired roof and be acoustically ventilated. Sounds like a great spot for some music!
