The future of York’s King’s Manor is under threat. This historic building has been a cornerstone of the University of York for over fifty years. Kings Manor currently houses the University’s Centre for Medieval Studies, Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies, and the Department of Archaeology, as well as lecture halls, event venues, teaching rooms, designated postgraduate study rooms, and a newly refurbished library. A recent e-mail from the University has announced, as part of cost-saving measures, the closure of King’s Manor and the relocation of its centres, departments, and facilities to Heslington Campus. No firm plans for the future of King’s Manor have been announced and it is unclear how the University intends to maintain this historic building or whether public access to it will be ensured.

This petition asks that the Centres of Medieval and Eighteenth Century Studies remain at King’s Manor. We argue that the proposed changes will have a detrimental impact on the site of King’s Manor and the future of its academic communities.  

King’s Manor is currently a key part of the University which facilitates public access to the building and encourages public and academic engagement with its historical significance. The lively dynamic of students and academics at King’s Manor animates the building. This community makes King’s Manor a vibrant location for debate and discussion both within and beyond the university. Regular talks, conferences, and other events attract local, national, and international visitors. King’s Manor is an outstanding destination which facilitates wide ranging discussion across a range of disciplines. Its history foregrounds diverse and significant figures of York’s past, including Anne Lister an LGBTQIA+ icon who was educated at King’s Manor in 1805.

The central location of King’s Manor in York roots the university in the historic core of the city. This facilitates links and collaboration with local organisations and provides easy access to resources such as the Minster archive. Today York is most famous as both a Georgian and medieval city and thus the presence of the University’s Medieval and Eighteenth Century Centres at the heart of York’s city centre foregrounds the University’s role in researching and promoting understanding of York’s history.

Withdrawing the Centres for Medieval and Eighteenth Century Studies to the University’s main campus is a short sighted and insular act which would diminish the local and global impact of the university. This closure would reduce the Centres’ capacity for outreach and engagement, decrease the visibility of the University of York within the city. It would close down important conversations and research about the diversity of York’s history including LGBTQIA+ figures like Anne Lister. The location, historical significance, and intellectual community offered by King’s Manor are key to its Centres’ international reputation for academic excellence.

The proposed plan to relocate our Centres demonstrates a disregard for student wishes and wellbeing. The beauty and history of King’s Manor and the academic communities of its Centres are deciding factors in many students’ decisions to choose York as a place to pursue higher education. As well as hosting these academic Centres, King’s Manor also provides an important hub for students across the university in the centre of the city. There is widespread concern among students about the loss of this valuable environment and its resources, including the King’s Manor library. We have concerns about the strain such a move would place on campus study spaces and the particular challenge this would pose for students with sensory difficulties. The lack of communication, consultation, and transparency regarding the proposed plans for King’s Manor has created stress and anxiety for students about their future at King’s Manor and the University of York.

Any short-term profit made from the move will come at the far more significant cost of diminishing the University’s reputation and dwindling student recruitment. Instead of this unnecessary and ill-thought-out proposal, the Medieval and Eighteenth Century Centres should be at the heart of any plans for King’s Manor’s future.