Liquor Factory

This building is a liquor store, constructed between 1924 and 1930 for Terry's of York. Designed by architects J G Davies and L E Wade, it was built as part of a larger complex including headquarters offices, a factory, a clocktower, a Time Office block, and related buildings. The store is built of red brick in English bond, with sandstone ashlar dressings. It is a single-story structure, with raised entrances and a brick parapet concealing a flat concrete and asphalt roof.

The front facade has a central double entrance with half-glazed wooden doors and overlights, accessed by a flight of nine steps with brick walls and posts; one side wall of the steps has been demolished. Basement windows are now bricked up, although two retain their sandstone lintels. Small-paned windows with mullions and transoms are located on either side of the entrance. An eaves strip in sandstone sits below the parapet. The left return has two raised entrances leading to overlights, and short flights of open steps. An additional, larger ground-level entrance is located at the left end. Further buildings were added to the rear, but are not considered architecturally or historically significant.

The interior, visible through the windows, is now an empty space.

Terry’s of York began as a confectionary business in 1767 and expanded over time, eventually requiring larger premises. This liquor factory was one of several buildings constructed to facilitate that expansion and reflects the corporate image and importance of the Terry’s chocolate firm. The complex is a notable example of York’s historical significance in the confectionary trade, recognized nationally.