York Mansion House

The York Mansion House features a heavy, rusticated stone facade topped by a distinctively ornate pediment, standing firmly against the brickwork of Saint Helen’s Square. Built in the seventeen twenties, this was the first purpose-built residence for a Lord Mayor in England. During the opening banquet in seventeen thirty-two, the mayor at the time, Darcy Preston, insisted on serving a massive roast swan to his guests. The bird was so large and the kitchen so cramped that the cooks struggled to maneuver it inside.