While work continues to restore and maintain the historic Mansion House, the team which usually welcomes visitors is taking this historic building’s stories, artefacts and democratic connections out to the community, along with the civic party.
Insider detail about the long and intriguing history of the Mansion House and its treasures are being shared in sessions with children and young people across the city. These include visits to Applefields students with Special Educational Needs, to local Brownie groups and primary schools.
The sessions offer an educational game of how to run a democratically-elected Council, dressing up as a member of the civic party, or an insight into Georgian fan language and fashion. They are being offered free to schools and groups such as Scouts and Guides to create connections with this building at the heart of York’s civic life.
School groups have been invited on site visits to see the work underway, and work experience placements are being run for students from Huntington School and the Vale of York Academy.
The Lord Mayor Cllr Margaret Wells and the Sheriff of York Fiona Fitzpatrick, have joined a number of visits when dressing-up robes were provided. The workshops have been running across the city since January and will continue until the end of June, free-of-charge.
One of the sessions revolves around the game ‘Run the City’. In it, students manage an imaginary city council. They’re given a budget and a list of responsibilities, and work out how to spend their funds while considering the impact of those decisions at election time. Every group to have played it said they found it ‘very engaging and educational’.
Also popular are workshops about Georgian women’s fashion and the language of the fan. Being an eighteenth-century townhouse and the home of York’s Georgian Festival (7-11 August 2025), the Mansion House is a centre of expertise on these. The rigmarole of dressing for the day is explained, along with handling the many layers of garments and finding out how they were made. Lessons on fan language include sending secret messages across a room, while learning about society’s expectations of young ladies in Georgian ballroom culture.
Cllr Claire Douglas, Leader of City of York Council said: “Taking the Mansion House out on tour across the city is a rare and important event. Its rich and colourful past and its role in the city’s democracy and cultural heritage are as important as its future place in the life of York.
“Telling its stories and sharing its treasures with the younger generation will, I hope, increase their sense of belonging and understanding of their city. We all have a huge amount of pride in our home, York. Who knows, one day these young people could choose to stand for election to the Council itself!”
When the Mansion House reopens ahead of the popular Georgian Festival, these workshops will run from the House itself along with other activities such as house tours, ghost trails and more.
Find out more at www.york.gov.uk/YorkMansionHouse or book for the Georgian Festival events at www.mansionhouseyork.com .
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