Knaresborough’s Oliver Cromwell building set for facelift
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Last updated Oct 20, 2020

A historic building in Knaresborough, which is believed to be on the site where Oliver Cromwell stayed during the siege of the town in 1644, is set for a facelift.

80 Knaresborough High Street, which dates back to 1764, has been derelict for decades.

Knaresborough was a Royalist stronghold during the English civil war but surrendered after Cromwell’s Parliamentarian forces laid siege to the castle for four months.

Harrogate Borough Council has applied to turn the building which is on the site where he is reputed to have stayed, as well as a former weaver’s workshop on number 82, into flats and new shops.

The council purchased the two Grade II listed properties in 2019 from developer Freshwater Group with the intention to bring them back into use.


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The application proposes to refurbish and retain the existing vacant retail units on the ground floor and turn the upper levels into four flats.

The council’s planning committee will meet on Tuesday next week to decide on the plans, which are recommended for approval.

The application is supported by both Knaresborough Civic Society and York Georgian Society.