Description:

York House is a 17th century historic stately home in Twickenham, and today serves as the Town Hall of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It derives its name from the Yorke family, owners of farming land in the area.

The last private owner was Sir Ratan Tata (1871–1918), a Parsee and a major industrialist in India. After acquiring the house in 1906 he had the riverside section of the gardens largely laid to lawn as an Italian style garden; which was a setting for garden parties and to show off a set of statues that he'd bought. A generous donor to charities, he entertained widely until 1914, when he returned to India. In 1917, on his way back to England, his ship was sunk in the Mediterranean. Now a sick man, he survived, only to die in 1918. His widow decided to sell the house and its contents in 1924.

 

York House was acquired by Twickenham Urban District Council and after major alterations became the council's offices. The new council chamber was formally opened by the then Duke of York (later King George VI) in 1926, the same year the urban district became a municipal borough.

 

Since 1965 York House has been the municipal offices of the Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council, housing the mayor's parlour, staff social club, council chamber, committee rooms and two public halls. By 1990 most of the council staff had been transferred to a new civic centre next door, allowing major restoration and renovation work to be carried out in York House.

 

 

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