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Twenty-one years ago, in the distant days before Rightmove, Facebook or indeed most of the rest of life as we know it today, I put an advert in the York Press newspaper.
“Wanted: two housemates to rent smart York city centre terrace”. Two house-hunters – Steve and Dave – duly responded (probably by carrier pigeon or something), and we met at 4pm one afternoon for the viewing of said smart terrace on Grosvenor Terrace in York. That’s right: I was viewing both the house and my future housemates at the same time.
Mercifully, we immediately bonded and my unorthodox plan – which essentially involved affording the then house of my dreams by cobbling together two others to share the rent – had worked. I had returned to my university city for the first job of my journalism career, and the three of us enjoyed a happy year of renting before work commitments sent us our separate ways.
I mention this story because the walk from York city centre to Grosvenor Terrace – a walk I did at least twice a day throughout that year – takes in the architecturally glorious Bootham, a street where every other residence seems to have a blue plaque denoting its historical significance.
Carry on past Grosvenor Terrace and you hit Bootham Crescent – up until 2020 the home of York City FC – and then on to St Peter’s Grove, where Clementine’s Town House Hotel, York’s newest boutique hotel and our hosts this issue, is located.
Independently owned by the HRH Group of Harrogate, it opened after a multimillion-pound refurbishment in June 2021.
On an otherwise residential street, the handsome hotel comprises two adjacent Victorian villas that between them house 28 individually decorated bedrooms.
The interior is a quirky mix of vintage Victorian and the Moulin Rouge, with warm-coloured upholstery, statement lamps, ornate mirrors and witty artwork (the panel above our bed is made entirely of open old books). While the rooms themselves aren’t huge, they are comfortable and thoughtfully designed, and our en-suite is actually a very good size and beautifully finished.
The day of our visit was a hot July day, so the peaceful walled back garden was a lovely place to while away a quick cold Peroni, while breakfast the next morning was excellent, with all the freshly-made dishes you’d expect.
Given the difficulties of parking anywhere near the pedestrianised centre in York, particular mention should go to the parking available outside Clementine’s, coming in at a very reasonable £9 a day.
It all adds up to a splendid option for your next visit to York, and I would return to Clementine’s in a flash.
A final word. If you do visit, be sure to book a drink or lunch at the Sora tapas and cocktail on the roof of the newly opened Malmaison York. It has the greatest view in Yorkshire and quite possibly the world.
Clementine’s Town House Hotel, 4-5 St Peters Grove, York, YO30 6AQ. More info: clementinestownhouse.co.uk
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