A historic York club that closed at the end of March after 100 years, could be saved.
York hospitality director Doug Smith has revealed his plans to save historic working men’s club York Burton Lane Club, in Bootham Crescent.
The club had been a staple in Clifton for over 100 years, and announced that its last orders would be Tuesday 31 March.
However, Doug – who owns several venues across York and beyond, including the Melbourne Arms in York, the Carpenters Arms in Market Weighton, and the soon-to-open cowboy bar Silver Spur – has made it his mission to bring it back to life.
“I’m going to try and save it,” Doug Smith told YorkMix.
Doug went down to the closing night of the club (Tuesday 31 March) to see what was there, and after spending time there and chatting with members of the club, decided to put a proposal together to present to the club secretary about trying to save it.
The building is owned by the members, so Doug is proposing to rent it off the members, “and invest a load of money in it, keep it as a community hub, give it a new lease of life, and keep the place alive.
“I want to save it for the community.”
The club’s members, which stand around 400 members, were “gutted” about the closing.
Doug has taken his proposal to the club secretary – so watch this space for more.
