The original house was built by William Voase, a Hull Wine merchant, around 1830. It was sold in 1845 to the Legards of Ganton Hall, who extended it to double the size.
It passed through various hands before Miss E Clarke bought the property in 1890. She commissioned Walter Brierley – ‘the Yorkshire Lutyens’ – to build a new substantial house. This substantial villa was completed in 1892 and became Northcliffe House – very much as it is today.
After her death the house became a convalescent home for the National Union of Printers, Bookbinders and Paper Workers in 1925, then it became apartments. Northcliffe Gardens further down the hill were originally part of the property and featured a large Orangery, later demolished. The rear entrance and former coach house can be viewed from the bottom of Mitford Street but the best view of the facade can be seen from the main entrance of the Evron Centre on the other side of the street.
You can finish your walk here or continue down Cargate Hill to the seafront, turning left to Coble Landing and the Lifeboat Station and up Church Ravine to return to your starting point.
Alternatively, you can continue on to our second walk – around New Filey, where the wealthy Victorians enjoyed their summer holidays.
