A POPULAR city centre cafe is shutting on Valentine's Day.

The Refectory at King's Manor is shutting on February 14 and relocating to a new site within the same complex of historic buildings at the city centre site. The hope is to reopen the new cafe by the end of the summer.

Tucked in the corner of Exhibition Square, King's Manor is now part of the University of York, but the Grade 1 listed building was originally built to house the abbots of St Mary's Abbey.

When the abbey was dissolved in 1539, Henry VIII made it the base for his Council of the North and the building performed this role until the council was abolished in 1641.

It has had many uses during its long history and housed both a school for the blind and Manor School, which moved in to the building in 1813 and remained there for the next 110 years.

Considered by many as a hidden gem, The Refectory cafe is open to the public and is nestled at the heart of the complex of sixteenth century buildings.

Former City of York councillor Keith Myers, who runs the York Walls Twitter account, posted a photo of a notice announcing the cafe's closure and expressed fears that the refectory - which once served as the council chamber - would be out of bounds to visitors in future.

 

A university spokesperson said: "We are closing the cafe on the 14th of February and re-locating it to a new site within Kings Manor.

"The new cafe, which will be open to the public, should be open by the end of the summer."

The Refectory's current opening times are Monday to Friday: 9.30am - 3.30pm.