About the Old Parcels Office

The Old Parcels Office Artspace is a new arts venue for North Yorkshire.

Housed in a grade II listed building located on Scarborough Station the space comprises Artist Studios, a Gallery, and Learning Space.

Our aim is to support the cultural regeneration of Scarborough by making art more accessible; bringing high quality art to Scarborough and by giving artists a platform to share their practice, teach, perform, and show their work in the region.

The Old Parcels Office ArtSpace is managed by Scarborough Studios CIO, a charitable organisation founded in 2021 to oversee the running of the OPO ArtSpace and its programmes. This charitable organisation builds on the work of Scarborough Studios Ltd, a not-for-profit company, which has managed and fundraised the capital redevelopment of the Old Parcels Office, a grade II listed building on Scarborough railway station platform.

The building was constructed to the designs of the then North Eastern Railway Architect, William Bell in 1883 as an excursion station. The large rooms are all double height spaces with yellow glazed bricks to the lower levels and unglazed yellow bricks above. The roof incorporates glass and timber glazing; it is hipped but flat topped. The exterior is of yellow brick with sandstone dressings. In 1908 the building became a parcels office and following a short period as a store it became derelict until repaired in 2013.

Since 2013 Scarborough Studios Ltd has raised over £800k to restore this historic building; reinstating the stunning skylights, which flood our studios and spaces with natural light, installing heating, lighting and toilets, and sympathetically refurbishing the interior of the building to provide a Learning Space, Gallery, offices and facilities.

Scarborough Studios Ltd are grateful to Scarborough Borough Council, Network Rail, Arts Council England, Historic England, Railways Heritage Trust, Yorkshire Coast Community Led Local Development (CLLD) project and the many volunteers who have donated time, expertise and money to realise this project.

Architects: Walker Cunnington

Construction: FA Stockill & Son

The Old Parcels Office is a community ArtSpace and we welcome collaboration with artists, groups and organisations.

If you have a project, activity, exhibition, or are looking for space to meet, teach, or host an event, please get in touch.

[email protected]

Scarborough Studios CIO is a registered charity no 1193187