Cober Hill was bought by Arnold Rowntree, former Liberal Member of Parliament for York and nephew of Joseph Rowntree, of chocolate and philanthropic fame, in 1920. Arnold set out his aspirations for Cober as…

“I want it to be a place of joy and beauty. A centre of refreshment and inspiration for many of those engaged in difficult public services. I hope experiments in Weekend Schools, Winter and Summer Schools of various kinds and of longer and shorter duration may also be tried there.”

Throughout the past 100 years, Cober has brought people together to discuss and exchange ideas. Arnold’s hope of a new spirit of understanding has been explored and found to be worthwhile. Cober Hill is a venue for people of many different backgrounds, educational experiences, religious differences and various disabilities covering all age groups and ethnic backgrounds, promoting tolerance and harmony.

Today, words such as “community” and “society” can be regarded as out of date and belonging to a bygone era. Cober is living proof of the opposite. I have no doubt that the great majority of our guests leave with a sense – in Arnold’s words – of their spirit being refreshed in some way.