 Young was widowed in 1873, however, he was still working in 1875 surveying dangerous structures in the City as is attested by the Metropolitan Board of Works.Apart from the strikingly ornate civic and commercial buildings he designed, Young's legacy, especially in the City of London, was to ensure in his role as surveyor, that buildings falling into disrepair would be adequately put right and on several occasions, he asked for 'substitutions' with surveyor colleagues so that he could personally superintend the repairs as an architect, notably in Houndsditch and Cannon Street.John Young left a quiet token of his sense of humour in the carved mice on the parapet of a warehouse in Eastcheap.