York Historic Environment Record

County Lunatic Asylum, now NHS mental health hospital. C19 additions to original 1773-77 asylum; two earlier-C19 long corridors which run in a north-westerly direction to two pauper wards of 1861-62 (replacing earlier pauper wards in the same location); 1871-72 service block including a grand recreation hall; pre-1892 American bowling alley MATERIALS: orange brick, sandstone dressings, slate roofs PLAN: a multiple phase complex. Two long, single-storey corridors link the core buildings to a group of buildings at the north-west end of the complex. The corridors run through a late-C19 two-storey cross wing (not of special interest) to link with two parallel, two-storey former pauper wards of 1861-62; these wards originally had a combination of bedrooms and dormitories. On the south-eastern side of the cross wing and running between the two long corridors is a large, full-height recreation hall of 1871-72. A late-C19, single-storey former American bowling alley is built along the outer side of the southern long corridor. EXTERIOR FORMER AMERICAN BOWLING ALLEY: this single-storey building is built against the outer, south-west wall of the southern long corridor. It is built of brick in Flemish bond with scalloped timber bargeboards and fish-scale slates to the roof with a series of raised roof lanterns. To the centre is a canted bay window, flanked by two bays to each side and outer, square bay windows with hipped roofs. The large casement windows are separated by brick piers with stone bases and capitals. At the right-hand end are two further bays beyond the square bay window. FORMER PAUPER WARDS: these two parallel wards stand at the north-west end of the complex and share a similar appearance. They are built of orange brick in Flemish bond with a timber eaves cornice with paired modillions and slate hipped roofs. They are of two storeys and six bays with full-height canted bay windows towards both ends of the outer elevations. The windows have six-over-six pane sashes with stone sills and gauged brick lintels. The ground floor of the outer elevation of both wards is largely obscured by a flat-roofed, single-storey modern extension, that to the northern ward with a wide, canted, glazed bay at the left-hand end. The wards were linked to the later-C19 cross wing by two-storey, flat-roofed link bays. The link bay of the southern ward is abutted by a modern, single-storey, glazed entrance lobby. The two wards have been linked on the north-west side by a 1960s, single-storey, four-bay, flat-roofed extension. NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN LONG CORRIDORS, RECREATION HALL: The two long corridors do not have visible exterior walls. The upper part of the recreation hall only is visible to the rear of the former American bowling alley. It has a hipped, slate roof with a fully glazed apex. INTERIOR NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN LONG CORRIDORS, FORMER AMERICAN BOWLING ALLEY, AND RECREATION HALL: the two long corridors have high-quality fixtures and fittings including Minton tile floors, panelled doors, architraves, pilasters, and deep moulded cornices. The southern corridor has rectangular roof lanterns. The former American bowling alley has fully panelled walls and panelled doors with a coffered ceiling incorporating roof lanterns. The recreation hall has an open ceiling with collar-beam trusses with deep arched braces springing from decorative corbels, panelled ceiling faces and full glazing to the ridge apex above collar height. The room has high-quality woodwork including a panelled dado with timber arcading to the walls above, panelled doors and architraves.