York Historic Environment Record

YORK SE5951NE TRINITY LANE 1112-1/15/1143 (South West side) 10/01/91 No.29 (Formerly Listed as: TRINITY LANE No.29 The Ideal Laundry) II Manufactory, later an orphanage, then laundry, now flats. Late C17 remodelling of early C17 building; further remodelling in early C19. Extended c1895. Original building for Nicholas Towers. C19 extension by WG and A Penty. MATERIALS: orange-red brick, largely in English garden-wall bond, some random bond, with timber doorcase and eaves cornice, and hipped pantile roofs. Extension in English garden-wall bond, with rendered first floor, and tiled roof. Brick stacks to both parts. EXTERIOR: 3-storey 5-bay main front, with 2-storey extension at left, with irregular fenestration. Central entrance in main front, in doorcase of plain pilasters with bracketed hood, recessed door of 6 panels, 4 raised and fielded, 2 fluted, and decorative glazed overlight, in panelled reveal. Doors in outer bays are half-glazed with overlights. Several windows blocked: those visible are 12-pane sashes, all with painted stone sills, most with flat arches of gauged bricks. In left end bay, vestiges of C17 segmental arches are visible. Two left bays have modillion eaves cornice, mutilated, which returns at left end. Between the two bays is a fluted inverted bowl rainwater head with fallpipe on fleur-de-lys holdfast clamps. Extension has C20 windows and first floor string course. Rear of main building: fine pair of external chimney stacks, a round-headed staircase window, and sash windows. Wing: ground floor obscured by later building. On upper floor, four half dormers with hipped roofs and tapered finials, 3 with 2-light casements, 1 with replacement glazing. Projecting bracketed eaves with guttering carried on wrought-iron scrolls. INTERIOR: extensive brick-vaulted cellars. Right end room on ground floor has large fireplace with 4-centred brick arch. Remainder of building has good early C19 doors and door surrounds, windows and window surrounds, reeded with paterae. Also an early C19 staircase with thin fluted balusters. Some rooms also have early C19 fireplaces, also reeded with paterae. HISTORICAL NOTE: original building erected as a soap-boiling factory by Nicholas Towers (Sheriff of York, 1657), and known as 'Towers Folly'. c1800 to 1851, it became the horn and shell comb factory of John Nutt; subsequently the residence of Rev. Henry Vaughan Palmer, whose daughter Henrietta became an authoress under the pseudonym 'John Strange Winter'. (Bartholomew City Guides: Hutchinson J and Palliser DM: York: Edinburgh: 1980-: 215; RCHME: City of York: London: 1972-: 110). Listing NGR: SE5998751506