York Historic Environment Record

YORK SE6052SW MINSTER COURT 1112-1/13/699 Nos.1, 2, 2A AND 3 14/06/54 GV II* Four houses. Late C17 and early C18 remodelling of C14, C15 and C16 structures: early C19 and C20 alterations and extensions. MATERIALS: brick, some orange-brown, mostly random bond, some in Flemish bond; most painted, some rendered; medieval masonry survives in lower parts of Nos 1 and 3; timber eaves cornices; roofs of plain tile towards Court, pantile and slate in other places, with brick stacks. PLAN: buildings form three sides of an irregular courtyard. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys and attics. No.1 has 3-window front towards Court, gable ended left return, lower 2-bay front with hipped roof to right: projecting flat roofed porch in re-entrant. Porch contains front door of 6 raised and fielded panels with divided overlight. To right of door is one 12-pane sash window, further right a tripartite sash: on first floor, round headed staircase sash over porch and two 12-pane sash windows with brick sills to right. Moulded first floor band. Bold modillion cornice. To left return, windows on both floors are 12-pane sashes with brick sills. 5 course raised brick first floor band; moulded eaves cornice returned to gable wall. Gabled dormers have 2x2-pane casement windows. Gable wall has one narrow 8-pane sash on first and second floors and two oculi in gable end. Nos 2 and 2A have 4 bay front towards Court, with doors similar to No.1, both in moulded surrounds with modillion cornice hoods and flat porches on wrought-iron brackets. Doors flanked by 12-pane sashes; similar windows with brick sills on first floor, those to No.2A taller than to No.2. 3-course stepped first floor band; cogged brick eaves course. C20 parapet masks set back roof to No.2, hipped roof to No.2A, with small-pane casements in flat-topped dormers. No.3 has 2-storey 5-window front to Minster Yard with 3-bay range at rear fronting Minster Court: 2-storey extension in re-entrant. Entrance to Minster Court. Minster Yard front has 4 sash windows on ground floor, one of 20 panes, the others 12 panes, one narrow: on first floor, 2 tall unequal 15-pane sashes on both sides of narrow unequal 10-pane sash, all with painted sills. Timber eaves guttering on block brackets, returned at left end, to hipped roof. Left return has 16-pane sash and small inserted sash on ground floor: on first floor, one tall unequal 15-pane sash with brick sill. 3-course stepped brick first floor band, returned at rear and over rear range. Entrance front has two 6-panel doors, one with inset glazed panels. Over each door is a round-headed radial-glazed sash window. Attics have two flat topped dormers with 2x2-pane casement windows. Rear: on ground floor one tripartite window with 16-pane centre sash and one 16-pane sash further to right. On first floor, one tall round-headed radial-glazed sash window and 8- or 12-pane sash windows at different levels. Most windows have 1-course segmental brick arches. Single attic dormer is flat topped with 2x4-pane window. Nos 1 and 3 have Sun insurance marks on their Court fronts. INTERIOR: No.1, RCHM record: mid C18 open string staircase with turned balusters; early C18 former kitchen fireplace and 3 other C18 fireplaces; on first floor, 2 fine plaster ceilings, one in main reception room, one over staircase. In Nos 2 and 2A, RCHM record: in No.2, ground floor room with early C17 plaster ceiling of strapwork panels enclosing doves, fleur-de-lys and other motifs; C18 and early C19 fittings including fireplaces, doors, door and window surrounds, and cornices. Over Nos 2 and 2A, RCHM record C14, C15 and C16 roofs. No.3. Ground floor: room at rear of passage is brick vaulted cellar with bins intact. Room to left of stairs has 6-panel door backed with battened panels. Main staircase to first floor has open string, turned balusters and moulded ramped-up handrail: stairwell fitted with raised and fielded dado panelling. Staircase window has continuous round-arched architrave with fluted band beneath sill. Back stairs rise to attic, upper flights having column on vase balusters, square newels with attached half balusters and moulded handrail. First floor: ceiling over landing has moulded cornice and moulded plaster panels, oval in centre. Passage has dado rails and frieze of flutes and paterae. Rear room has blocked fireplace in surround enriched with composition mouldings. Rooms flanking staircase have moulded skirtings and dado rails: fireplaces enriched with composition mouldings: enriched cornices, one with dentils and egg-and-dart, the other with palmette, flutes and paterae. Room towards front has cornice with applied foliage decoration to frieze and late C19 fireplace: C19 double doors of raised and fielded panelling leading to subdivided front room. Front room has frieze of flutes and paterae; panelled shutters in panelled window reveal. Attic: passage partly lined with C17 run-through panelling incorporating one door: similar door to room opposite. Roof of principal rafter construction with through purlins. Several early doors survive in the house. (City of York: RCHME: The Central Area: HMSO: 1981-: 158-160). Listing NGR: SE6035852310