York Historic Environment Record

YORK SE6151SW LAWRENCE STREET 1112-1/23/533 (South side) 13/06/88 No.30 GV II Flax mill, now disused warehouse and offices. c1804 for Stabler, Marshall & Co. (RCHM); additions of c1825 and c1835 for John Swale; C20 alterations. Brindled brick, sheet asbestos roof. EXTERIOR: 3-storey, 10-bay mill of c1804 extended, to north, by 5-bay warehouse of c1825 and to south by 4-storey 15-bay mill of c1835. The latter has a 3-storey 4-bay boiler house projecting from its east side. West side: 3-storey range has 1960 addition to bays 1 and 2; through-passage to bay 5; various C20 casements with projecting stone sills and segmental brick arches (some openings altered); truncated stack on left and eaves stack near centre. 4-storey range has similar openings with little alteration; lavatory tower to bay 1, above which rises an octagonal chimney. East side: similar although with large openings of later date to ground floor. Boiler house: Bricked-up round arch on left of large C20 opening; original fenestration to drying rooms above has multi-pane iron casements; truncated chimney stack to rear-left corner. INTERIOR: of 4-storey part: cast-iron columns and girders support transverse brick arches; stone-flagged upper floors; queen-post roof trusses. HISTORICAL NOTE: Stabler, Marshall and Co became bankrupt in 1816; the premises were sold to John Swale who continued to spin flax by steam power until c1850. A fire of 1825 may have instigated the construction of the 4-storey mill. Powered flax-spinning machinery was patented by Kendrew and Porthouse in 1787 and Lawrence Street mill is amongst the earliest buildings to have exploited this technology as well as being the only steam-powered flax mill in York. (An Inventory of the Historical Monuments of the City of York: RCHME: Outside the City Walls East of the Ouse: HMSO: 1975-: 81). Listing NGR: SE6112451316