York Historic Environment Record

This timber-framed building, probably of 15th century date, is an unusually early example of a double pile structure - the rear range housing the open hall and the front range separate shop units with domestic accommodation over. The front range is a jettied structure of three storeys in height and three bays in length. There are indications, however, that both ranges extended two bays further to the north-east originally. The hall had an impressive open truss with massive arched braces, since removed. The size and unusual form of the building raise the possibility that it was built as an inn rather than a house. The present north-east bay has an unusually deep jetty at first floor level, projecting out as far as that of the upper floor jetty of the adjoining bays. The purpose of this appears to have been to form a porch over the principal entrance to the building. If, as seems likely, the building did originally extend two bays further to the north-east, this porch would have occupied a central position on the street frontage. The two shops in the south-west and central bays of the front range had their own separate entrances. There is evidence to suggest that the original shop windows had arched heads. Mortices in the south-east wall indicate that there was a rear wing, also timber framed, of at least two storeys in height. In the 17th century first and second floors were inserted into the hall, and a large brick stack built against the south-west gable. Fragments of 17th century wall paintings were exposed during refurbishment, a number of which have since been covered up.