York Historic Environment Record

Two shops. Late C17 and early C18; remodelled in mid C19, with contemporary shopfronts; parapet rebuilt, probably in C20. Lower storeys in painted brick, second floor in orange and mottled brick in Flemish bond; parapet has coping of concrete blocks. Pantile roofs with brick stacks.

EXTERIOR: 3-storey 4-window front. Ground floor occupied by paired shopfronts beneath continuous dentilled cornice over carved volutes on plain pilasters. Upstairs access door in centre, of 6 raised and fielded panels with overlight. No.122 has half-canted shop window, of 3 lights with segmental arches on slender colonnettes over panelled riser; to right, half-glazed and panelled shop door and segment-headed overlight recessed in panelled reveal. Shop windows and door to Nos 124-126 altered, but painted cast-iron columns survive from earlier shopfront. On first floor, windows are 4-pane sashes with flat arches, and painted stone sills to Nos 124-126; those on second floor are 2-light casements, one to No.122 and two to Nos 124/126. Raised band of painted brick to second floor. Rear: projecting wing to No.122, of 2 storeys and attic, has 2-window gable end. First floor windows are 4-pane sashes with cambered arches; attic window altered to glazed door, retaining original segmental arch.

INTERIOR: ground floor: in shop to No.122, late C17 panelling and moulded cornice survive; in shop to No.124, bolection moulded panelling and modillion cornice survive. Entrance hall has enriched plaster cornice; moulded round arch on fluted pilasters with moulded imposts leads to stairhall. Moulded geometric plaster ceiling. Staircase from ground to second floor has open string, turned and twisted balusters, three to a stair, and moulded ramped-up handrail, wreathed at foot around turned newel. Stairwell has matching dado panelling. Elements of the original staircase survive between second and third floors, with close string, bulbous balusters, square newels with moulded caps and moulded handrail. First floor: landing lined with raised and fielded dado panelling. Front room of Nos 124-126 has doors, door- and window-cases of raised and fielded panelling; built-in cupboards; fireplace has pilaster jambs and enriched key- and angle blocks; enriched dentil cornice. Rear room of No.122 lined with bolection moulded panelling beneath moulded cornice; remnants of fireplace with overmantel survive. C17 roof to No.122 said to survive. (City of York: RCHME: South-west of the Ouse: HMSO: 1972-: 94).
Listing NGR: SE5978751545

Derived from English Heritage LB download dated: 22/08/2005

House, Nos. 122, 124, 126, was originally two houses. In the late 17th century, the E. house was built; it still retains two bolection-moulded panelled rooms at first floor, a flight of the original staircase at attic level, and the original roof. Early in the 18th century, the house to W. was rebuilt and the two merged into one, the lower three flights of the staircase, with the hall and landing, being rebuilt in the latest fashion. These alterations were probably carried out at the time of the marriage of Robert Bower, mercer (1705–77), to Tabitha Burdett of Sleights in 1738 (Northallerton N.R. Registry of Deeds, A 487. 594; c 74.32). Bower occupied the house until his death, and his widow lived there until 1784, after which it passed through the hands of several private residents until it was sold in 1833 (Yorks. Gazette, 10 Aug.). From 1834 the occupant was John Hopps, surgeon (d. 1850), who was succeeded by William Drinkall, a grocer; by 1876 the property had been redivided and was in the hands of Edward Hill, grocer, and Mr. Cutforth, shoemaker (Rate Books; Directories). In 1756 railings in front of the house were 'maliciously broke and destroyed' (York Courant, 24 Aug.).

The Front Elevation, of three storeys, in brick, is of two separate builds; a straight joint, seen above the 19th-century shop front, divides them. No. 122 (to E.) has, at first floor, two sash windows with flat single gauged brick arches; the upper half of the second floor has been considerably rebuilt, with a new parapet. No. 126 has, at first floor, two tall sash windows with flat arches and stone sills and, at second floor, a projecting band, and two casements with red brick dressings and modern concrete arches. The Rear Elevation is also of two separate builds: that to E. is of rather narrow red brick with projecting bands and a gable. The house to W., considerably set back, is of three storeys in pinkish-white brick. It is roofed in two spans parallel to the street.

The ground floor, of L-shaped plan, has three rooms and central entrance passage, to which the staircase is set at right angles. The entrance passage has an enriched plaster cornice; leading off to the stair hall is a moulded arch supported on fluted pilasters. In the stair hall the moulded ceiling, of simple geometrical pattern, remains intact. In the S.W. room, now a shop, the E. and W. walls retain panelling and a modillioned cornice.

The Staircase rises from ground floor to attics in four flights; the first three flights, with open string, are mid 18th-century, the fourth and landing balustrade 17th-century. The later staircase has rail, string, balusters and treads all of softwood. The last flight and top landing have a moulded rail, square newels with moulded caps, a closed string and bulbous balusters, set fairly far apart. On the first floor the two rooms in the earlier part to the E. are lined with panelling and one has a simple early 18th-century fireplace and cupboards. Above, the original 17th-century oak roof timbers remain.

Derived fromRCHME - 'Secular Buildings: Micklegate', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in City of York, Volume 3, South west (London, 1972), pp. 68-96. Monument 96.

NMR Information

613515 Architectural Survey Investigation by RCHME/EH Architectural Survey

BF060844 122-126 MICKLEGATE, YORK File of material relating to a site or building. This material has not yet been fully catalogued.

RCHME, 1972, RCHME City of York Volume III South-west of the Ouse (Monograph). SYO64.

NMR, 2019, NMR data (Digital archive). SYO2214.