York Historic Environment Record

Terrace of 3 tenements. c1500; wing added to rear of No.89 in late C16-early C17; C18 wing to No.87; late C19 shopfronts. Restored c1961. Probably built as rentals for Holy Trinity Priory. Timber-framed with wall-tile infilling, largely replaced by brick; front rendered and white-washed; rear wings of red, and orange-red, brick in random bond. Tiled roof with brick stacks. Each tenement 2 bays wide and 2 bays deep.

EXTERIOR: 3-storey 6-bay jettied front, first floor jetty at left end supported on cast-iron Doric column. Shopfronts inserted to right of upstairs access doors; that to No.85 has glazed and panelled door and plate glass window beneath fascia board between grooved brackets. Upstairs access doors of 6 raised and fielded panels, beneath divided overlights. Upper floor windows are of 2 lights fitted between studs of each bay, those on first floor 8-pane top-hung lights, on second floor 6-pane casements. Jetty bressumers have attached embattled mouldings reproducing original, defaced, mouldings. Inverted bell-shaped rainwater head dated 1961 between Nos 85 and 87. Left and right returns: crown post roof trusses exposed in gable ends. Against right gable end, re-used inverted bell rainwater head dated 176?.

INTERIOR: in Nos 85 and 89, timber-frame with braced, jowled posts, studding and offset spine beams, is largely complete and detectable on all floors. On first floor of No.89, front room has marble chimneypiece with moulded cornice shelf; in rear wing, two rooms have painted stone fireplaces in moulded timber surrounds, with plain friezes and moulded shelves. On second floor of front range are two early doors, one of 3 panels, one of 2 panels on a butterfly hinge. On first and second floors of front range, studding is exposed internally in the gable wall. On ground floor of No.87, front room (now shop) has detectable studding in rear wall, and coffered ceiling with moulded transverse beam and moulded and offset spine beams. Access to upper floors of No.87 not possible. On the upper floors, RCHM record almost complete framing, including boxed-in straight staircase from first to second floor and fireplace with stone surround in rear room on first floor. (City of York: RCHME: South-west of the Ouse: HMSO: 1972-: 82-83).
Listing NGR: SE5984751555

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


Houses, Nos. 85, 87, 89, form a timber-framed range containing three separate tenements under one roof, parallel with the street. Structural evidence shows that the division into three is part of the original design; each tenement is of two bays. Although not marked on Speed's map of 1610, the building is probably of late mediaeval date. The double-jettied front, embattled bressumers and crown-post roof are features of the late 15th or early 16th century. A manifest addition at the back, itself of late 16th or early 17th-century date, is further evidence supporting this dating, and it seems probable that the range was built for letting as 'rents' along the street frontage of the precinct of Holy Trinity Priory at a date well before the Dissolution. Its survival comparatively unaltered, may perhaps be due, as often elsewhere, to use for the butcher's trade. So far as documentation survives it shows occupation by butchers, of No. 85 probably in the mid 18th century and certainly by 1838, when William Stodart Stoker was assessed on the house and slaughter-house; of No. 87 from 1708 by George Chapman, butcher, and his successors in business; and of No. 89 by William Pearson, butcher, in 1777–96. (Deeds in the hands of the Ings Property Trust; Rate Books; Directories.) The freeholds were independently owned, but a fee-farm rent payable out of No. 87 to John Tempest esq. In 1807 may have been a survival from post-dissolution grants of former Priory property. In recent restorations rendering has been removed to expose the framing, and sash windows have been replaced by casements. The ground floor contains shops with modern fronts. Pantiles have given place to plain tiles throughout.

Each of the three tenements originally consisted of a single room to each floor, probably sub-divided by curtains or flimsy partitions. No evidence for the ground-floor layout survives. At the E. End of the original rear wall of No. 87 the disposition of pegholes in the first-floor timber-framing, allowing for an opening 2 ft. 2 in. wide, suggests a contemporary timber-framed wing or staircase annexe, refurbished in the 18th century and mostly replaced or enlarged in the 19th century. A late 16th-century or early 17th-century timber-framed wing at the rear of No. 89 stands on the site of such an earlier annexe. A stair inside the first-floor room led up to the second-floor room, open to the roof. All fenestration, probably with oriel windows, was on the street front, except possibly in No. 87. All chimney breasts are of a later date and there is no evidence for the original heating arrangements. Only No. 87 has been fully surveyed, but the timber-framing of No. 89 has been recorded during restoration.

On the street front, in No. 87 the late Victorian shop front replaces a bow window which existed in 1886 (G. Benson and J. England Jefferson, Picturesque York (1886), Pl. 2). To E. Of it is the shop doorway, adjacent to a further doorway to a through passage beneath a rectangular fanlight. Inside, a dog-leg staircase opens off the through passage. The first-floor landing is to the S. Of the main timber-framed house and may represent the original timber-framed stair annexe, since fragments of framing survive in the S. Wall. The room at the back is a later addition. The original room, now sub-divided, is entered through an 18th-century round-headed doorway. A short straight stair against its E. Wall leads upwards; studding pegged to the underside of the horizontal beam to the W. Indicates that this stair follows the original disposition. The second-floor ceiling at tie beam level hides the roof construction, apart from curved braces from the main posts to the cambered tie beam; the single room of two bays was originally open to the roof. In the course of restoration only the original central post and one stud in each bay were found to survive: the present framing is based on the evidence of mortices and pegholes. Although cut back, sufficient evidence remained of the embattling on the bressumer. A central N.-S. Beam, 10 in. By 9 in., carries the N. Post and is tenoned into the S. Post and has two E.-W. Beams, 11 in. By 9 in., off-set from one another, tenoned into it on each side. Each of the four main divisions contains six N.-S. Joists, about 8 in. By 6 in.

To No. 89 a timber-framed back range of late 16th or early 17th-century date has been added at right angles. Its roof is of four bays. A curved brace between the eaves-plate and the central post has been removed to make way for a doorway from the second floor of the front block into the attic, where four of the trusses are visible. The first truss 'A' is only 1¾ft. From the S. Wall of the main block. The third truss, 'C', of similar type, has a cambered tie beam, 12 in. By 7 in., instead of a horizontal one; the trusses 'B' and 'D' have tie beams like 'A'. The third bay is largely occupied by brick chimneybreasts of various dates from the early 18th century onwards. The bays are about 6¼ ft., with three pairs of coupled rafters, without collars, to each bay. On the first floor of the front range, a gap of 2 ft. 2 in. Between stud and post, indicated by the mortices and pegholes, at the E. End of the S. Wall may mark a doorway from the annexe stair, as in No. 87.

Derived from RCHME - 'Secular Buildings: Micklegate', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in City of York, Volume 3, South west (London, 1972), pp. 68-96. Monument 79

York Conservation Trust (owner)

They were restored in 1967 and without this action would probably not have survived for another ten years. The task was undertaken by Ings Property Company working in co-operation with York Corporation and the then Ministry of Public Building and Works. This group of buildings has always been regarded as one of the most important in the city, and is perhaps one of the best examples of the value of a group as opposed to individual buildings.

The exposure of the timber framework found general approval, as nearly all the rendering was added after about 1660 to make the houses weatherproof. In the restoration work, insulation board was put on the inner side. In addition to the removal of the rendering, the sash windows were replaced by casements, and the pantiles by plain tiles. Each of the three tenements originally consisted of a single room to each floor, probably subdivided by curtains or thin partitions. All the chimney breasts are of a later date. The late-Victorian shop front of No. 87 replaced a bow window which existed in 1886, according to an illustration in a nineteenth century publication.

Heritage statement attached to this monument record.

NMR Information:

Numbers 85-9 Micklegate. A timber framed house built in the late 15th to early 16th century, divided into 3 properties. A wing was added to the rear of number 89 in the late 16th to early 16th century, and a further wing was added to number 87 in the 18th century. The timber frame was largely infilled with wall-tiles, nsince largely replaced with brick. The building was much restored between 1961-1970. It has 3 storeys, with double oversailing upper storeys. There are 6 renewed casement windows (with glazing bars); the overhang at 1st storey is supported on left-hand side by a free standing Tuscan column. The roof has plain eaves with modern tiles. At ground floor there are inserted late 19th century shop fronts and 19th century doorcases with rectangular fanlights. The interiors of the 3 tenements have been much altered.

Full description
1. 5343 MICKLEGATE (South side) Nos 85, 87 and 89
SE 5951 NE 15/332 14.6.54 Grade II*

2. Late C15 or early C16. Timber frame and cement, all much restored (circa 1970); 3 storeys; double oversailing upper storeys; 6 renewed casement windows (with glazing bars); overhand at 1st storey is supported on left-hand side by free standing Tuscan column; plain eaves; modern tiles. Inserted
modern shop fronts; C19 doorcases with rectangular fanlights. Interiors of the 3 tenements much altered. (RCHM Vol. III, Monument 79) (1)

Situated at SE 5984 5156. (2)

The amended verion reads: "Terrace of 3 tenements. c1500; wing added to rear of No.89 in late C16-early C17; C18 wing to No.87; late C19 shopfronts. Restored c1961. Probably built as rentals for Holy Trinity Priory. Timber-framed with wall-tile infilling, largely replaced by brick; front rendered and white-washed; rear wings of red, and orange-red, brick in random bond". (3)

Sources
1. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest DOE(HHR) City of York N Yorks June 1983 206

2. Ordnance Survey Map 1:2500, 1962

3. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. City of York, 24/06/1983 amendment 1112-1.

613515 Architectural Survey Investigation by RCHME/EH Architectural Survey

BF060826 85-89 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.