York Historic Environment Record

House, No. 62, was built probably shortly before 1760. In 1761, when sold by William and Ann Peckitt (parents of the glass-painter) to William Fentiman, it was described as 'all those two houses . . . now divided into several tenements' (YCA, E.94, f. 36v.); this and the existence of two staircases indicate that it was designed from the beginning as two dwellings, in one of which the Peckitts had been living. The house underwent extensive refurbishing, including renewal of the roof, in the first half of the 19th century, probably 1833. A deed of 1834 refers to 'all those four dwelling-houses or tenements ... adjoining to and behind the same ...', but no reference is made to these in a deed of 1832, nor any earlier deeds; the scar of these dwellings, with a chimney breast, is visible to the rear. Later the S. room on the ground floor was converted into a warehouse, and the rear buildings were demolished.

The elevations are of brick in an irregular stretcher bond, and the roof is of plain tiles. Inside, the house is in two separate tenements, described as (A) and (B), to N. and S. respectively.

(A) On the ground floor, a central doorway leads into a passage. The staircase, approached through an archway at the end of the entrance passage, has turned and moulded balusters with square knops, a closed string, and moulded handrail; this last is discontinuous at the turns, where it is swept up to a turned and moulded newel. On the first floor, the W. room contains a fireplace with a wooden moulded surround with a dentilled cornice shelf; the early 19th-century hob-grate is decorated with oval medallions containing seated figures and with dolphins. On each side of the fireplace is a cupboard with a door of six fielded panels. On the second floor, the partition between the W. and E. rooms is of planks 10 in. wide with a central rail 4½ in. deep, chamfered on both arrises.

(B) The ground floor, though converted, retains the staircase. This has a closed string, moulded and turned balusters with square knops, a simple handrail and plain square newels. On the first floor, the W. room contains a fireplace with painted stone surround which has a cambered head with a central key-block carved with a scallop-shell. Above the fireplace is a plain frieze with shaped ends and moulded cornice shelf. Owing to the collapse of the ceiling of the second floor, the roof over the whole house is visible; it is of c. 1830–40 and divided into three bays by two king-post trusses. The king-posts, enlarged at the foot to carry raking struts supporting the purlins and at the top for the abutment of the principals, carry a plank ridge; there is one purlin on each side, slightly offset in adjacent bays, halved through the principal and fastened on the other side.

Demolished 1957.

An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in City of York, Volume 3, South west. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1972. Monument 106

NMR Information

Site of number 62 North Street, a house built circa 1755 and altered in 1833, now demolished.

BF060945 62 NORTH STREET, 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.

YAT, 1991, Barbican Cycle Path, Kent Street (Unpublished document). SYO214.