York Historic Environment Record

A heritage statement was written for the property in 2022. Original property seems to have be split into two units in the early 20th century. The first record of the name Fenton House is 1948 in a newspaper. The house was listed in 1954 when it was two dwellings but it has been used as offices and a guest house since that time. The house has a late 1990s side extension.


LB entry:
House, now 2 dwellings. Early C18 with early C19 and C20 alterations.

MATERIALS: front of orange brick in Flemish bond, with painted and chamfered stone quoins; stone doorcase, window surround and chamfered plinth, all now rendered; timber eaves cornice: rear of orange-brown brick in English garden-wall bond. Front roof hipped and tiled, and surmounted by square lantern with pyramidal tiled roof: rear roof in 2 parallel ranges, pantiled with brick coping; brick stacks. 3 flat dormer windows at front have 2x6-pane Yorkshire sashes.

EXTERIOR: 2 storeys, cellars and attics; 3-bay front, centre bay projecting slightly, incorporating centrepiece of raised eared door and window surrounds with wide moulded stone cornice over ground floor. Front door of 6 raised and fielded panels with bordered cross-glazed overlight approached by 3 steps. Ground floor windows on each side are tripartite with 12-pane centre sashes; all first floor windows are 12-pane sashes: all on both floors have painted stone sills and flat arches of orange gauged brick. Painted first floor band returns at each end as 2-course raised brick band. Prominent moulded and modillioned eaves cornice. Rear: 2-storey, twin gabled front with flat parapet masking valley between. In centre of ground floor is radial glazed staircase sash window beneath altered 1-course brick arch: to right, inserted 12-pane sash. On first floor, 2x6-pane Yorkshire sash windows flank squat 6-pane centre sash: all retain 1-course segmental brick arches over brick tympana. 2-course raised brick band to first floor.

INTERIOR: ground floor: moulded segmental entrance arch on wide fluted pilasters enriched with foliar necking and floral drops from lion masks. Rear right room has tripartite sash window with panelled shutters in surround enriched with drops. Hall and all rooms except rear left have moulded cornices: rear left has chamfered beam. Main staircase to first floor has moulded close string with terminal volute at the foot, heavy bulbous balusters with pendant finials, square newels with attached half balusters, and heavy ramped handrail. First floor: landing has moulded cornice. Doorcase to rear right room has moulded jambs and corner paterae: inner side of doorcase and window architrave are reeded with angle paterae; reeded cornice. Centre front room has panelled window recess and seat. Rear left room retains vestiges of fielded dado and overmantel panelling and C19 basket grate in plain fireplace with moulded shelf; moulded ceiling cornice. Most doors are of 6 raised and fielded panels. Secondary staircase to attic has close string, stick balusters, flat moulded handrail and square newels. Attic: 2 original 2-panel doors; 3 plank or board doors. Finely moulded beam re-used in rear right room. Several 2-panel plank backed doors survive throughout house.

(City of York: RCHME: The Central Area: HMSO: 1981-: 200). Listing NGR: SE6015552238

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

Fenton House, No. 9, formerly the prebendal house of Fenton, was built in the early 18th century by a lessee, John Bolling (YML, wg, f. 473). It has been refenestrated at various times and was refurbished to some extent in the first half of the 19th century, but the original staircase balustrade and some panelling remain.

The house, built of brick with stone dressings, four-square on plan and of two storeys with cellars and attics, has a brick lantern-like structure rising from the flat area of roof between the two gables which run back from the hipped front part of the roof. The front elevation is of some architectural pretension and, although now refenestrated in three bays, was originally of five; it has a plinth, plat-band at first-floor level, and stone quoins. In the centre bay, which breaks forward and has a moulded stone cornice at first-floor level, the doorway and window above have eared surrounds of stone, now rendered. The rainwater gutter and cornice at the eaves have been renewed. The rear elevation has also been refenestrated and the round-arched staircase window is an 18th-century modification, but in the attic are three original three-centred arched heads with recessed tympana above later windows. There is a two-course plat-band at attic-floor level and a parapet between the two gables of the roof.

Inside, the plan affords four main rooms to the ground and first floors, with the principal staircase rising only to the first floor, and a secondary staircase continuing to the attic. The main staircase has renewed steps but retains the original balustrade, with heavy moulded close string, ramped handrail, bulbous balusters and a scrolled termination at the foot of the stairs. Some original panelling survives on the first floor.

City of York: RCHME: The Central Area: HMSO: 1981-: 200. Monument 377

NMR Information:

Full description
(SE 60155224-O.S 1/2500, 1962)

1. PRECENTOR'S COURT 5343 No 9 (Fenton House)
SE 6052 SW 27/488 14.6.54 II* GV

2. Early C18 with later alterations. Brick with stone dressings; 2 storeys plus attic; stone plinth, quoins, and stringcourse between storeys and forming moulded cornice over doorway; 3 sash windows, those to ground storey tripartite; moulded wood doorcase in plain stone surround with rectangular fanlight and 6-panelled door; modern eaves cornice; 3 modern box dormers; hipped tile roof surmounted by one-windowed penthouse. The interior retains the original staircase and some panelling. (RCHM Vol V, Monument 377).

Sources

1 List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest p.279 City of York, June 1983.
2 List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, District of York, 14-MAR-1997

BF061059 FENTON HOUSE, YORK File of material relating to a site or building. This material has not yet been fully catalogued.

RCHME, 1981, City of York Volume V: The Central Area (Monograph). SYO65.

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

Pegasus Group, 2022, 9 Precentors Court HER ST (Unpublished document). SYO2963.

On Site Archaeology, 2024, 9 Precentors Court (Unpublished document). SYO3102.