Grays Court and Garden Gates and Piers Attached to South East Corner, Guildhall, York

Description

YORK

SE6052SW MINSTER YARD
1112-1/13/704 (North East side)
14/06/54 No.1
Gray's Court and garden gates and
piers attached to south-east corner
(Formerly Listed as:
MINSTER YARD
No.1 and gate piers and gates.
Gray's Court and gate piers and
gates)

GV I

House of the Treasurers of York Minster; attached double
gates, gate piers and railings to garden: now higher education
college. Early C18 subdivision of Treasurer's House (qv) and
remodelling incorporating fragments of C12 and C14 houses;
gallery range extension c1742; further extension and
alteration 1845-6; extensive restoration, remodelling and
extension c1900. Mid C18 extension for Dr Jacques Sterne;
1845-6 work by JB and W Atkinson and restoration by Temple
Moore c1900 for members of the Gray family. Garden gates and
railings 1902 re-using late C18 gate piers.
MATERIALS: gallery range of red brick in various bonds
incorporating colonnade of limestone columns blocked with
pink-grey brick: limestone porch has weatherboarded first
floor. Wing ground floor of coursed magnesian limestone,
garden side buttressed in brick; first floor on courtyard side
of red and orange-grey brick in English garden-wall bond,
garden side in orange brick in random bond. On garden side,
limestone ground floor extends across end of gallery range
below first floor of orange brick in English garden-wall bond.
Mid C19 extension of pink-grey brick in English garden-wall
bond; cottage extension in red brick. Gallery range extension
towards Minster Yard is stuccoed. Timber guttering on block
brackets to garden side of gallery range end bay, wing, and
extension. All roofs of slate with brick stacks. Garden gates
and railings of cast-iron, gate piers of sandstone ashlar.
EXTERIOR: Entrance Front: 3-storey 6-bay gallery range; to
right, 3-storey 3-bay projecting wing. Blocking of colonnade
of re-used C12 columns forms blind arcade of shallow 4-centred
arches, each containing 2-light Yorkshire sash beneath flat
arch of brick. Right of centre bay has 2-storey projecting
porch containing C19 battened panel door: first floor jettied
over detached squat Doric columns has gabled 5-light casement
window, centre lights rising into round-arched head beneath
moulded cornice. First floor windows on each side are 2-, 3-
and 4-light timber mullioned and transomed casements
incorporating panes of painted glass. Second floor windows are
12-pane sashes, some retaining original glazing. 2-course
raised brick band to second floor. Bold moulded timber eaves

cornice discontinued at left end where eaves rise to half a
shaped gable abutting rear of Treasurer's House. Centre bay to
wing is pedimented and projects. To right is glazed and
panelled door beneath flat porch: 2x4-pane Yorkshire sash
window with segmental brick arch on first floor, squat 6-pane
sash on second floor. Left end bay has 2x6-pane casement
window on ground floor, blind storeys above. Centre bay has
segment-headed 2x6-pane casement window on ground floor. Above
is 2-storey canted oriel window with moulded and modillioned
cornice and unequal sashes, centre one round-arched and radial
glazed in moulded and keyed surround.
Gallery Range Extension towards Minster Yard: basement and 2
storeys; 4-window front, left part projecting. Steps to right
lead up to glazed and panelled front door in doorcase of
Corinthian columns, entablature and broken pediment with bust
in tympanum. To left is basement door of 6 raised and fielded
panels with divided overlight: elsewhere in basement three
unequal 6-pane sash windows. Ground floor windows are square
latticed casements with timber mullions and transoms, of
4-lights to left of door, of 2 lights further left. On first
floor are two 16-pane sash windows with painted sills. Stone
steps have plain railings and handrail.
Garden Front: 3-storey gallery end bay between dwarf
buttresses with 2-storey 5-window wing to left; to right is
3-storey 3-window bow front to extension; further right
2-storey 3-bay cottage extension. Entrance on first floor of
gallery bay by means of glazed and panelled double doors with
lozenge glazing bars, approached by flight of steps: timber
cornice and brick pediment over door. Second floor has two
unequal 6-pane sash windows. T-shaped staircase bowed at
landing level has moulded steps and copings, balustrade of
stick railings and arabesque panels and flat handrail swept
out at the foot of both flights on shaped curtail steps. Wing
to left has two slit windows and deeply recessed cross window
inserted between re-used moulded jambs and beneath tooled
lintel on ground floor. First floor windows are tall sashes,
irregularly disposed. Moulded first floor stone string
continues as 2-course raised brick band.
Extension: paired small 12-pane pivoting windows on ground
floor: on first floor, three tall 2x4-pane lights with
wrought-iron window guards, continuous lintel and sill band:
on second floor, tripled 12-pane sashes with lintels and
sills. All have vertically tooled sills and lintels. Cottage
has 4-panel door with narrow 8-pane sash to left, blocked
window to right: on first floor, two 12-pane sashes: all have
cambered brick arches and windows have stone sills.
INTERIOR: not fully inspected. Gallery range, ground floor:
re-used columns are cylindrical, with original moulded bases,
some restored. Inner wall of C12 masonry contains single
chamfered round-headed window and incorporates bands of
chip-carved paterae. Hall lined with square panelling, some
original. Staircase to first floor has dado of raised
panelling and newels carved in relief with fruit and floral

drops. First floor: gallery lined with panelling as on ground
floor; two fireplaces and two broken pedimented doorcases with
foliate friezes; inner wall contains window and carved bands
as ground floor, and corbel table at wall head. Bow fronted
room to garden has elaborate fireplace with caryatid jambs,
frieze of classical figures and fine Art Nouveau grate. Room
at opposite end of gallery lined with re-used C17 panelling;
fireplace has 4-centred head. Wing, ground floor: exposed
moulded beams, including one set diagonally. Staircase with
close string and turned balusters rises to first floor. First
floor: Sterne Room has carved doorcase with foliate frieze and
dentilled cornice overdoor; skirting and window architraves
also carved; ornate fireplace carved with fruit and flower
swags and drops includes portrait medallion of Princess
Augusta: coved ceiling panelled in plaster enclosed in
guilloche surround.
STAINED GLASS: in staircase window and long gallery, some
probably by Henry Gyles; also window by JW Knowles.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: square section gate piers, approximately
4 metres high, have sunk panel sides with a low relief swag in
the head; moulded cornices enriched with egg-and-dart support
demi lions rampant. Railings raised on low stone wall with
cambered coping: double gates supported by cylindrical gate
posts with ball finials. Railings and gate bars are of square
section: railings incorporate trefoil headed panels.
HISTORICAL NOTE: garden gate piers were removed from the
Minster front of Treasurer's House (qv) by Frank Green in 1902
and presented to Edwin Gray of Gray's Court. They were
possibly erected originally by Miss Ann Clapham, whose crest
the lions may be, during her occupancy of Treasurer's House
between c1815 and 1833.
(City of York: RCHME: The Central Area: HMSO: 1981-: 69-76).

Listing NGR: SE6040452297

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