York Historic Environment Record

YORK SE5952NE CLIFTON 1112-1/7/205 (South West side) 14/06/54 Hall range and Chapel at St Peter's School (Formerly Listed as: CLIFTON C19 Block and Chapel at Royal School of St Peter) GV II School hall and attached chapel. Hall 1838, extended at rear c1850; chapel 1861-2. Original building by John Harper; chapel by JB and W Atkinson. Front of hall range faced with limestone ashlar; elsewhere of red brick in Flemish bond with stone dressings; brick stacks. Chapel of coursed small stone blocks on moulded plinth, with ashlar dressings and slate roof. EXTERIOR: hall range on moulded plinth has 2-storey gabled frontispiece flanked by 1-storey 3-bay ranges with 2-storey gabled crosswings at each end: frontispiece and end bays project and have octagonal corner turrets. Frontispiece turrets are of 3 stages, defined by bands of quatrefoil tracery, the lower extending the full width of front and incorporating corbel heads. Ground stages have blind sunk panels; the second, niches with pedestals and crocketed gabled canopies; upper stages pierced by pairs of traceried lights. At the head is coved cornice incorporating corbel heads and grotesques beneath embattled parapet. Entrance in centre is casement moulded 4-centred arch with panelled double doors flanked by cinquefoiled niches with quatrefoiled spandrels. Above is 6 light panel traceried oriel window surmounted by parapet pierced with cinquefoiled tracery. Gable apex has defaced shield of arms beneath weathered canopy surmounted by gable cross. Crosswings are flanked by slender 3-stage turrets, the top stage consisting of blind trefoiled niches beneath embattled parapet. Windows project as shallow 4-light oriels with 2-tiers of cinquefoiled tracery surmounted by embattled parapets. Moulded sillstring continues over 1-storey ranges: moulded string to gable coping incorporates corbel heads. 1-storey ranges have three traceried square-headed windows beneath return stopped hoodmoulds. Coved eaves string with corbel heads beneath embattled parapet. Chapel: apsidal chancel, 6-bay nave, north door and west bellcote. Apse is of 5 bays separated by gabled buttresses; each contains a 2-light traceried window with 2-centred head beneath hoodmould with foliate corbel stops and full width sloped sill band. Nave north side articulated by 1-stage buttresses. Shallow square porch with embattled parapet has board double doors with wrought-iron hinges in 2-centred chamfered arch with hoodmould: above is truncated window with traceried head in stilted 2-centred arch. Other bays have 2-light windows with ogee trefoiled lights and quatrefoil tracery. West end is gabled and has central weathered buttress supporting gabled bellcote. Buttress is flanked by traceried windows of 2 trefoiled lights beneath corbel-stopped hoodmoulds. Bellcote has single opening and is surmounted by wheel cross. Corbelled eaves course beneath coved coping encircles nave and chancel. Windows generally have geometrical tracery and square leaded lights. INTERIOR: not inspected. Originally built as a Preprietary School by a company formed by leading York citizens. In 1844 purchased by Dean and Chapter and amalgamated with St Peter's School. (An Inventory of the Historical Monuments of the City of York: RCHME: Outside the City Walls East of the Ouse: HMSO: 1975-: 53). Listing NGR: SE5961152623