York Historic Environment Record

YORK SE6051NW BLAKE STREET 1112-1/28/45 (South West side) 14/06/54 No.18 GV II Formerly known as: No.3 BLAKE STREET. Two houses, now offices. 1789-90 incorporating earlier C18 house as rear wing; late C20 alterations and restoration. By Peter Atkinson senior for Mrs E Woodhouse. MATERIALS: front house of red brick in Flemish bond on rendered plinth, rear of buff-orange brick in random bond; timber doorcase and eaves cornice; slate roof with brick stacks. Rear house of orange-brown brick in Flemish bond, ground floor rebuilt in mottled brick; pantile roof. EXTERIOR: 4 storey, 4-bay front. Steps up to pedimented doorcase of engaged fluted Corinthian columns, fluted frieze and dentilled cornice and panelled reveals; recessed door of 6 fielded panels in fluted borders beneath radial fanlight in fluted round arch with moulded impost band. Ground, first and second floor windows are 12-pane sashes; those on third floor squat 4-pane sashes. Ground floor windows have concrete sill band, first floor painted stone sill band; others have painted stone sills; all have flat arches of gauged brick. Broad first floor band of painted stone. Dentilled and modillioned moulded cornice returned at each end. Rear: 4 storeys and cellars; 3 bays, right end obscured by lower 3-storey wing. Cellars have segment-arched openings beneath iron grilles. Door of 6 raised and fielded panels with radial fanlight in round-arched opening at left: one original 12-pane sash window remains in centre, other ground floor windows altered. First floor has two 16-pane sash windows: second floor 4-pane sash to left, 16-pane sash to right: third floor three squat windows, two with 6-pane sashes, one with 4-pane sash. All windows have segmental arches of orange brick. Brick dentil eaves course with inverted bell rainwaterhead at left end. Wing: 3 storeys, 3 bays. 6-panel door with divided overlight at centre of ground floor: no windows. Windows on first floor are 12-pane sashes, on second floor unequal 9-pane sashes, all with segmental brick arches, some with original glazing bars and glazing. 3-course raised brick bands to first and second floors. Inverted bell rainwater head at left end of guttering. INTERIOR: front house: blind arcading lines entrance passage on each side, continuing beyond stairhall to back door: stairhall approached through round arches at each end. Open string staircase with slender turned balusters, shaped treadends and moulded and ramped handrail wreathed at foot on stout turned newel rises to attics: top lit through hipped glazed lantern. Some original fireplaces survive; one in first floor front room to left has fluted pilaster jambs: one in rear first floor room decorated with composition mouldings. Rear wing: full height staircase with Chinese fret balustrade and square newels. First floor rooms retain plain fireplaces with moulded cornice: second floor rooms have plain stone fireplaces, one painted, one in later architrave. The Chinese fret staircase in this building is the most complete to survive in York. (City of York: RCHME: The Central Area: HMSO: 1981-: 110-111). Listing NGR: SE6015451991