York Historic Environment Record

YORK SE6052SE ALDWARK 1112-1/14/14 (North East side) 14/06/54 Nos.17 AND 19 The Oliver Sheldon House GV II* Formerly known as: Nos.26 AND 27 ALDWARK. House, now flats. c1720 incorporating remains of late C17 house and some earlier; subdivided c1750; converted and restored in 1969. Work c1720 for William Redman; 1969 conversion by Francis Johnson. MATERIALS: earliest structure timber-framed; front of orange brick in Flemish bond on chamfered stone plinth, with stone doorcases and timber cornice; rear of red brick in Flemish bond. Tiled roofs with brick stacks, one diagonally set; front roof hipped at left end has dormers with pediments and 2-light casements; rear roofs in 3 parallel hipped ranges. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys and attics; 8-window front. No.17 has heavily rusticated doorcase with triple-keyed fasciated architrave and moulded pediment: door is of 6 raised and fielded panels with glazed inserts. No.19 has fasciated architrave with triple keyblock and door of 6 raised and fielded panels. Windows on ground floor are 15-pane sashes with shutters of fielded panelling, on first floor 18-pane sashes, all with flat arches of rubbed and gauged brick. Heavy moulded modillioned eaves cornice, returned at left end. Rainwater head embossed with winged cherub head, initialled WR, dated 1732. Rear: 2-storey 5-window front. Recessed glazed door to right of four 12-pane sash windows with painted sills and elliptical brick arches: 18-pane sashes with flat arches on first floor. 3-course raised brick band to first floor and brick dentil eaves cornice. INTERIOR: ground floor: entrance and staircase halls to No.17 paved in black marble and yellow stone. Staircase to first floor has cantilevered treads, slender turned balusters, heavy turned newel and serpentine moulded handrail. Staircase dado panelling is fielded with insets carved with floral drops and panels of foliated scrolls at head and foot. Half landing has inlaid wooden floor and round-headed staircase window flanked by fluted Corinthian pilasters. First floor landing has richly moulded cornice and oval centre panel in surround of Greek key moulding with rosette centrepiece. Rear rooms on ground floor contain fireplace with segmental brick arch: centre room has plaster ceiling of geometric panels between beams enriched with strapwork and foliage trails: reset fireplace with surround carved with ribbons, palm fronds and wheatear drops and overmantel panel enclosed in egg-and-dart mouldings flanked by laurel wreaths suspended from scallop shells and beribboned garlands. First floor: left end room has fielded dado panelling and moulded rail; marble fireplace with fluted surround, paterae and plain shelf. Passage to central room and central room are panelled in 2 heights with bolection moulded and raised and fielded panelling; four 6-panel doors have dentil corniced overdoors. Dentilled ceiling cornice enriched with egg-and-dart. Panelled window reveals and window seats. Plain fireplace with overmantel panel between sunk-panel pilasters with moulded capitals. Right end room has 6-panel door, bolection moulded and raised and fielded panelling, with panelled window reveals. Plain fireplace with bolection moulded overmantel panel. Moulded cornice. In the attic are two 3-panel doors, one on fine cockshead hinges. In central portion of rear wall is blocked window, the head breaking into length of timber-frame wall-plate: other portions of wall-plate visible intermittently. Roof: principal rafter trusses, tenoned and pegged at apex. (City of York: The Central Area: HMSO: 1981-: 105-106). Listing NGR: SE6062452110