York Historic Environment Record

YORK SE6052SE ALDWARK 1112-1/14/17 (North East side) 14/06/54 Merchant Taylors' Hall (Formerly Listed as: ALDWARK Merchant Taylors Guild Hall) GV I Guildhall of the Merchant Taylors' Company. c1400 with late C15 wing, refenestrated early C17; extended, refaced and porch added 1714-15; entrance front and wing refaced c1730. Restored with some rebuilding and further extensions in C20. Painted glass c1700 by Henry Gyles. MATERIALS: hall and wing timber-framed, refaced in orange-brown and orange brick in random and English garden-wall bonds: extension of orange-brown brick, part rendered, part rebuilt: timber porch: tile roofs with brick stacks, hall stack partly rebuilt. 5-bay hall with screens passage and service bay; projecting extension wing. EXTERIOR: 1-storey 3-bay hall range with external porch, and 2-storey service bay at left end; projecting 1-storey 3-bay gabled wing and parallel extension to right. Pedimented porch with 3 round-arched openings, one with brick blocking, contains chamfered frame for original door of ogee-arched panels with 4-centred head and arched wicket retaining iron handle back plate. To left of porch, inserted C20 cross-window beneath segmental brick arch on ground floor: on first floor, early C18 3-light window with central casement on H-L hinges. To right of porch, two C20 inserted windows flank rebuilt external chimney stack. Wing has round-arched window in gable end and square-headed 3-light mullioned and transomed window in left return. Rear: battered external stack flanked by high 5- and 6-light timber mullion and transom windows. Left return ground floor obscured by later extension: C20 first floor windows and exposed timber-frame in gable end. Hall right return has round-headed window in round-arched stone surround with keyblock and imposts beneath segmental pediment flanked by 2-light windows with segmental brick arches. To left, wing extension behind later extension retains 3-panel door in moulded frame and two timber mullion and transom windows. INTERIOR: main door hung on strap hinges retains original door furniture. Plank door on similar hinges at rear of screens passage. To left of screens passage, two openings with 4-centred heads in chamfered frames survive. Reconstructed staircase retains moulded close string, splat balusters and square newels with attached half balusters. Doorway to hall is round-arched between sunk-panel pilasters with imposts and moulded keyblock rising into moulded cornice: 2-leaf doors of raised and fielded panelling set in panelled reveals. In hall C20 wainscot masks timber-framing and incorporates reproduction C18 doorcases: C18 double doors of raised and fielded panelling survive to wing and 3-panel door to wing extension. Chimneypiece in bolection moulded timber surround surmounted by Arms of the Drapers' Company painted on plank board with segment-pedimented head. Reset gallery with slender column-on-vase balustrade and panelled door on butterfly hinges. Painted carved Royal Arms over window. Roof has one crown post truss and 4 collared rafter trusses with moulded arch braces and inserted tie beams. Fittings in wing are C20: windows incorporate fragments of names painted in Black Letter and coloured glass by Henry Gyles, including the Arms of the Company. (City of York: RCHME: The Central Area: HMSO: 1981-: 85-91). Listing NGR: SE6064452153