York Historic Environment Record

County Lunatic Asylum, now an NHS mental health hospital. Medical Superintendent's House 1862-3 with 1908 extension. MATERIALS: orange brick, sandstone dressings, slate roofs PLAN: the Medical Superintendent's house is of two storeys and a small attic with a single-storey service range to the rear. It stands at the south-east end of the multi-phase hospital complex and is linked by a single-bay, two-storey extension to the 1908 extension at the south-east end of the long, two-storey, 1817 range. EXTERIOR: this two-storey house with a small attic is built of orange brick in Flemish bond with a stone band between ground and first floors, a narrow first-floor sill band, a heavy modillion cornice and a pyramidal roof. The south-east front elevation is of three bays with a projecting narrower central bay with a triangular pediment. The segmental-arched windows have moulded stone surrounds with giant keystones; those to the left bay are blind; the other windows have two-over-two pane sashes. The central doorway has a stone surround with pilasters and deep entablature. It has a door of six fielded panels with a rectangular over-light. In front of the building and parallel to it is a modern, brick-built ramp. The south-west side elevation is originally of four bays with a two-bay extension copying the original details to the left with a lower pyramidal roof. There is a large brick stack in the junction between the two pyramidal roofs. The six first-floor windows are similar to those in the front elevation. On the ground floor are three canted-bay windows with dentil cornices. The north-east elevation is partially obscured behind a later yard wall. The modillion cornice is continued round, but the stone bands are replaced by brick on this elevation. A modern fire door with external fire escape has been inserted on the first floor with external steel fire escape staircase. On the north-west side, to the rear of the yard, is an original single-storey range of outbuildings. The yard also contains a modern garage in the east corner of the yard. INTERIOR: the interior plan form is still readable, although there has been some sub-division of original rooms by modern partition walls and screens. Fixtures and fittings of interest include the original open-well staircase with a swept timber handrail and decorative cast-iron balusters, panelled doors and architraves. Excluded from the listing are: the modern brick-built ramp in front of the main, south-east elevation, the modern single-storey ward building attached to the north-west side of the house behind the 1908 extension, the modern external fire escape to the north-east side elevation of the house wall, the yard wall and the modern garage building in the east corner of the yard.