Hall Range And Chapel At St Peters School

School hall and attached chapel in York. The hall range dates from 1838 with a rear extension of around 1850, designed by John Harper. The chapel was built in 1861–1862 by J B and W Atkinson.

The hall range frontage is faced with limestone ashlar, while the remainder is constructed of red brick in Flemish bond with stone dressings and brick stacks. The chapel is built of coursed small stone blocks on a moulded plinth with ashlar dressings and a slate roof.

The hall range exterior sits on a moulded plinth and comprises a 2-storey gabled frontispiece flanked by 1-storey 3-bay ranges with 2-storey gabled crosswings at each end. The frontispiece and end bays project and feature octagonal corner turrets. The frontispiece turrets are of 3 stages, defined by bands of quatrefoil tracery, with the lower stage extending the full width of the front and incorporating corbel heads. Ground stages have blind sunk panels; the second stage contains niches with pedestals and crocketed gabled canopies; upper stages are pierced by pairs of traceried lights. At the head is a coved cornice incorporating corbel heads and grotesques beneath an embattled parapet. The central entrance is a casement moulded 4-centred arch with panelled double doors flanked by cinquefoiled niches with quatrefoiled spandrels. Above is a 6-light panel traceried oriel window surmounted by a parapet pierced with cinquefoiled tracery. The gable apex has a defaced shield of arms beneath a weathered canopy surmounted by a gable cross. The crosswings are flanked by slender 3-stage turrets, the top stage consisting of blind trefoiled niches beneath an embattled parapet. Windows project as shallow 4-light oriels with 2-tiers of cinquefoiled tracery surmounted by embattled parapets. A moulded sillstring continues over the 1-storey ranges; a moulded string to the gable coping incorporates corbel heads. The 1-storey ranges have three traceried square-headed windows beneath return stopped hoodmoulds. A coved eaves string with corbel heads sits beneath an embattled parapet.

The chapel features an apsidal chancel, 6-bay nave, north door and west bellcote. The apse is of 5 bays separated by gabled buttresses, each containing a 2-light traceried window with 2-centred head beneath a hoodmould with foliate corbel stops and full width sloped sill band. The nave north side is articulated by 1-stage buttresses. A shallow square porch with embattled parapet has board double doors with wrought-iron hinges in a 2-centred chamfered arch with hoodmould; above is a truncated window with traceried head in a stilted 2-centred arch. Other bays have 2-light windows with ogee trefoiled lights and quatrefoil tracery. The west end is gabled and has a central weathered buttress supporting a gabled bellcote. The buttress is flanked by traceried windows of 2 trefoiled lights beneath corbel-stopped hoodmoulds. The bellcote has a single opening and is surmounted by a wheel cross. A corbelled eaves course beneath coved coping encircles the nave and chancel. Windows generally feature geometrical tracery and square leaded lights.

The interior was not inspected. The building was originally built as a Proprietary School by a company formed by leading York citizens. In 1844 it was purchased by the Dean and Chapter and amalgamated with St Peter's School.