The Blue Bell

THE BLUE BELL, FOSSGATE, YORK

A pair of shops and public house comprising three adjoining properties on Fossgate. Nos. 53 and 54 date from the mid-17th century; No. 52 was probably added in the late 18th century when the jettied fronts of Nos. 53 and 54 were cut back and refronted. No. 52 was remodelled in the 20th century, No. 53 was refitted in the late 19th century, and the ground floor of No. 54 was refitted around 1932.

STRUCTURE AND MATERIALS

Nos. 53 and 54 are timber-framed. All three properties have fronts of pink-grey mottled brick in Flemish bond, with timber dentil and console cornice and timber shopfronts. The ground floor of No. 53 has an infilled glazed brick element. The rear of No. 52 is of orange mottled brick in English garden-wall bond. The ground and first floors of Nos. 53 and 54 are underbuilt in brick beneath jettied second floors and attics; the second floors are rendered, probably over original infilling, and the attic infilling is of red brick in random bond. Roofs of Nos. 52 and 54 are of pantile, No. 53 is of slate. Nos. 53 and 54 have parallel gabled roofs at front and back, with the front gables set back behind later hipped roofs; there are two brick stacks in the valley between them. The original plan of Nos. 53 and 54 comprised 5 bays of timber-framing, with a central staircase and stack.

EXTERIOR

The front elevation is 3 storeys with 5 windows. The shopfronts are framed in panelled and fluted pilasters beneath moulded dentilled cornices between grooved consoles capped with segmental gablets. No. 52 has plate glass windows on either side of a recessed glazed panelled door. The ground floor of No. 53 has a 6-panel door and overlight to the left of a fixed light window of embossed glass incorporating the name "BLUE BELL" together with a bell symbol. The shopfront to No. 54 is continuous with Nos. 55 and 56, with a plate glass window framed in chrome over marble veneer riser and a bevelled glass door with overlight.

On the first floor, No. 52 has two 2-light casement windows, No. 53 one 4-pane sash, and No. 54 two 16-pane sashes. On the second floor Nos. 52 and 54 have unequal 12-pane sashes and No. 53 one 4-pane sash; all windows have painted wedge lintels or flat arches, and all except those on the first floor of No. 54 have painted stone sills.

The rear elevation is 3 storeys and attic. No. 52 is set back from the jettied fronts of Nos. 53 and 54. The upper floors of No. 52 have sash windows with cambered brick arches. Nos. 53 and 54 have 4-pane sashes on the first floor and on the second floor tripled 1-pane sashes to No. 53 and paired 12-pane sashes to No. 54. Posts with jowled heads, bressumers and wall plates are exposed on the first and second floors of Nos. 53 and 54; vestigial timber-framing survives in the gabled attics, with a blocked window to No. 53. In the return wall of No. 54 with No. 55, a length of plastered walling with studs and curved brace is visible.

INTERIOR

No. 52 was not inspected.

No. 53: The ground floor was inspected. The public house is arranged on a bar and smoke room plan with a passage lobby. Panelled doors are part-glazed with embossed glass incorporating bar names. The lobby, bar and smoke room are board-panelled throughout, including the ceilings of both bars. The passage serving the hatch alcove is fitted with folding seats. The bar has an original panelled counter with gate and glazed back fittings, a serving hatch to the lobby passage, and a curtained service door to the smoke room. It is also fitted with benches, a fireplace with moulded surround, carved frieze and moulded cornice shelf, and ceiling cornice. The smoke room has fitted benches and a fireplace with Art Nouveau decoration.

No. 54: Shop fittings dating from around 1932 survive on the ground floor. Elements of timber-framing are exposed on the upper floors, including wall posts with tapered heads, wall plates and beams. Original infilling probably survives in the rear and end walls on the second floor. A quarter-turn staircase with largely original treads rises from the first floor to the attic, with close string, columns on vase balusters and a flat moulded handrail, ramped up steeply to square newels. On the first floor, the door to the front room is of 4 raised and fielded panels on L-hinges. On the second floor, a fireplace is said to remain behind fitted shelving in the front room; original floorboards survive to the landing and front room. The attic has gypsum plaster floors in both rooms and original boards to the landing. The roof has been renewed with principal rafter trusses and a truncated brick stack in the back room.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The Blue Bell retains the last 19th-century pub interior in York to survive intact. Until 1993, the property was in continuous occupancy by the same family from the end of the 19th century.