University College Of Ripon And York St John College Building

University College of Ripon and York St John College Building

This is a Gothic Revival teacher training college on Lord Mayor's Walk in York, built in 1845 by GT Andrews for the York and Ripon Diocesan Boards of Education, with later 19th-century extensions and 19th and 20th-century alterations.

The main building is constructed in orange-grey brick laid in English bond on chamfered stone plinths, with ashlar dressings on the inner sides where the brick is laid in English garden-wall bond. Timber guttering sits on timber modillions. The slate roofs are topped with stone copings and feature diagonally set octagonal brick stacks with stone cornices; several stacks are conjoined, and one on the left gable wall of the left end wing runs the full height externally. The roof ridge of the right range is surmounted by two octagonal glazed lanterns with moulded eaves cornices and tapering sprocketed lead roofs with weathervane finials. The left end wing has two box dormers.

The building is arranged on a quadrangular plan with two storeys and attics. The front elevation consists of a 5-bay centrepiece flanked by 6-window ranges and 5-window wings at right angles at each end. The centrepiece projects forwards and its bays are articulated by attached octagonal turrets with moulded cornices and ogee caps. The centre and outer bays are gabled with plain parapets masking the valleys between. The centrepiece features a central doorway in a 4-centred chamfered arch with a recessed 20th-century glass and aluminium door beneath an overlight of 3 tall segment-arched lights. Above this is a 4-light oriel window with tall 8-pane casements, and in the apex is a single slit light. The inner return of the left end wing has a central chamfered doorcase with a 4-centred head and board door beneath an overlight of 4 tall pointed lights. Both wing gable ends have 2-storey square bay windows with half hipped roofs and single lights in the attic.

The windows are generally of 2-, 3- or 4-mullioned lights. Those on the ground floor in the flanking ranges have transoms, and are tall narrow segment-headed lights, mostly of 12 panes on the ground floor with some replacements. First-floor windows are tall 10-pane casements or 12-pane sashes. Window surrounds are square-headed, quoined and double chamfered with chamfered mullions and sloped sills. A moulded first-floor string course runs across the full front.

The rear extension range is constructed in orange-grey brick in English bond on a chamfered brick plinth, with moulded brick window surrounds and dressings. It features steeply gabled half dormers, brick ridge stacks, and a square timber bellcote with a pyramidal slate roof and weathervane finial. This range is two storeys with attics and irregularly fenestrated on its outer side. A central passage arch of three hollow chamfered arches of moulded brick is closed by fine wrought-iron double gates with fleur-de-lys finials. To the left are three 2-storey canted bay windows with embattled parapets and mullioned and double transomed square latticed lights. The end bays are gabled with 5-light first-floor oriels featuring two tiers of square latticed casement and top-hung windows beneath a cornice with a central segmental pediment. Attic windows are of 2 lights, square latticed, with casements and top-hung lights.

Inside the quadrangle, some windows in the original ranges have been replaced. The extension range has an open passage arch in its centre, with an ogee-headed glazed and panelled door in a chamfered ogee-arched surround at the left end, approached by stone steps. At the right end is a part-glazed door and screen in a segment-arched opening. Ground-floor windows are of 4 lights in square-headed surrounds, and on the first floor are of 2 lights with arched heads in 2-centred arched surrounds. Original windows are square latticed casements and pivoting lights, several of which have been replaced with plain glazing.