St Williams College

St William's College is a former College of the Chantry Priests of York Minster, built around 1465 with alterations spanning several centuries. The mid-17th century saw the addition of a frontispiece and staircase extension to the north range. In the early 18th century, the east range was sub-divided and remodelled with an entrance extension. The south range was converted to commercial use in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Temple Moore carried out substantial restoration work in 1902.

The college is constructed of magnesian limestone ashlar on a chamfered plinth, with a timber-framed first floor featuring plastered infill and coved plaster eaves. The north end of the west range was rebuilt in orange-brown brick laid in random bond. On the courtyard side of the south range, there is underbuilding in red brick laid in English garden-wall bond. The staircase extension is built of orange brick in English garden-wall bond. The right return is cement-rendered and rusticated on the ground floor, whilst the entrance extension is of orange brick in random bond with a coved timber eaves cornice. The roofs are covered in pantiles with tile verges in places, and brick stacks.

Street Front

The street front rises two storeys with attics and extends across ten bays, with a two-storey single-bay extension at the right end. The first floor has a coved jetty between a moulded wallplate and moulded bressumer, with exposed timber-framing.

The entrance is positioned centrally within the original building. It is flanked by side standards with crocketed pinnacles and features panelled double doors set within a four-centred moulded arch of three orders with shafted jambs. Above the entrance, a canopied niche beneath a crocketed ogee hood contains a carving of St William flanked by armorial shields. On each side of the entrance, the coved jetty timbers are carved as figures.

To the left of the entrance is a 16-pane sash window with sunk-panel shutters. Further left are paired six-panel doors with small-pane overlights positioned between small-pane bow windows with dentilled cornices and panelled shutters. To the right of the entrance, two shopfronts sit beneath a continuous modillioned cornice. These have glazed and panelled doors with radial fanlights set in doorcases with sunk-panel jambs—one decorated with applied ornament, fluted necking and friezes, and paterae. The windows are small-pane bows. Further right is a four-light window with 12-pane casements and shutters of raised and fielded panelling. The extension has an altered six-panel passage door.

The first floor features five renewed oriel windows with traceried lights, four mullioned windows of two, three or four lights (one with a transom), an 18th-century oriel with tall 12-pane sash windows, and a 12-pane sash over the gateway. The attic has gabled and raking dormers with two-light windows.

Rear Elevation

The rear rises two storeys with attics and has altered irregular fenestration. A two-storey staircase extension is positioned off-centre to the right, whilst the left end is obscured by a later building. The extension has rectangular and oval windows with moulded brick hoods.

To the left, traces of two full-height windows with two-centred heads remain, one blocked behind the extension with brick. The other, blocked with stone, retains original double hollow chamfered jambs (badly decayed) and a sloped sill. On the ground floor, a three-light window is formed of re-used 17th-century casements beneath a timber lintel. On the first floor are paired 12-pane sashes. Further left is a restored six-light mullioned window with a coved hoodmould on the ground floor, and four-light and three-light mullioned windows on the first floor.

To the right of the extension, fragments of a four-light mullioned window and a slit light survive. At the right end, a former window with double chamfered jambs has been converted to a door; other ground floor openings have been altered. First floor windows comprise one-light and two-light casements, and three 12-pane sashes. Portions of coved eaves survive.

Left Return

The west range has exposed timber-framing and timber mullioned windows of two and three lights on the first floor.

Right Return

The east range rises two storeys with attics and extends nine bays. The left end bay is extended forward to provide an entrance. Centre left is a door of six raised and fielded panels on H-L hinges, positioned to the left of a tripartite 4:16:4-pane sash window. A glazed door beneath a divided overlight is at centre right. Ground floor windows are 12-pane sashes, with an eight-pane sash at the right end. First floor windows are 18-pane sashes, with a 12-pane sash at the right end. All windows have raised surrounds, those on the ground floor being rusticated. A coved eaves cornice runs along the elevation. Hipped dormers have two-light windows.

Quadrangle Fronts

The quadrangle fronts rise two storeys with cellars and attics. Chamfered cellar openings, mostly blocked, are set in the plinth. The timber-framed upper storey is jettied as on the street front. Eleven coved jetty timbers are carved as figures, and the west range bressumer is carved with rosettes and masks. The entrance passage opening is a chamfered arch with angels bearing shields of arms carved in the bressumer on either side.

The frontispiece in the north range has panelled double doors set in a keyed fasciated architrave recessed within a doorcase of Ionic pilasters, an entablature with pulvinated frieze, and a broken segmental pediment. The overdoor has an oval sunk panel between squat pilasters over a recessed shaped apron. Traces of original doorways with hollow chamfered jambs and four-centred heads survive elsewhere.

Windows are restored or reconstructed oriels or inserted casements with leaded lights. One original oriel, now blocked, survives in the east range, with paired lights with traceried heads, carved base panels and a moulded mullion. In the south range, one Venetian window has a radial-glazed centre sash, one boarded side light, and fitted flush panelled shutters. Also in the south range are two 12-pane sashes and one 18-pane sash.

Interior: South Range

Ground Floor

Moulded spine beams and wall-plates survive in most rooms. At the eastern end, an early 20th-century dogleg staircase to the attics has a close string, open splat balusters, square newels with ball and pedestal finials, and a heavy moulded handrail. Two rooms retain fireplaces with basket grates, one in a plain surround, the other in a timber chimneypiece with a panelled overmantel and moulded cornice supported on fluted Composite pilasters on pedestals with fretwork panels.

At the western end, the room to the left of the entrance passage has a blocked fireplace with a segmental brick arch between two moulded stone doorways, one with a two-panel door leading to a stone newel staircase.

First Floor

The landing has a moulded cornice and an eared bolection moulded doorcase to the right of the stairs. At the eastern end, one room has a panelled chimneypiece with a hob grate in a plain surround. An adjacent room has a bolection moulded fireplace with a moulded shelf and overmantel panel.

The south-east room is fitted with bolection moulded panelling to full height on the chimney wall, incorporating a fireplace with an overmantel between sunk-panel pilasters and a moulded cornice. Three-panel doors, one on H hinges and one on cockshead hinges, flank the fireplace. The panelled oriel window is framed in a keyed segmental arch on panelled pilasters with prominent moulded imposts.

At the western end, the first room has a moulded stone fireplace with quoined jambs, a moulded spine beam and an eared doorcase. The south-west room has exposed framing and plaster infilling painted with flower and foliage trails. The fireplace has a moulded stone surround and a shallow four-centred head.

Attic

The centre room has a fireplace inserted in a chimney hood, with a timber lintel and moulded stone shelf.

Interior: North Range

Ground Floor

The hall in the centre has a renewed coffered ceiling and a chamfered plastered fireplace. The main staircase at the rear rises to the first floor with a close string, open splat balusters, square newels with shaped caps and a heavy handrail. A second staircase to the attics, towards the western end, has a moulded close string, turned balusters, square newels with attached half balusters, and a heavy moulded handrail.

First Floor

The landing has a coffered ceiling. Maclagan Hall, largely reconstructed, retains various re-used fragments of wainscotting and panelling. One original open collar truss with moulded arch braces survives. Two hatchments commemorate Memorial Services in York Minster for Queen Victoria in 1902 and for Edward VII in 1910.

The Bishops' Chamber is lined with re-used and reconstructed panelling with reeded Ionic pilasters and a moulded cornice. The coved ceiling is coffered with plaster moulded beams. The fireplace is set in a stone bolection moulded surround.

Interior: West Range

Ground Floor

A chimney breast towards the southern end has a bolection moulded fireplace with a moulded mantelshelf on one side, and a hob grate in a fasciated surround with a pulvinated frieze and dentilled moulded cornice shelf on the other. Brick fireplaces with arched heads survive at the north end in the outer wall. A staircase in the north-west corner rises to the attic and has a close string, twisted balusters, square panelled newels and a heavy moulded handrail.

First Floor

The attic floor survives over the north end only. The room below has a moulded stone fireplace with a four-centred head, square panelling, and a moulded cornice. The remainder of the range is open to the roof and retains two chimneybreasts, one with a chamfered opening in a plastered hood, the other fitted with raised and fielded panelling carved with early 19th-century graffiti.

Interior: East Range

Ground Floor

Two staircases rise to the attics: an early 18th-century one at the southern end has a moulded close string, bulbous balusters, square newels and a heavy moulded handrail; the northern one is an early 20th-century copy. Two two-panel doors survive. The northern end room has a restored moulded stone fireplace with quoined jambs and a four-centred head.

Another room is fully panelled, with doorcase, chimneypiece and window reveal, all bolection moulded. A semi-domed alcove cupboard has a fasciated round-arched surround with keyblock and shaped shelves, and raised and fielded panel doors on butterfly hinges below.

First Floor

The landing to the north has a three-panel door to a sub-divided centre room. The first room has a blocked corner fireplace in a plain surround. The second room is fitted with bolection moulded panelling, doorcase and fireplace with overmantel panel, and moulded cornice. The fireplace has a basket grate and moulded cornice shelf.