Fenton House

Fenton House is an early 18th-century house, now converted into two dwellings, with alterations from the early 19th century and 20th century. It is located on the north side of Precentor's Court in York.

The front elevation is constructed of orange brick laid in Flemish bond with painted and chamfered stone quoins. Stone details include the doorcase, window surrounds and chamfered plinth, though these are now rendered. A timber eaves cornice runs along the top, with the roof hipped and tiled, surmounted by a square lantern with a pyramidal tiled roof. The rear is of orange-brown brick in English garden-wall bond, with roofing in two parallel ranges of pantiles with brick coping and brick stacks.

The front comprises two storeys over cellars and attics, arranged as a three-bay composition with the centre bay projecting slightly. This centrepiece incorporates a raised eared doorcase and window surrounds capped by a wide moulded stone cornice. The front door is of six raised and fielded panels with a bordered cross-glazed overlight, approached by three steps. Ground floor windows flanking the door are tripartite with 12-pane centre sashes. All first floor windows are 12-pane sashes. Both floors feature painted stone sills and flat arches of orange gauged brick. A painted first floor band returns at each end as a two-course raised brick band. Three flat dormer windows on the front roof have two-by-six-pane Yorkshire sashes. The eaves cornice is prominent, moulded and modillioned.

The rear elevation is two-storey with a twin gabled front and flat parapet masking the valley between. Ground floor includes a radial glazed staircase sash window beneath an altered one-course brick arch and an inserted 12-pane sash to the right. The first floor displays two-by-six-pane Yorkshire sash windows flanking a squat six-pane centre sash, with all retaining one-course segmental brick arches over brick tympana. A two-course raised brick band runs across the first floor.

The interior is richly decorated. The ground floor features a moulded segmental entrance arch supported on wide fluted pilasters enriched with foliar necking and floral drops from lion masks. The rear right room retains a tripartite sash window with panelled shutters in a surround enriched with drops. The hall and most rooms have moulded cornices, except the rear left room which has a chamfered beam. The main staircase to the first floor displays a moulded close string with terminal volute at the foot, heavy bulbous balusters with pendant finials, square newels with attached half balusters, and a heavy ramped handrail.

On the first floor, the landing has a moulded cornice. The doorcase to the rear right room features moulded jambs and corner paterae, with reeded inner surfaces and angle paterae; a reeded cornice tops this surround. The centre front room retains a panelled window recess and seat. The rear left room preserves vestiges of fielded dado and overmantel panelling, and a 19th-century basket grate in a plain fireplace with moulded shelf; the room has a moulded ceiling cornice. Most doors throughout are of six raised and fielded panels. A secondary staircase to the attic has a close string, stick balusters, flat moulded handrail and square newels. The attic contains two original two-panel doors and three plank or board doors. A finely moulded beam, re-used in the rear right room, survives from the original structure. Several two-panel plank-backed doors survive throughout the house.