Fairfax House

FAIRFAX HOUSE, NUMBERS 25 AND 27 CASTLEGATE

Two houses, now amalgamated. Number 27 was built around 1744 and remodelled between 1760 and 1762. Number 25 probably dates from the early 19th century. Both houses were combined and converted into a cinema and ballroom in 1920, then restored as two houses between 1982 and 1984. Number 27 was remodelled in the 18th century, possibly by John Carr for the 9th Viscount Fairfax of Emley. The 20th-century restoration was carried out by Francis Johnson for the York Civic Trust.

Number 27 is built of orange brick in Flemish bond on a stepped plinth of painted stone, with painted stone doorcase, quoins and dressings. The rear was rebuilt in 19th-century clamp bricks in English bond. There are brick chimney stacks at each side of the hipped slate roof. Number 25 has a ground floor of white terracotta and upper storeys of Flemish bond brick painted to match the brick of Number 27. It has a modillion eaves cornice of timber to the slate roof.

Both fronts are two-storeyed with attics. Number 25 has three bays. Number 27 has five bays, with the three centre bays breaking forward beneath a closed pediment.

The cinema front has been retained in Number 25, featuring sunk-panel pilasters enriched with fruit pendants carrying an architrave and frieze of recessed panels between acanthus consoles. The original entrance, flanked by fluted and garlanded Ionic columns, has been altered to a concave screen approached by steps, containing glazed and panelled double doors beneath a radial-glazed fanlight. To the left, a former doorway is now blocked by a small-pane window with semicircular fanlight, set in a moulded arch with shell keyblock. The treatment of the upper storey windows and other details matches that of Number 27.

Number 27 has a central pedimented doorcase with attached Doric columns on tall stepped pedestals. Double doors of fielded panels beneath a radial fanlight, approached by steps, are recessed in a round-arched architrave with moulded impost band. Ground floor windows are 12-pane sashes in quoined surrounds with flat arches of stepped voussoirs, over a sill band. On the first floor, similar windows in plain architraves over sunk panels have pulvinated friezes, moulded cornices and projecting sills extending as a flat sill band. Attic windows are squat 6-pane sashes in plain surrounds with sills. There is a flat band at first floor level, and moulded cornices beneath the attic storey and to the eaves and pediment, beneath a plain parapet. The pediment tympanum is filled by a radial-glazed oculus enclosed in a renewed cartouche surround carved with palm fronds.

On the left return, a rainwater head is dated 1984 and stamped with the badge of the York Civic Trust. At the rear is a reset pedimented doorcase of panelled pilasters with fluted imposts beneath a swagged frieze on acanthus consoles and moulded cornice. It contains fielded panelled double doors and a radial fanlight in an elliptical-arched opening. On the right return, the ground and first floors are obscured by the adjoining building (Number 29). The main front attic cornice is returned as a brick dentilled band beneath blind window openings with flat arches of gauged brick. The eaves cornice from the front is returned as a plain brick band beneath the parapet.

Interior of Number 27

On the ground floor, a renewed stone flagged floor extends from the entrance hall to the stairhall. Moulded skirting enriched with flower and ribbon carving carries through to the top of the main staircase.

The entrance hall has a round-arched front doorcase with panelled soffit on enriched sunk-panelled pilasters with acanthus leaf capitals. A similar moulded round-arched opening leads to the stairhall. There are two original doorcases with enriched architraves, carved pulvinated friezes and cornice heads containing original 6-panel doors. The plaster ceiling is coved above a cornice enriched with palmette, moulded into medallions and scrolls of foliage and flowers.

The front room to the left (Library) has an original marble fireplace with insets of Sienna marble. The doorcase has an architrave carved with shells and rosettes, an acanthus frieze and dentilled cornice. The skirting is carved to match the doorcase architrave. Window architraves are enriched with foliage and husk carvings and fitted with shutters of enriched fielded panelling. The dado is moulded with bands of bead and reel and rosettes and foliage. The ceiling is coved above a paired modillion cornice, with decoration incorporating four portrait medallions and looped strapwork and foliage trails.

The front room to the right (Dining Room) has a restored original marble fireplace with Ionic columns. There are two doorcases with pulvinated friezes carved with scrolled foliage beneath broken pediments, and architraves enriched with egg, shell and flower carvings, repeated on the window architraves. Windows have shutters of enriched fielded panelling. The skirting and dado are carved with foliage and husk motif. A Doric cornice tops the plaster ceiling of foliage trails entwining baskets of fruit and medallions of Abundantia, wine glasses crossed with tobacco pipes, and musical instruments.

The stairhall has three doorcases with enriched architraves, friezes carved with guilloche mouldings enclosing rosettes, and cornices enriched with egg and flower. One doorcase, leading to the secondary staircase, is set within a round arch which repeats the front doorcase and entrance hall arches. The plaster ceiling is panelled in guilloche mouldings enclosing acanthus roundels. A draped stucco medallion representing Roma with floral pendant is on the wall opposite the foot of the stairs.

The secondary staircase rises from ground to second floor, with the bottom flight reconstructed. It has cantilevered stone treads with an ironwork balustrade of elongated intersecting scrolls and a flat moulded and ramped-up handrail.

The main staircase rises around a well to the first floor with cantilevered cast treads, the undersides panelled and decorated with attached floral carvings. The balustrade consists of scrolled ironwork panels with a moulded handrail wreathed at the foot around a fluted column newel on a scrolled curtail step. The Venetian staircase window is of enriched Corinthian order on a blind balustraded plinth, beneath a moulded double arch containing a painted heraldic cartouche.

On the first floor landing, the flanking walls of the upper part of the stairwell have plaster consoles supporting replacement busts, enclosed in cartouches of swags and palm leaves. The plaster ceiling is coved above an enriched cornice on acanthus consoles and depicts a martial theme. There are four doorcases with eared architraves enriched with egg and flower pattern, friezes carved in high relief with garlands of fruit and flowers between foliate volutes, and enriched moulded cornices.

The small front room (Drawing Room) has a replacement fireplace and doorcases. The skirting, partly renewed, is carved with rosettes and foliage, and the dado rail has Greek key frets and rosettes. Window architraves are enriched with foliage trails and fitted with shutters of enriched fielded panelling. The plaster ceiling is coved in radiating coffers above an enriched dentil and modillion cornice with a central figurative medallion encircled by entwined palm leaves and foliage.

The large front room (Saloon) has a replacement fireplace. Two original doorcases flank the fireplace, with enriched architraves, pulvinated friezes carved with foliage, and enriched dentilled cornices. Window architraves are eared and carved with shell, flower and egg mouldings, and fitted with shutters of enriched fielded panelling. The skirting and dado rail are enriched with foliage and fan carvings. A lavish cornice features dentils, paired acanthus modillions interspersed with rosettes, and paired lion masks, above a plaster frieze of foliage trails. The ceiling incorporates a central rose, medallions of music and musical instruments, and corner baskets of fruit and flowers set in trails of vine and wreaths of oak leaves.

Both rooms at the rear have replacement fireplaces and doorcases with architraves carved to match the skirting, carved pulvinated friezes with flowering rose centrepiece, and cornices. One room has egg and flower dado and dentilled ceiling cornice. The other has renewed dado and a stepped cornice moulded with foliage garlands and rosettes, and shells and flowers.