11 Market Street

This is a two-storey townhouse, built in 1823 and enlarged around 1870. It is now used as an office for Wakefield Grammar School Foundation, having been purchased by the school’s foundation around 1840. The building was likely constructed for Jonathan Bartrop, a wool-stapler and merchant and Constable of Wakefield from 1822 to 1823. It is constructed of red brick, partly rendered, with shallow-pitched hipped roofs and three brick chimney stacks. A rendered plinth is present.

The west-facing facade onto Market Street has a tall, blind wing to the right and a deeply recessed central entrance with a door and plain overlight, above a round-headed sash window with glazing bars. To the left is a recessed service wing with various sash windows incorporating glazing bars. The south-facing garden front has five windows. The original single-storey wing on the right features a canted bay window constructed of ashlar, with full-height margin-light windows and central half-glazed French windows above a single glazing bar sash. To the left is a four-window range, raised and extended around 1870. The ground floor has four tall sash windows with glazing bars, with a continuous sill band; the two leftmost windows are bricked up behind. Above these are four tall plate glass sash windows. The east-facing Queen Street front is rendered and features three irregularly spaced plain sash windows on the ground floor and a single similar window above to the right. The north front is rendered and blind.

The interior retains much of its original decoration, including good-quality panelled doors and door surrounds. Most rooms have contemporary plaster coving. Simple painted stone fire surrounds remain in most rooms. An elegant entrance hall features a fine cantilevered stone staircase with its original iron balustrade and moulded wooden handrail; the unusual balustrade is composed of alternating straight and wavy stick balusters and turned newels. Above the staircase is a large central dome with a pointed circular skylight. The first-floor Board Room has moulded surrounds to windows and doors, deep plaster coving, a small central ceiling rose, a picture rail, deep skirting board and a brown marble chimney piece with a round grate and prominent keystone.