York House, Garden Walls Wrought Iron Gates And Boundary Walls Along Sion Road On The East Side And Riverside On The South

York House, along with its garden walls, wrought-iron gates, and boundary walls along Sion Road on the east side and Riverside on the south, is now used as municipal offices. The current building dates from 1690 to 1700 and represents a partial rebuilding of an earlier house that belonged to James II before he became king. After the Restoration, it was given to the Earl of Clarendon, who was the father of James's first wife, the mother of Queen Anne, who was born here, and Queen Mary. The house is constructed of red brick and features a steep hipped and flat slated roof with modillion eaves that extend into the two-storey wings at either end. The ground floor has a rusticated cement facing, with a central door that has an enriched surround, a cornice on carved brackets, and an open scrolled pediment featuring a cartouche and crown in the tympanum. The garden front includes a central pedimented doorcase and is rusticated like the front elevation, with later single-storey wings added. There are modern extensions and later alterations to the building.