Description

YORK

SE6052SW EXHIBITION SQUARE
1112-1/27/309 (North West side)
01/07/68 City Art Gallery
(Formerly Listed as:
EXHIBITION SQUARE
The City Art Gallery (original front
portion only))

GV II

Art gallery. 1878-79; restored and extended 1952. By Edward
Taylor. For the Yorkshire Fine Arts and Industrial
Institution. Front of sandstone ashlar: elsewhere yellow-grey
brick in Monk bond variant: shallow hipped and pitched slate
roofs, partly glazed, with brick stacks.
EXTERIOR: 2-storey 5-bay front between 2-storey pavilion
blocks: projecting 1-storey 5-bay loggia. Loggia has keyed
round arches with Composite columns, portrait medallions in
spandrels and garlanded urn terminals: within, three pairs of
glazed and panelled doors with semicircular fanlights. On
first floor, bays are arcaded between pilasters, the three
middle bays pedimented and breaking forward between coupled
pilasters. Keyed round arch to each bay encloses blank sunk
panel in moulded surround. End blocks articulated as single
bays between half bays: by paired Composite columns beneath
modillion cornice and balustraded parapet on ground floor; by
pilasters carrying segmental pediments on first floor. On
ground floor, both blocks have glazed and panelled double
doors in round-arched architraves with garlanded keyblocks;
half bays have carved panels with stylised flowers and foliage
in relief. On first floor, centre bay round arches enclose
glazed tile panels depicting the Death of Leonardo to left,
Michelangelo showing his statue of Moses to right. Flanking
half bays contain shallow round-arched niches beneath keyed
oculi. Moulded and modillioned cornice extends overall,
beneath parapet balustraded on each side of pediment and
rising to voluted attics over pavilion bays.
Left and right returns to front block: 2 storeys, 3 bays.
Three round-arched cross windows with stone sills on ground
floor, one on right return altered to glazed double doors.
First floor subdivided into 5 unequal bays by pilasters raised
on a podium pierced by three ornate cast-iron ventilator
grilles, and with moulded imposts extended to form band across
flanking bays. Centre bay has blank sunk panel in keyed round
arch, flanking half bays keyed oculi, outer bays round-arched
niches as on main front. Cornice returned from main front
beneath balustraded parapet rising to attic over centre bay.
On left side, 1-storey 9-bay range extends at rear of front
block, with blind round-arched window with stone sill to each
bay. On right side, rear range is 2-storeyed, ground floor
largely obscured by later buildings. First floor openings are

blind. Two external stacks project, one with top stage arcaded
with single round arch to each face, the other with tapered
louvred top with moulded cap.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
(Bartholomew City Guides: Hutchinson J and Palliser DM: York:
Edinburgh: 1980-: 163-4; An Inventory of the Historical
Monuments in the City of York: RCHME: Outside the City Walls
East of the Ouse: HMSO London: 1975-: 45).

Listing NGR: SE6006052253

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• York Art Gallery at Wikipedia
• York Art Gallery official website
• Wikidata Q8055361

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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