Magistrates Court and Attached Front Wall, Gates and Railings, Guildhall, York

Description

YORK

SE6051NW CLIFFORD STREET
1112-1/28/176 (West side)
24/06/83 No.16
Magistrates' Court and attached
front wall, gates and railings
(Formerly Listed as:
CLIFFORD STREET
No.16
Court of Justice and Police
Headquarters)

GV II

Law Courts, police station and fire station, with basement
area wall and railings attached to front; now Magistrates'
Court. 1890-92. By Huon A Matear.
MATERIALS: red brick in English garden-wall bond with ashlar
dressings; slate mansard roof, and brick stacks with sharply
moulded ashlar cornices. Railings and gates of wrought and
cast-iron in red brick wall in English garden-wall bond, with
moulded stone coping.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys, with basement and attic; 9-bay front,
with projecting centre and end bays; centre bay cross-gabled,
end bays polygonal; additional 1-storey bay at left end.
Basement door to left, in shouldered architrave; basement
windows narrow 1-pane sashes beneath lintel band. Centre bay
treated as frontispiece, with steps up to gabled entrance
porch of quoined pilasters surmounted by aedicular finials,
with shield of arms in gable apex. Two pairs of panelled and
traceried doors are recessed beneath semicircular fanlight, in
4-centred arch of 3 orders, with plain shafts separated by
continuous bands of egg and ribbon moulding. Hoodmould on
floral stops above, both arch and hood soffits carved with
foliage. First floor flanked by plain angle pilasters with
frieze blocks, tied by moulded Tudor flower frieze: attic
floor by ogee-capped polygonal columns rising from pedestals
with gargoyles carved in the round. Both floors have three
2-light windows with round heads filled with stylised panel
tracery, those on first floor with transoms. Balustraded band
forms base of gable containing carved relief of Lord Mayor
William Selby receiving the Civic Sword from Richard II. Gable
apex filled by York City arms between supporters, beneath
canopied hood, and finial is the figure of Justice bearing
scales. In flanking ranges and end bays, ground floor windows
are of 2 or 3 lights with ovolo moulded mullions and transoms,
and flat lintels beneath continuous hoodmould. On first floor,
flanking range windows are tripled round headed sashes in
4-centred architraves, in end bays repetitions of those in
centre bay, with Tudor flower frieze above: all are recessed
in flush quoined openings over moulded sillstrings. Beneath
ground floor window in right end bay, inscribed foundation

stone. Across flanking ranges, Lombard eaves frieze supports
plain parapet with moulded coping, incorporating sunk panels
filled with low relief mouldings. Moulded string beneath
frieze rings rainwater goods and forms cladding to hoppers.
Attic windows are gabled dormers with finials. End bays
crowned by carved panelled pedestals, supporting pierced
parapet ramped up to piers with obelisk finials: above rise
ogee-capped pavilions with tall tapering finials and
weathervanes. In 1-storey bay to left, steps lead up to
round-headed panelled double doors beneath semicircular arch
of 4 orders with leaf carved impost band. Blind arcaded eaves
frieze and moulded cornice beneath parapet with moulded
coping. Crossgable carries ogee capped clock tower with dial
to each face, on square plinth supporting open parapet with
corner piers surmounted by ogee capped pinnacles. Tower has
angle pilasters which carry broad frieze and moulded cornice
with terminal segmental gablets. Wrought-iron finial and
weathercock.
Right return: front range gable wall of 2 storeys and basement
to left of long 2- and 3-storey range with basement,
terminating in octagonal turret with steeply pitched roof
surmounted by ogee-capped lantern with three tapering finials
with filigree crosspieces. Gable wall has corbelled extruded
stack on carved base. To right, first bay of long range
occupied by paired boarded doors with semicircular overlights.
Above, 2-storey canted staircase window of 4 canted mullioned
lights on moulded bracket with lion mask. Further right is
glazed and panelled double door and semicircular fanlight in
flush quoined surround with moulded impost band and keyed
moulded arch beneath moulded cornice hood on sunk-panel
pilasters. Towards right end, flat carriage arch closed by
boarded double doors leads to inner yard. Beyond, former fire
engine houses have fronts framed in slender cast-iron
colonnettes with bell capitals beneath wide glazed frieze and
moulded cornice on sunflower brackets. Two bays closed by
glazed and panelled double doors, the third by similar screen.
Glazed and panelled door and overlight at right end has
doorcase of similar colonnette jambs and fluted impost band.
Windows are paired or tripled, mullioned and transomed on
ground and first floors, 1-pane sashes on second floor.
River front: plain board door in double chamfered doorway of
moulded brick beneath lintel arched in centre over incised
date 1890.
INTERIOR: entrance lobby and spine passage beyond have mosaic
floors, that in lobby incorporating City of York arms with Cap
of Maintenance over crossed sword and mace. Outside doorcase
of carved pilasters on pedestals faced with glazed tiles, and
impost band on consoles, beneath 4-light semicircular fanlight
with baluster mullions. Two pairs of double doors, the lower
parts sunk panelled, upper parts cinquefoiled with square
lattice glazing, lead to spine passage. Inner doorcases have
panelled pilasters with imposts, fluted friezes and moulded
cornices, beneath overdoors with enriched console and bracket

cornice hoods on sunk panelled jambs flanking semicircular
fanlights. Other doors and doorcases in lobby and passage are
similar, without overdoors. Walls to lobby and passage
articulated by pilasters with moulded necking and imposts, on
tall pedestals faced with tile panels of chrysanthemums: dado
tiling beneath frieze of rosettes and leaves and fluted dado
rail incorporates panels of raised foliage in lobby, and
basketwork pattern in passage. Entrance lobby has chimneypiece
of marble, with detached Doric columns supporting frieze inset
with moulded composition panels of gambolling putti, and
massive moulded cornice mantelshelf: tiled slips depict the
Tree of Life with centre panel of City of York arms between
bird supporters. Lobby ceiling is deeply coffered with sunk
panelled moulded beams carried on squat marble columns on tall
chrysanthemum tiled pedestals. Coffering enclosed by cornices,
enriched with shell and flute mouldings, on foliate brackets.
Passage ceiling divided by heavy sunk panelled beams.
Main staircase at left end of passage has wrought-iron
balustrade of rinceaux, serpentine moulded handrail and fluted
turned newel with ball finial. Canted mullion and transom
window on staircase, of four leaded lights with coloured
glazing. At right end of passage, glazed screen wall with
ovolo mullions and panelled door leads to secondary staircase
with open ironwork balustrade, moulded handrail and tapered
column newel. Canted 4-light staircase window is mullioned and
double transomed with square lattice lights.
Sessions Court and Police Court entered from passage through
panelled double doors with embossed glass overlights
containing court names. Courts rise through full height of
building: both are panelled beneath giant pilasters with
dentilled necking and moulded capitals. Ceilings are coved and
coffered with broad beams and ribs, beams incorporating bands
of pierced quatrefoil vents: rising to rectangular lanterns
lit by 6-pane windows separated by squat pilasters carrying
coved and coffered ceiling on moulded brackets. Original
furniture and fittings survive, including Grand Jury Gallery
in Sessions Court, which is carried on fluted pilasters and
has balustrade of turned balusters over sunk panel plinth and
moulded rail ramped up to square newels: 2 tiers of benches.
Panelled door at rear beneath overlight embossed with name
beneath dentil cornice overdoor. Police Court has memorial
tablets to Members of York City Police who died in the two
World Wars.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: area wall at front approximately 1.5m
high, between piers approximately 2m high. Railings are panels
approximately .5m high, of palmate scrolls enclosing foliate
stems, between square section standards. Gate bars are square
section, with top rail of similar panels.

Listing NGR: SE6034651523

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