Description

CARLISLE

NY3956SE ABBEY STREET
671-1/6/33 (East side)
01/06/49 No.15
Tullie House and extensions
(Formerly Listed as:
ABBEY STREET
(North side)
Tullie House)
(Formerly Listed as:
ABBEY STREET
(North side)
Stable & Coachhouse block adjoining
Tullie House)

GV I

House now part of museum; with library, school of art, museum
and technical institution extensions now also part of the
museum. House dated 1689 on lead rainwater head, for Thomas
Tullie (later Dean of Carlisle); mid C18 alterations and
additions. Extensions inscribed on foundation stone LAID BY
BENJAMIN SCOTT ESQ JP MAYOR OF CARLISLE MAY 26TH 1892;
completion date of 1893 over library entrance; by CJ Ferguson
of Carlisle; later minor alterations and additions. The
buildings extend from Abbey Street to Castle Street in an
F-shape with attached gate tower, the lower arm of the F being
the original house.
ORIGINAL HOUSE: red sandstone ashlar (possibly over brick) on
chamfered plinth, with V-jointed calciferous sandstone quoins
and dressings; painted (wooden?) eaves modillions and cornice.
Graduated greenslate roofs with coped right gable; rebuilt
calciferous sandstone ashlar ridge and end chimney stacks.
2 storeys, 7 bays of double pile. Central panelled double
doors in bolection surround and pulvinated frieze and
console-bracketed broken segmental pediment. Sash windows with
glazing bars in calciferous sandstone architraves on moulded
sills, under alternating segmental and triangular pediments.
Left return is hidden by 1892-3 extensions. Right return wall
is of painted incised stucco, the valley between the roof is
hidden by a heightened gable wall. Rear 3 bays are thought to
be a 1730s or 1740s extension, with sash windows in painted
stone surrounds. Right, large staircase sash window with
glazing bars, could be in an C18 enlarged surround.
INTERIOR has been extensively altered in the mid C18, but some
of the painted panelled walls could be late C17. Panelled
doors in painted wooden architraves and internal panelled
shutters. Original oak staircase has turned and carved
barley-twist balusters, ball newel posts and heavy moulded
handrail; dado stair panelling. Fireplace in ground floor was
revealed in recent renovation. Upper floor: oak full-height
panelled room is mid C18, with carved fluted pilasters and
Corinthian capitals; wooden cornice. This room also has 2
identical C18 white marble fireplaces with elaborate cast-iron
grates. Moulded plaster ceiling cornices, some of which could
be C17. Other bedroom fireplaces have been covered but retain
cast-iron grates; one in a bolection surround.
EXTENSIONS: Red sandstone; graduated greenslate roofs with
some skylights. 2 and 3 storeys of numerous bays, comprising a
GATE TOWER (librarian's house) now storerooms, facing onto
Castle Street. Red sandstone ashlar on moulded plinth with
string courses, pilasters and open parapet with carved
lettering TULLIE HOUSE. 3 storeys, 3 bays. The left bay is
recessed and carried up to form clock tower with copper-domed
cupola and weather vane. Other 2 bays have left through
archway with scrolled wrought-iron gates incorporating the
city arms; 2- and 3-light cross-mullioned windows; 3- and
4-light mullioned windows on the upper floor. Over the
entrance is a panel inscribed PUBLIC LIBRARY, MUSEUM AND
SCHOOL OF ART. Low rear right-angle range links this with the
library.
PUBLIC LIBRARY (with art gallery over) is of quarry-faced red
sandstone with ashlar dressings on moulded plinth and eaves
cornice. 3-storey, 2-bay entrance hall has doorway facing the
gatehouse; 2- and 3-light stone mullioned windows. Adjoining
is the main library wing 2 storeys, 7 bays in L shape.
Projecting 2-bay reading room has canted bay windows and blind
panels above, carried up from basement with metal grille over
the void. 5-bay newspaper room has tall casement windows in
eared architraves with cornice and blind panels above.
MUSEUM is also L-shaped, linking with the old house and
library. Separately listed on 13/11/72 as the Stable Block.
Entrance hall block has panelled double doors and fanlight in
stone surround under pediment; above is a scrolled oval panel.
Return has stone mullioned windows. The Natural HISTORY
gallery extends towards Abbey Street and has 7 windows similar
to those on the newspaper room with panels above. The 3-bay
facade on Abbey Street has off-centre loading bay with
panelled and glazed double doors in large segmental-arched
quoined surround. Over it is an oval panel of carved city
arms. Tall casement windows with glazing bars in stone
architraves and panelled aprons under pediments. The rear wall
facing towards Annetwell Street is of brick; part was knocked
through for a library extension in 1936-7 (now demolished). A
new Heritage Centre, to form part of Tullie House, is in
progress at the time of survey (1989).
INTERIOR of both entrance halls have stone cantilever
staircases with scrolled wrought-iron rails incorporating
shields of the city arms and moulded wooden handrail;
decorative dado tiles in greens and browns, some of the tiling
carried into the library. Some original doors in library and
museum retain their etched glass names.
For details of the history of this site, the house and its
occupants see Bruce Jones CWAAS, Trans.NS LXXXVIII; C. Roy
Hudleston, Cumberland News (1954); and for the 1891-2 fight to
save the staircase in the proposed museum and library
development see CJ and RS Ferguson correspondence in the
Jackson Collection of Cumbria County Library. Illustrated in
Pevsner (1967). Garden wall, gates and railings listed
separately.
(Cumb. & West. Antiquarian & Archaeological Soc., New Series:
Jones, Bruce: LXXXVIII: Before Tullie House: P.125-148;
Cumberland News: Hudleston, C Roy: 8 October 1954: P.3;
Jackson Collection (Cumbria County Library); Pevsner N:
Buildings of England : Cumberland and Westmorland: 1967-:
PL.48).

Listing NGR: NY3976856027

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• The Tullie at Wikipedia
• The Tullie official website
• Wikidata Q7852186

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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