Description

HELMSLEY

336/0/10009 CASTLEGATE
23-JAN-09 (West side)
34 AND 36

GV II
Former estate workers' cottages for the Duncombe Park Estate. Early-Mid C19, modified mid C19, possibly by Sir Charles Barry. Sandstone ashlar with Westmorland slate roof laid to diminishing courses.

PLAN
Two storied, mirrored pair of single, but broad fronted cottages with entrances apart and a shared central stack. The cottages form the southern end of a terrace. To each cottage, the entrance leads to a single downstairs room via a small lobby, the stairs rising with a winder from the rear of the room, parallel to the gable wall, to end above the lobby. The upper floor may have originally been a single room but has been subdivided to provide a separate bathroom. The rear outshut is accessed via an internal door to the rear of the downstairs room and probably originally formed various outbuildings that have now been largely amalgamated to form a kitchen for each cottage.

EXTERIOR
Front: the cottages have 3-light cross mullioned windows, those at first floor being shorter than the ground floor windows below. The lower lights of all of the windows are divided into 1 over 1 with fine glazing bars. The upper lights are similarly divided, 2 over 2 to the ground floor windows, but 1 beside 1 to those on the first floor. All of the windows have Tudor style hood moulds, with hood moulds also covering the front doors, the doors being four panelled. The shared central stack is also ashlar and has a slight step level with the ridge and a sharply projecting moulded coping.
South gable: this is slightly raised, the coping supported by shaped kneelers. There is a first floor window of similar design to those at the front.
Rear: roof covering of the rear outshuts is also of Westmorland slate laid to diminishing courses. Windows are more plainly treated, those of the outshuts being modern.

INTERIOR
Number 36 was not inspected internally but reported to have been largely refitted in the mid C20. Number 34 retains a planked partition between the staircase and the downstairs room, the partition being of simple construction using tongue and grooved planks with typical C19 rolled edge mouldings. The door to the stairs through this partition is also planked and retains typical blacksmith crafted strap hinges. There is a similar door on the upper floor through a stud wall beneath the collar of the central roof truss. This roof truss is of riven rather than sawn timbers and supports purlins spanning between the gable walls. The joints are traditionally pegged rather than bolted.

HISTORY
In 1843, William Duncombe, the second Baron Feversham, altered the entrance to Duncombe Park from Helmsley, moving the entrance gates slightly further into the parkland and constructing a gate lodge at the south western end of Buckingham Square.
It is thought that 34 & 36 Castlegate were re-modelled or possibly rebuilt at about this time to frame the entrance opposite the newly built 3-4 Buckingham Square. (It is the roof structure of traditionally jointed timbers, some being riven rather than sawn, that suggests that 34 & 36 Castlegate were not a complete 1840s new build, unlike 3-4 Buckingham Square, but were a modification of existing properties). Both of these pairs of cottages have similar windows to those of the gate lodge, the design of which is credited to the architect Sir Charles Barry who is known to have done additional work for the estate in addition to his work on the main house.

SUBSIDUARY ITEM
Attached to 36 Castlegate and forming the boundary between its garden and Buckingham Square is a stone wall built of coursed dressed sandstone. This wall continues to the rear of the properties forming the boundary with a back lane.

REASON FOR DESIGNATION
Number 34 & 36 Castlegate are designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* As well preserved early to mid C19 estate workers' cottages given an effective picturesque architectural treatment
* For their group value with the grade II listed 3-4 Buckingham Square and the gate lodge, 5 Buckingham Square, providing a designed main approach to the Grade 1 Registered Duncombe Park and the Grade 1 Listed house
* As rare surviving examples of very small C19 cottages that have not been enlarged by extension or amalgamation
* For the possible association with the nationally significant architect Sir Charles Barry.

Reasons for Listing

Number 34 & 36 Castlegate are designated for listing at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* As well preserved early to mid C19 estate workers' cottages given an effective picturesque architectural treatment
* For their group value with the grade II listed 3-4 Buckingham Square and the gate lodge, 5 Buckingham Square, providing a designed main approach to the Grade I Registered Duncombe Park and the Grade I Listed house
* As rare surviving examples of very small C19 cottages that have not been enlarged by extension or amalgamation
* For the possible association with the nationally significant architect Sir Charles Barry.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26672294

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  For the Record
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)