Fairfax House

Last updated August 29, 2024

Fairfax House is a Georgian townhouse located at No. 27, Castlegate, York, England, near Clifford's Tower and York Castle Museum. It was probably built in the early 1740s for a local merchant and in 1759 it was purchased by Charles Gregory Fairfax, 9th Viscount Fairfax of Emley, who arranged for the interior to be remodelled by John Carr (architect). Fairfax was the widower of heiress Elizabeth Clifford, daughter of Hugh Clifford, 2nd Baron Clifford of Chudleigh: his inheritance from her death enabled him to purchase the house, which he intended as a home for his daughter from his first marriage, Ann Fairfax.^[1]

After the Viscount's death in 1772, the house was sold and subsequently passed through a number of local families before spending some time as a Gentleman's Club, a Building Society and a cinema. The property was bought by York Civic Trust in the 1980s and completely restored to its former grandeur. Fairfax House is now a museum open to the public and a Grade I listed building.^[2]

History

In 1761, Viscount Fairfax employed the Yorkshire architect John Carr to remodel the house at 27 Castlegate. The work was completed in 1765.^[3] The interior has some of Yorkshire's finest mid-C18 plasterwork by James Henderson (fl. c. 1755–1778)^[4] and Giuseppe (Joseph) Cortese (fl. c. 1745–1778)^[4] and carved woodwork. The wrought iron balustrades on the staircases were by Maurice Tobin (fl. 1762)^[4]^[5] Wrought iron gates and railings fronting Castlegate were removed when the street was widened, but were recorded by York architect and artist Ridsdale Tait.

Viscount Fairfax died in 1772 and his title became extinct. Subsequent occupants included Sir Walter Vavasour, 6th Baronet of Haslewood (1780), William Danby (1787), Peregrine Wentworth (1792), Sir John Lister Kaye, 1st Baronet Lister-Kaye of Grange (1820) and Mrs Ann Mary Pemberton (1840–65).^[6] At some point after this, Fairfax House, renamed St. George's Hall, became neglected and fell into disrepair, and in the late 19th and early 20th century, part of the property was used as a dance hall. In 1921, St George's Cinema, adjacent to Fairfax House, was opened and the building was expanded. It closed in 1970 and the City Council acquired the dilapidated building. The City sold it to York Civic Trust, which between 1982 and 1984 under architect Francis Johnson renovated the building and turned the defunct cinema's entrance into the main entrance to Fairfax House. The York Conservation Trust subsequently purchased the house, leasing it back to the Civic Trust.

On the death in 1980 of Noel Terry (of the Terry's chocolate business), his collection of Georgian furniture and clocks was donated to York Civic Trust and subsequently housed in the period rooms of Fairfax House.^[7] The collection has since been expanded by acquisition and donation, including in summer 2017 a re-discovered wooden panel carved by Grinling Gibbons while learning his trade in York. In 2023, a portrait of Elizabeth Clifford, wife of the last Viscount Fairfax, was acquired for the collection.^[1]

Gallery

The Kitchen
The Saloon
The Drawing Room
The Viscount Bedroom
Annes Bedroom
The main stairs
Corridor inside
The Dining Room
The Library

Related Research Articles

Sir William Chambers was a Swedish-Scottish architect, based in London. Among his best-known works are Somerset House, and the pagoda at Kew. Chambers was a founder member of the Royal Academy.

Woolton Hall is a former country house located in Woolton, a suburb of Liverpool, England. Built in 1704 and extensively renovated in 1772 by the influential architect Robert Adam, the building is praised as the finest example of Adam's work in the North of England. Throughout its first 200 years, the building was the residence of a number of notable figures, including the Earl of Sefton and Liverpool shipowner Frederick Richards Leyland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Paine (architect)</span> English architect (1717–1789)

James Paine (1717–1789) was an English architect. He worked on number of country houses such as Chatsworth House, Thorndon Hall and Kedleston Hall.

John Carr (1723–1807) was a prolific English architect, best known for Buxton Crescent in Derbyshire and Harewood House in West Yorkshire. Much of his work was in the Palladian style. In his day he was considered to be the leading architect in the north of England.

Allerton Castle, also known as Allerton Park, is a Grade I listed nineteenth-century Gothic or Victorian Gothic house at Allerton Mauleverer in North Yorkshire, England. It was rebuilt by architect George Martin, of Baker Street, London in 1843–53.

Gilling Castle is a Grade I listed country house near Gilling East, North Yorkshire, England.

Hatfield Manor House is a remodelled 18th century Grade-I listed manor house in the town of Hatfield near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, which is based on an originally 12th century building.

Thomas Atkinson (1729–1798) was an English architect, best remembered for remodelling Bishopthorpe Palace in the Gothic Revival style.

The Peggy Stewart House, also known as the Rutland-Jenifer-Stone House, is a Georgian-style house in Annapolis, Maryland. Built between 1761 and 1764 by Thomas Rutland as a rental property, it was owned at various times by Thomas Stone and U.S. Founding Father Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer. In October 1774 it was owned by Anthony Stewart, owner of the ship Peggy Stewart. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 for its associations with the burning of Anthony Stewart's ship, Peggy Stewart, as well as for its architectural significance as a mid- to late 18th century Georgian mansion. Furthermore, the dwelling was recognized as a National Historic Landmark for its associations with Jenifer and Stone, and for the thematic representation of politics and diplomacy during the American Revolution

The Manor of Clifton was a historic manor situated near the City of Nottingham, England. The manor house, known as Clifton Hall is situated on the right bank of the River Trent in the village of Clifton, Nottinghamshire,. about 3+1⁄2 miles south-west of the historic centre of the City of Nottingham, now partly the campus of Nottingham Trent University and partly a large council estate of modern housing.

Nun Appleton Priory was a priory near Appleton Roebuck, North Yorkshire, England. It was founded as a nunnery c. 1150, by Eustace de Merch and his wife. It was dissolved by 1539, when the nuns were receiving pensions.

Thomas Fairfax, 1st Viscount Fairfax of Emley JP was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1601 and 1626. He was created Viscount Fairfax in the Peerage of Ireland in 1629. He "erected a mansion on Bishophill (York) early in Elizabeth's reign".

Dalton Hall is a grade II* listed Georgian country house in Dalton Holme, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

Hickleton Hall is a Grade II* listed Georgian stately home in Hickleton, South Yorkshire, England, about 6 miles (10 km) west of Doncaster. For more than 50 years it was a Sue Ryder Care home. It was being converted to luxury apartments, and is now up for sale again.

Heathcote is a Neoclassical-style villa in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England. Designed by architect Edwin Lutyens, it was his first comprehensive use of that style, making it the precursor of his later public buildings in Edwardian Baroque style and those of New Delhi. It was completed in 1908.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of York, North Yorkshire in northern England.

Castlegate House is a Georgian Grade I listed building in central York, in England.

York Civic Trust is a membership organisation and a registered charity based in York, UK. Its primary function is to "preserve, protect and advise on the historic fabric of York". It is based in Fairfax House.

Castlegate is a historic street in York, England, which leads to York Castle.

References

1 2 Horner, Ed. "Long missing portrait worth £14,500 to go on display at Fairfax House". York Press. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
↑ Historic England. "Fairfax House (1259337)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 3 August 2019.
↑ Colvin, Howard (2008) [1954]. A Biographical Dictionary of English Architects 1660–1840 (4th ed.). New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-300-12508-5.
1 2 3 Beard, Geoffrey (1966). Georgian Craftsmen and their Work . London: Country Life Limited. pp. 167, 164, 182.
↑ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Neave, David (1995) [1972]. Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (2nd ed.). London: Penguin Books. pp. 212–3. ISBN 0-14-071061-2.
↑ Fairfax House, Castlegate, description by York Conservation Trust
↑ "Goddards". houseandheritage.org. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2020.

External links

Fairfax House website

53°57′24″N1°04′48″W / 53.9568°N 1.0801°W / 53.9568; -1.0801

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[horner-1] 1 2 Horner, Ed. "Long missing portrait worth £14,500 to go on display at Fairfax House". York Press. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

[2] Historic England. "Fairfax House (1259337)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 3 August 2019.

[3] Colvin, Howard (2008) [1954]. A Biographical Dictionary of English Architects 1660–1840 (4th ed.). New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-300-12508-5.

[Beard-4] 1 2 3 Beard, Geoffrey (1966). Georgian Craftsmen and their Work . London: Country Life Limited. pp. 167, 164, 182.

[5] Pevsner, Nikolaus; Neave, David (1995) [1972]. Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (2nd ed.). London: Penguin Books. pp. 212–3. ISBN 0-14-071061-2.

[6] Fairfax House, Castlegate, description by York Conservation Trust

[7] "Goddards". houseandheritage.org. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2020.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]