Guildhall, Common Hall Lane, Council Hall and Wall Containing Entrance to Lane York, England

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YORK

SE6051NW CONEY STREET 1112-1/28/246 (West side (off)) 14/06/54 Guildhall, Common Hall Lane, Council Hall and wall containing entrance to Lane (Formerly Listed as: ST HELEN'S SQUARE The Guildhall, Old Council Chambers & room beneath Watergate, vaulted passage..)

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Guildhall, Common Hall Lane and Council Hall: boundary wall with The Lendal Cellars Public House, Lendal (qv) containing entrance to Common Hall Lane. Guildhall 1449- 59, restored in 1960 following extensive damage in air raid of 1942; Council Hall of 1808-09. Wall various dates incorporating medieval work on Lendal Cellars side. For the Mayor and Commonalty of York and the Guilds of St Christopher and St George: Robert Couper and John Barton, masons. Council Hall by Peter Atkinson, jnr.: glass by HW Harvey. MATERIALS: Guildhall of magnesian limestone ashlar, river front on gritstone wall. Common Hall Lane walled in magnesian limestone, ceiled with stone flags on timber joists. Council Hall of buff-brown brick in Flemish bond, river front faced in magnesian limestone. Roofs not visible. Boundary wall of ashlar and coursed and squared magnesian limestone, partly rendered on Guildhall side; Lendal Cellars side partly plastered and white-washed, partly backed in plum brick in random bond and orange brick in stretcher bond. PLAN: 6-bay aisled hall with chamber range and Council Hall extension at west (river) end; Common Hall Lane runs beneath the Guildhall. EXTERIOR: east end: 2-storey, 3-bay gabled front. Moulded plinth stepped-up at right end over Common Hall Lane arch, now below ground level. Central door in continuously moulded 4-centred arch with defaced demi-angel bearing blank shield at apex, beneath hoodmould on headstops. Replacement double doors with tracery panels. To left, restored 2-light window in hollow chamfered elliptical arched opening. Above door is 5-light window with two tiers of panel tracery in 2-centred head, and hoodmould; moulded sillstring beneath window, stepped up on each side. Moulded string beneath embattled parapet. West end: 2-storey, 3-bay gabled front to hall rises behind 1- and 2-storey, 7-bay chamber range and 2-storey, 4-bay extension to right: chamber range and extension on basement formed by river wall. Watergate arch to Common Hall Lane in river wall, beneath 2-storeyed chamber range: chamfered unglazed window to left. Hall window is of 5 cinquefoiled

lights with panel tracery in 2-centred arch. Ground floor windows to chamber range and extension are 4-pane sashes with 4-centred heads: first floor windows are square-headed, of 2 trefoiled lights in chamber range, and cinquefoiled, panel traceried heads in extension: all have moulded reveals and hoods. Moulded basement string stepped up over Watergate arch. Moulded eaves strings beneath embattled parapets to chamber range and extension: plain parapet to hall gable. North and south sides: bays separated by offset buttresses. Bays contain 2-centred windows of 3 cinquefoiled lights with foiled panel traceried heads, hoodmoulds and moulded sillstrings. On north side, easternmost bay has blocked doorway with 4-centred head beside 2-light window: above is shortened 3-light window. Both sides have plain parapets over moulded eaves strings. Boundary wall varies in height from approximately 1.50 to 7 metres, extends approximately 30 metres south west of The Mansion House (qv). Entrance to Common Hall Lane has nail studded panelled door in restored segment-arched hollow chamfered surround. Medieval masonry on Lendal Cellars side has offsets at two levels. INTERIOR: hall has north and south arcades of octagonal timber columns with carved capitals, on moulded stone bases: arches formed by spandrel braces to moulded arcade plates, cambered tie beams and aisle ties. Roof is panelled with bosses, mostly renewed, at intersections. Braces at east and west ends spring from massive corbels carved with grotesques in foliage, and aisle braces fro