Municipal Offices York, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

YORK

SE6051NW CONEY STREET 1112-1/28/247 (West side (off)) 24/06/83 Municipal Offices (Formerly Listed as: ST HELEN'S SQUARE Municipal Offices)

GV II

Municipal offices and Council Chamber. 1889-91 with slightly later extension. By EG Mawbey and Alfred Creer, City Surveyors. Cream brick in English bond, faced with magnesian limestone ashlar on river front; octagonal stone stacks, on tall pedestals, some conjoined, with coved cornices, on slate roof. EXTERIOR: Coney Street side: 3-storey, 7-bay front, to right of 2-storey bay linking Municipal offices with the Guildhall (qv). through glazed lobby. Entrance in lobby. Linking bay occupied by full height staircase window of 4 mullioned and transomed lights with 4-centred head and hoodmould. Windows in 3-storey block are mostly 4-pane sashes with painted stone sills and segmental arches. Stepped brick eaves cornice. River front: 3-storey, 4-bay block, with 2-storey link bay to right; to left, 3-storey, 3-bay extension block with gabled attic, and 4-storey tower at left end: the whole on terraced basement. 4-bay block has basement windows of paired square-headed lights; link bay to right has one window of paired segment-headed lights and arched doorway at right end. Windows on ground floor of 4-bay block have 3 or 4 trefoil-headed lights in 4-centred arches, all with hoodmoulds: upper floor windows are 2 storeys high, of two tiers of cinquefoiled lights beneath panel traceried square heads and hoodmoulds. Link bay has mullion and transom windows, of 2 lights on ground floor, 3 lights on first floor. Moulded strings run across both parts, below ground and first floor windows, and beneath embattled parapets. Extension block has no basement openings: on ground floor, 3 segment-headed windows of 3 ogee-mullioned lights over moulded sill band, beneath arcaded hood of ogee arches rising to boss-like finials moulded with lion masks. First and second floor windows are of 2 and 3 mullioned and transomed lights, over moulded first floor sill band: second floor windows have separate moulded sills over panels enclosing moulded blind quatrefoils. Over second floor windows, continuous square arched hoodmould, stepped up over centre window to enclose triple cartouche set in leaf fronds. Behind eaves parapet attic contains window of 3 segment-headed lights beneath blind traceried gable apex. Tower has windows of 2 or 4 lights to lower stages: third stage set back over corbelled offset, with angle buttresses rising from gargoyles. Single slit light to river face. Parapet with moulded coping, embrasure slits, and

cut-off corners to accommodate winged heraldic lions supporting blank shields. INTERIOR: ground floor: low stone parapet pierced by ogee arches around bottom of stairwell carries arcaded screen of 4-centred moulded arches. Stone staircase with arcaded balustrade of trefoil headed arches with carved spandrels and moulded marble handrail rises to first floor. First floor: staircase window filled with coloured glass incorporating panel presented by the City of Munster in 1969. Landing has mosaic floor incorporating the York rose motif, and coffered ceiling above painted frieze of City Arms and Guild badges: 2-centred arches with hoodmoulds lead off landing. Council Chamber anteroom: fitted panelled coat stands; marble chimneypiece with plain shelf on moulded brackets, glazed tiled slips of embossed potted rosebushes, and cast-iron grate. Carved doorcase to Council Chamber. Council Chamber: lower walls lined with traceried panelling beneath embattled rail, upper part painted with oak foliage and heraldic emblems. Panelling behind dais incorporates cantilevered canopy with crocketed finials and carved City Arms. Doorcases have 4-centred arches with spandrels carved with roses, embattled lintels, panelled reveals and soffits, and panelled doors. Window cases are segment-headed with hollow-chamfered mullions. Monumental chimneypiece of traceried pane