York House is of the utmost architectural significance and has been researched, recorded and written

about perhaps more than any other building in Malton’s history during the last few years. It has merited

such attention, which it had been hoped – along with the manner of the works themselves - would

develop and provide an appropriate model of best conservation practice in dealing with the numerous

architecturally and historically buildings of the town. Its future use remains unknown. A summary is all

that is required within this document.

York House is an H-plan house intact upon its original footprint except for a clearly legible late C17

addition within the indent on the south side. Its construction is likely to date from the late C15 although

there are strong archaeological suggestions that even this structure was built around an already existing

timber-frame building. The material of its earlier phases of construction was squared Malton oolite.

Calcareous sandstone and Hildenley limestone were used extensively during later alterations, as well as

brick for additions within. The mortar used until the mid C18 was mud – for the bedding of the stone

and for base coat plasters within (in combination with lime finish coats). The survival of earth plasters in

so high status a building is of exceptional significance in the understanding and analysis of an almost

forgotten craft practice. There are transitional earth/lime plasters as well as early lime plasters rich in

hair. Plasters from all periods, including the early C20, survive within the house. Two complete and two

partially removed stone windows – of highly calcareous sandstone, broadly chamfered - from this

earliest period survive in situ, covered by late C17 additions. Three of these are, or were, two-light

mullion windows, a fourth was square and of one-light only with 2 vertical ferramenta bars. From these

windows, the general pattern of windows before Strickland’s alterations may be judged. Part of the

earliest limestone cobbled floor has been excavated beneath the stairs where a slightly later – probably

C16 - brick floor also survives in part. Some of the timbers in the roof are of trees felled in 1468, others

in 1520. The roof has, of course, been raised and shuffled about somewhat over the centuries, but these

dates are likely significant. Occupying an economically strategic location overlooking the port area, as

well as the swine market and access to all markets from the port and from York, it is very possible that

York House was originally built and owned by the Gilbertine Priory in Old Malton. It probably fell to the

Eures, Cliffords or Conyers after the dissolution in 1539 and was probably owned by the Eures after

1617. However, John Rushton says that “Thomas Heslerton, owner of five Malton burgages had a

mansion called York House just inside the wall of that town by 1641” (Rushton 206). It is not clear if he

owned or leased this. If he owned the building, then changes made in the early C17 may be properly

ascribed to him. The building was raised some 5 feet in either the C16 or the early C17 and significant

changes made to the interior around 1620 with the closing down of a central hall and the introduction of

a pitch pine panelled great chamber within this space. The use of pitch pine at this early date is a clear

indicator of the high status of the occupant, pitch pine being imported from Spanish or Portuguese

colonies in the Americas. The former hall was floored at this time with Hildenley limestone in

geometrical pattern. Various elements of this intervention survived the major changes of the late C17 –

a niche and some panelling in the north ground floor room of the east wing; a timber cornice in the

south first floor room of the same wing, perhaps even the Hildenley limestone cornice atop the west

wall of the west wing, as well as former window heads in the same wall. The west wall was probably

refaced with Hildenley limestone recycled out of the Priory site at this time also. The windows formed

at this time displaced earlier, wider and wooden windows in this wall. A complete brick fireplace with

three-centred arch and an opening around 4 feet high from this period survives behind a later baroque

chimney piece in the south groundfloor room of the east wing, as well as another in the room above

which has lost most of its three-centred brick arch but is otherwise intact. Both of these were uncovered

during recent conservation and repair works and have now been recorded and recovered.

York House was acquired by Sir Wm Strickland upon his marriage to Elizabeth Palmes daughter of the

Eure heiress Mary Eure and William Palmes of Lindley, indicating that by this time, at least, York House

was in possession of the Eures. The wrought iron overthrow above the entrance gate marks this union

and is from this time. He had bought a property at the ‘west end of the street called York House Gate’

from James and Barbara Hebblethwaite, son and wife respectively of Sir Thomas Hebblethwaite,Lord of

the Manor of Norton, in 1672. This will have been the building that became the ‘Strickland Hunting

Lodge’ and is now the Talbot Hotel.

Sir William and Elizabeth carried out major works upon York House, transforming the interior and

exterior appearance of the building. A major architectural addition was built between the projections of

the cross-wings to the south elevation. This is in the style of a triumphal arch – a giant arch in the centre.

All quoins of this and the arch as a whole are rusticated. The arch has a large projecting key-block. The

cornice would seem to have been taken from one page of Palladio’s Four Books on Architecture. The

architect is unknown but there is sufficient stylistic similarity between this addition and Hovingham Old

Hall, built in 1684, to suggest a common architect or master mason. The arch is clearly influenced by the

works of Inigo Jones; earlier, and seductive, considerations that either Hawksmoor or Vanbrugh had a

hand in the work have been ruled out by the conviction that these works were executed around 1694,

some six years before either began work at Castle Howard. Within the arch a large sash window is

contemporary with this addition and is a rare survival of an early sash window. It is of oak. Two other

oak sash windows from this time survive in the house – the lower right-hand window of the addition and

the north attic window of the west wing.

William Strickland

The functional purpose of this addition was to provide closets to the main rooms of the house. Its social

purpose was a demonstration of Strickland’s status as local MP and also as prominent member of the

local racing fraternity. The site of Langton Wold racecourse is very visible from York House, and

particularly from the roof of the archway. York House and its unusually grand arch would have been

equally prominent from the racecourse where Strickland himself was Master of Ceremonies during this

period.

Although it may have arrived earlier, in 1620, the main staircase may also have been brought in by

Strickland, recycled from Ralph Eure’s prodigy house, which was carefully dismantled after 1674. In

style, the stair is very much of the earliest C17. The great chamber was accessed directly from this stair,

the current landing being formed later by the relocation of the panelled south wall of the 1620 great

chamber. Logically, stair and great chamber are of contemporary introduction, but much of this house

defies linear logic. Access to the upstairs rooms had been via the great chamber before the creation of

the landing. Repair works to the south (relocated) wall of this room during the autumn of 2009 indicate

strongly that the change was made by Strickland – the mortar of the plaster – a mud stabilised by the

addition of quicklime - is so similar in character to the bedding mortar of the added south central range

that these details are almost certainly contemporary.

Strickland refaced the south wall of the west cross wing in Hildenley limestone and in similar fashion to

the north facade of the Hunting Lodge/Talbot Hotel. He introduced simple windows of Hildenley to the

south front, with raised key-blocks and ogee architraves. The new windows to the north were of

Calcareous sandstone, but had key blocks also. Only those to the door of the central range (the windows

having keystones with secret key joints) and the lower windows of the west cross wing survive, all other

window heads having been replaced in the past with plain Whitby sandstone lintels. Another survives on

the east wall where it lit the closet of a bedroom, which itself displaced a service stair to the attic, for

which the opening will have originally been designed. The stone for these windows is very likely to have

been reclaimed from the Eure mansion, refashioned to suit. If they carried mouldings, these were

hacked off before the addition in 1903 of concrete architraves. These were themselves removed in

2007. No suggestion of former mouldings survives and probably there were none. Remnants of the

mullion windows that were displaced by this transformation have been uncovered throughout the

house during recent works – recycled in different ways. There was at least one mullion and transom

window on this evidence.

Within, Strickland switched the service end of the building, importing a large Hildenley limestone

fireplace, with 3-centred arch, almost certainly from the former Priory kitchens. This was added into the

north groundfloor room of the west wing. At the same time a brick vault was constructed beneath the

west wing and became part of the kitchens. The brick vaulting may have displaced an earlier stone vault

over an undercroft. Fireplaces were made – or made across – 1620 window openings in the west wall.

Two chimney pieces survive from this change – a naturalistically carved baroque piece of Hildenley

limestone in the south groundfloor room of the east wing, and a bolection moulded surround inserted

into the panelling in the great chamber. For this, earlier pitch pine pilasters were removed. An unusual

double bolection moulded chimney piece from this period was stolen from the north first floor room of

the west wing in or shortly after 1997 – at the same time as most of the late C17 brass door furniture

was removed. Photographs taken in this year, however, have allowed a reproduction of this chimney

piece, at least, to be installed in 2009, carved in Tervoux limestone. Other period chimney pieces have

also been introduced – a Palladian piece in the north groundfloor room, of Richemont limestone and

modelled upon the entablature of the Temple of Bacchus as drawn by Palladio in the Four Books.

Another bolection typical of circa 1715, in Tervoux limestone, has been installed in the north first floor

room of the east wing. Normandy limestone has been used for its relative similarity to Hildenley

limestone but also to avoid confusion in the future.

Strickland introduced a passageway from the Hall to the garden - via a moulded stone architrave with

raised key-block and the giant arch - as well as an arcade at the foot of the stairs, of oak-grained pitch

pine. The wide former door to the west wing was blocked at this time also, to shield the hall from the

service end.

The window and door in the centre of the west wall were redesigned, with Hildenley limestone

architraves, making a high status entrance into the service end which may be explained only by the fact

that the stables were at this end of the building. The opening into which the window was inserted is

likely very much older, and perhaps a solar window in the early hall house. It was previously much

deeper, and has been raised over the centuries, but is still bisected by the current first floor level.

York House is a most unusual gentry house mostly because it evolved without general extension –

changing fashions were incorporated into this existing plan due to the nature of its location and site.

This is a key ingredient of its significance. Few H-plan houses survive which have not been consumed by

later additions and extensions, as, for example, the neighbouring Hunting Lodge has been.

Two panelled rooms from this phase of evolution – probably around 1694 – survive largely intact. The

first, the north first-floor room of the east wing – probably the bedroom of Elizabeth Palmes – has raised

and field panels with bolection mouldings. As does most joinery throughout the house – panelling and

cornices, as well as doors and architraves – this retains all paint treatments since its introduction.

Targeted removal of modern paints, as well as scraping of mouldings has been carried out in 2009, but

most remains for the historical record. Some time quite soon after the introduction of panelling

throughout this room, the panels above the dado on east and west walls were removed, leaving the

outer frame only. This was lath and plastered to receive stretched silk. This may have occurred around

1725, perhaps when the younger William Strickland – who commissioned Lord Burlington and William

Kent to make extensive changes at Boynton Hall in the early 1730s – inherited the house, his father

having died in a hunting accident. A small Palladian chimney piece in the north room of the west wing

probably dates from the time of his tenure also. During the later C18, a hob-grate was introduced into

the fireplace and a probable bolection-moulded stone chimney piece removed in favour of a much

simpler surround with an architrave of pitch pine. This disrupted the balance and symmetry of the

chimney breast. There is a closet, of the same style, to the east of the chimney stack, with a mostly

blocked window from the same period. This will have displaced a former service stair from the former

service end of the building. The first two paint schemes were of olive green, and survive, along with later

duck-egg blue and yellow ochre schemes. It is generally the case that each redecoration of the interior

saw the same colour introduced throughout the house until at least the C19. The exception is the dark

blue and gilt scheme of the south first floor bedroom in the east wing.

The south first floor room was similarly panelled at this time and underwent a similar evolution. It was

of lower status, with raised and fielded panels but only ovolo moulding to the rails and stiles of this. The

dado rail only had a bolection moulding. In both rooms, the cornice is of timber and, like the skirting,

this is contemporary with the panelling.

A small ‘butler’s parlour’ to the south room of the west wing survives also – made such perhaps as late

as 1903, when a larger room at this end – perhaps formerly a garden or breakfast room – was made

smaller. The panelling is likely to be from the late C17 and has large raised and fielded panels with ovolo

moulding as in the room above. The cornice is largely – and was originally – of timber but repairs

consequent upon the room’s alteration were very well-executed in plaster.

A joinery cornice in the south first floor room of the east wing has a gilded and blue scheme, beneath

later treatments, contemporary with the addition of the closets, as well as recycled oak panelling and an

original oak dado dating, along with the cornice, from 1620. Plywood panelling was added to east and

west walls in either 1903 or 1937 where none had likely been before. The overmantle, too, is from

perhaps 1620, certainly 1690s.

The exterior of York House was limewashed in a Hildenley limestone colour perhaps as soon as it was

transformed and certainly soon afterwards. In later times, after 1739, it was washed with a copperas

pigmented limewash, along with many other buildings in the town. Copperas was then a by-product of

alum manufacture along the North Yorkshire coast around Whitby. Both schemes have been restored

during recent conservation and repair works – the stone colour to the south elevation; the copperas to

the others.

Samuel Buck’s 1720 sketch of York House

New brick chimneys have been built upon new Portland stone plinths at the west end of the building.

These displaced west Yorkshire sandstone stacks too heavy (and too ugly) for the building. Stacks in this

location cannot be seen on the Settrington painting, but stacks upon York House that can be were

clearly of brick. Sections of moulded Hildenley limestone plinth had been incorporated into that of the

sandstone stacks. The new plinth took its lead from these.

It is likely that after 1739, the Watson Wentworths used York House when they were in town, or

certainly until such time as the New Talbot Hotel was created. By 1784, however, York House was

tenanted by the Smithson family. Charles Smithson, close friend of Charles Dickens, was born in York

House, before the family moved to Easthorpe Hall. Charles himself later lived at Abbey House in Old

Malton. The Smithsons were solicitors to the Fitzwilliam Estate. The last family to live in York House

before it was carved up into offices and a flat in 1967 were the Wrays, themselves descendants of the

Smithsons.

The gardens of York House remain to the river, a remarkable survival in itself, and will contain garden

archaeology from all periods of the site’s occupation.

By association with all significant landowners in Malton as well as for the survival within of so much

detail of interest and significance, York House has much to offer the craft as well as the academic

community locally and beyond. It has inspired most of the 2000 people to have visited the building

during the course of its repair and conservation. Its future use remains unresolved but will ideally be one

that keeps the building available to the general as well as the specialist communities; one that will allow

public use and access to both the house and gardens.