Retaining wall and steps for the main terrace to the west of the Talbot Hotel

Summary

Grand early C18 staircase thought to be by the same architect as three boldy detailed archways including the Vanbrugh Arch, possibly by Sir John Vanbrugh. The impressively high attached terrace wall is mid C18.

Reasons for Designation

The high terrace retaining wall and staircase of early and mid C18 date, are designated at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:
* Architecture: for the monumental form of the grand staircase, being a good quality example of early C18 ostentatious design, as well as the impressive scale of the later C18 terrace wall;
* Association: although the association of the staircase with the architect Sir John Vanbrugh is unproven, the muscular Classical design was clearly influenced by his work;
* Group Value: the staircase's significance is heightened via group value with three archways thought to have been part of the same early C18 garden design, as well as the principal buildings (the Grade II* listed York House and Talbot Hotel) with their other listed garden structures.

History

The right-angled stair at the western end of the high terrace retaining wall is considered to date to the early C18 and to have been part of a garden design for Sir William Strickland, then owner of York House (see NHLE 1290865) and the Strickland Hunting Lodge (see NHLE 1202751 - Talbot Hotel) providing access to a new parcel of land that was leased in 1721 from the Earl of Malton, Thomas Wentworth (see also the listed boundary wall NHLE 1290826). This staircase is thought to have been designed to provide pedestrian access from the upper terrace (suggested to be a viewing platform for hare-coursing) down to a riverside walk to the mineral spring that was in use as a spa from at least 1669. However the current high terrace wall extending to the east of the staircase is a later alteration, probably of mid C18 date. It is on a slightly different alignment to the wall shown on the 1730 Dickenson plan, its western end being around 10m further to the south, with its line diverging from that of the rear retaining wall of the steps. The current retaining wall is clearly depicted in a 1798 engraving by Nicholson, complete with mature fan-trained trees. The realignment of the terrace may have been built shortly after the former Strickland Hunting Lodge was converted into the Talbot Inn by the Wentworths who aquired the property in 1739. The Talbot catered for the gentry, acting as a social hub for Malton's horse racing and breeding scene from the mid C18. The staircase was renovated in circa 2009.

The very bold design of the staircase and the use of Hildenley limestone suggests that it was by the same architect responsible for three archways within the grounds, one of which is known as the Vanbrugh Arch (NHLE 1282012) because of the traditional attribution to the architect Sir John Vanbrugh.

Details

High terrace retaining wall and staircase, early and mid C18.

MATERIALS
Staircase and surrounding walls of Hildenley limestone ashlar. Terrace wall of large C18 bricks set on a footing of coursed limestone rubble.

DESCRIPTION
The terrace wall is approximately 60m long, 6m high on the lower (south) side and 0.5m high on the upper side. It has cambered coping stones and full height pilaster buttresses that form piers, at one time topped by urns. Towards the eastern end of the terrace there are three large, battered buttresses which are later supports.

The staircase is at the west end of the wall and makes a quarter turn down to the south. It has raked parapet walls with chamfered coping in the form of giant handrails, terminating at cylindrical piers with shallow domed caps. Beneath the stairs there is a small storage chamber and the staircase as a whole is flanked by raked screen walls with square section piers. The eastern screen wall is keyed into the brickwork of the terrace wall but clearly abuts the stonework of the staircase. At the head of the staircase there is a short flight of much simpler steps giving access to a beech tree lined terrace walk leading to a blocked doorway in the western garden wall (see NHLE 1290826).

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

389622

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Other
Peter Goodchild, Some Historical Notes on York House, Malton, and its Garden and Grounds, 2011,
Colin Briden, The Talbot Hotel Malton North Yorkhire: An assessment of the gardens, 2011,

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.