Details
WOMERSLEY PARK LANE
SE 51 NW
(south side)
5/22 Womersley Park and
adjoining coach-house and
11.12.67 stables
GV II*
Small country house with coach-house and stables adjoining. C17 origins
with extensive later additions and alterations including those of late C17
to early C18 for Tobiah Harvey, mid C18 alterations probably by James Paine
and later C18 alterations probably by Robert Adam, and with further
alterations in the C19. Magnesian limestone, mainly rendered, with ashlar
and brick dressings and with Welsh slate roof. U-shaped on plan with
inverted U-shaped coach-house and stables adjoining to north-west. House.
Main range of 7 bays and 2 storeys with attics, with advanced 2-storey, 2-
bay wings ending in canted bays. Central entrance has a Doric portico with
engaged Doric pilasters, frieze and pediment. Half-glazed door.
Fenestration: ground floor has 8-pane sashes to centre bays and wings, 4-
pane sashes to canted bays, to first floor of main range are 15-pane
unequally hung sashes, wings and canted bays with 12-pane sashes. All
windows in tooled ashlar architraves with moulded sills and many with
original glass. Moulded cornice throughout and low parapet partly
concealing roof dormers. Hipped roof with separate lower roofs to bays.
Ridge and rear stacks. Further entrance to west side, a 6-fielded-panel
door with divided fanlight and round ashlar arch on Doric pilasters. Garden
facade to east has a canted bay to centre with entrance through 4-pane sash
to ground level in tooled ashlar architrave. Interior retains many original
features including sumptuous drawing room to east wing reputedly by Paine
with moulded ceiling decorated with armour and naturalistic motifs; moulded
frieze and cornice; arcade of fluted Corinthian columns; moulded shutters
and dado; splendid tri-colour marble fireplace with central relief of a
youth with grapes and dog and Ionic columns to sides and with Delft tiles
within; moulded fielded-panel doors. Entrance hall has arcade of Greek
Doric columns and elaborate cornice with C-scroll and grape motifs; white
marble fireplace with nymphs on pedestals in relief to sides; alcoves with
glazed latticed doors. Inner staircase hall probably late C18 - early C19
has mahogany open well, closed string staircase with turned spindle
balusters, wreathed handrail with iron lamps to corners at first-floor level
and roundel moulding to string,supported on arcade of mahogany Corinthian
columns; moulded mahogany doors have roundel motif, moulded Neo-classical
cornice and central ceiling rose; 2-colour marble Neo-classical fireplace
and stained-glass staircase window, a later insertion re-using C17 glass by
Henry Gyles showing portraits of Roman Emperors and coats of arms. Early
C18 dogleg service staircase has onion-on-vase balusters, 2 per tread.
Library reputedly by Robert Adam, has moulded frieze and cornice and moulded
bookshelves, door and shutters. Other rooms have good marble fireplaces,
cornices, 6-panel doors, shutters to windows etc. C17
cellars have 2-light mullion windows with chamfered mullions and 2 single-
light windows in double-chamfered surrounds. Stable range: to south side a
2-storey, 6-bay range abutts north-west corner of house, and has stable
ranges to rear. Carriage entrance to third bay with segmental arch and
quoined ashlar architrave, plank carriage doors. Ground floor has mainly
12-pane sashes with moulded sills and tooled architraves, except to first
bay a blocked, 2-light mullion window; first-floor has 9-pane, unequally-
hung sashes with moulded sills and tooled architraves. Rear ranges have 3
entrances, one a 6-fielded-panel door, otherwise plank doors and all under
fanlights with glazing bars; otherwise mainly plank carriage entrances and
stable doors under mainly brick, segmental arches with ashlar keystones.
Mainly 8 and 12-pane sashes under elliptical arches, some casement windows.
To first floor of each range are pitching doors with flight of steps up to
door of west range. Interior. Neo-classical stalls remain to north-east
corner. 3 stalls with round-arched arcading on slender pillars. There were
reputedly close contacts between Nostell Priory and Womersley Park during
the C18. L C Ballard, A Short History of Womersley. N Pevsner, Yorkshire,
The West Riding, 1979, p 651. York Georgian Society Annual Report, 1979,
pp 42-4. J T Brighton, 'Henry Gyles', York Historian 4, 1984, pp 49-50.
Listing NGR: SE5329418985
