Minster Court

This article is about the group of buildings in York. For the commercial building in London, see Mincing Lane § Minster Court.

Minster Court is a Grade II* listed group of buildings lying off Minster Yard, in the city centre of York in England.

The north-east range and south-east wing of Minster Court

History

The north-west wing

The complex consists of four houses, on three sides of a courtyard: number 1 in the north-west wing, numbers 2 and 2A in the north-east range, and number 3 in the south-east wing. There was formerly a fourth range, almost surrounding the courtyard, but that was demolished in the 1820s.

In the 1850s, the building was purchased by Robert Corbet Singleton. More recently, it has been used as housing for people connected with nearby York Minster, including the minster organist and several canons.

Architecture

1A Minster Court

The north-west and south-east wings have partly medieval stone walls, while the other walls are of 18th-century brick, probably replacing timber framing. The north-east range has three roofs, dating from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. The range was altered in the early 17th century, from which period dates one of its ground-floor ceilings, but most of the range was further altered over the following 150 years. In the 18th century, the north-west wing was heightened and extended to the south-west.

In the 18th century, a storage building was constructed to the north-east of the complex. In 1850, it was extended to adjoin the complex, and an organ was installed. From 1945, it was converted into a house, numbered 1A, which does not form part of the listed building.

Inside, the north-west wing, there are three rooms with decorated 18th-century fireplaces, plus a large 18th-century kitchen fireplace, a mid-18th-century staircase, and two 18th-century ceilings in first-floor rooms. The north-east range has an early-17th-century ceiling, and many 18th-century fittings. The south-east wing has an 18th-century staircase and rich 19th-century decoration in several rooms, particularly the study. In the attic is some 17th-century panelling.