Fairfax House

Visit the Fairfax House website.

York's Georgian 'gem' of a house comes of age in 2005 when it celebrates its 21st anniversary of being open to the public.

York Civic Trust, with the aid of highly regarded Bridlington architect Francis Johnson, restored the house to its former glory in 1984 as a permanent home for the Noel G Terry collection of English furniture and clocks.

The marriage, as Sir Simon Jenkins has noted, makes this "Britain's best Georgian Townhouse" and now takes its place as one of York's most important historic attractions.

Fairfax House is so entirely perfect - the sumptuous plasterwork of its beautifully proportioned interiors, harmonising with its fine mahogany furniture, paintings, silverware and ceramics - that it is difficult to imagine the building as a common dancehall with cinema attached. Yet that is what it was from 1920 until 1966. The company were, however, in great financial difficulties at this time and the house was bought by the City Council with a view to protecting it from insensitive development.

In 1980 the Civic Trust enquired whether it might tackle the restoration, having been given the chocolate magnate, Noel Terry's, collection of furniture and were looking for a home in which to display it. Eventually the City agreed and the Trust commenced its restoration with the help of York's "first division" of craftsmen.

The result was astonishing, as layer upon layer of paint was peeled away,
the team revealed a decorative scheme of the highest standard. Much of the original had survived, protected in a curious way, by these many layers of paint and the details discovered were of a quality few had suspected.

The house was originally designed by the eminent York architect, John Carr, as a winter home for Lord Fairfax and his only surviving child, Anne. Both she and her father were committed Catholics and the choice of detail, especially in the main staircase, reflects their strongly held beliefs.

When the architectural historian, Gervase Jackson-Stops, visited the house he described the staircase as "a minor architectural masterpiece of its age", and it is easy to see why.
The powerful symbolic plasterwork on the ceiling, a Venetian window without parallel, and some exquisite wrought iron on the stairs, makes this an outstanding example of Georgian architecture at its best.

In recent years the Trust has mounted some ground-breaking exhibitions on Georgian entertaining, which brings the house to life in a very tangible way. Their annual "Keeping of Christmas" exhibition, for example, proves popular with groups and societies, and other set-piece displays have travelled on national tours.

Fairfax House
Castlegate (near Cliffords Tower and the Jorvik Centre)
Tel: 01904 655543
www.Fairfaxhouse.co.uk
Open: Monday to Thursday and Saturday- 11am to 5pm
Fridays (by guided tour only at 11am and 2pm)
Sundays 1.30pm to 5pm
Last admission: 4.30p

FAIRFAX HOUSE