13-14 Fossgate

This house of three storeys and attics was built in the late 17th century on a large irregular plan, widening out at the back, and remodelled with a new front block in 1720. A late 19th century shop front was added, and altered in 1928 for George Mason whose monogram can still be seen in the leaded transom lights to the shop front.

The front elevation is of stuccoed brickwork, incised to resemble ashlar, and a plain parapet with a moulded coping. The right return is of orange brickwork in Stretcher bond and the rear of the building is in buff brickwork in Flemish bond with a double span pantile roof and bricked coped Dutch gables and brick stacks. The back, crossed by string-courses at floor levels, has two half-gables with curved parapets rising to small pediments.

The whole building was in a poor structural condition, the roof space not having been opened for 35 years until bought by the Trust. All the roof timbers were fully inspected and re-used or replaced as required; unfortunately the wall plate was in such a poor state that it was simply vacuumed up.

The building still retains a good staircase with overlapping steps and boldly ramped handrails and dado and lit by a round-arched window flanked by fluted pilasters.

The property was purchased by the Trust in December 1996. The major works to the main shop and house and the substantial re-development at the rear to form Morrell Yard took 15 months. The final result consists of a shop with three flats above plus ten self-contained flats at the rear.