Description

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 13 December 2021 to update text and reformat to current standards

SE 5703 SW
SE 5703 SE

6/56
7/56

TOWN OF DONCASTER
HIGH STREET (south side)
The Mansion House and attached railings

12.6.50

GV
I

Mayorial residence and attached railings. 1746 - 1748 by James Paine with additions by William Lindley of 1801 - 1806, including attic storey, rear landing and rear banqueting hall. Built for Doncaster Corporation. Painted ashlar with slate roof. Central entrance hall plan with rear staircase and small flanking rooms. Upper floor with central staircase, full width Banqueting Hall to front, Mayoress Drawing Room behind to left and Saloon behind to right. Jettied rear staircase landing between and beyond Saloon to rear the new Banqueting Hall. Rear courtyard with original kitchen range behind. Three bays, two storeys on basement, with attic storey above and tall piano nobile to first floor. Rusticated stonework to basement and ground floor.

Basement has flight of stone steps on either side (down to central well) and a large blind recess to either side flanking central door. To front of basement a dwarf wall supporting railings with alternating pinnacle and arrow-head finials; these ramp up to large end standards with urn finials. Railings return to centre flanking four wide steps to the entrance which has segment-headed double-leaf gates in similar style to railings. Wide segmental arched entrance has rusticated voussoirs and moulded keystone. Within the arch are paired Tuscan columns and pilasters to either side with massive banding and recessed behind these is a lobby with dentilled cornice, moulded skirting and a central doorcase. This has an eight-panel door, two lower panels flush,upper panels raised and fielded, in shouldered architrave (which is ramped to the base) below moulded cornice.

To either side of the entrance there are twelve-pane sashes below rusticated arches. Wide band above. Piano nobile has bays articulated by paired, attached Corinthian columns on large moulded plinths, which support entablature with plain frieze and bracketed and panelled cornice. Central bay has full-height semi-circular headed recess with raised keystone decorated with large carved head, laurel leaf swags and drops hanging from moulded paterae to either side. Within the recess is an elaborate Venetian window with Ionic columns and pilasters on deep plinths supporting side entablature with pulvinated friezes which in turn support moulded central arch. Narrow five-pane sashes to sides and tall sash with radial glazing to centre. Low panelled doors below on to semi-circular iron balcony with simple scrolled friezes to top and bottom and frieze of circules to centre.

Side bays have large fifteen-pane sashes in architraves set on deep plinths, and moulded pediments supported by scrolled consoles. Below each window are low-panelled doors and to front there are similar balconies as that to centre. Above the windows are blind rectangular panels with simple cornices and above again there are luxuriant vine swags with central heads encircled by leaves. Attic storey has paired pilasters articulating the bays, each pilaster topped by a large swagged urn finial. Between there are three six-pane sashes in moulded architraves with eared corners to base. Moulded cornice. Central bay surmounted by large achievement topped by rampant gilded lion, shield flanked by cornucopia. Hipped roof.

Interior has entrance hall with Ionic screen of paired columns and pilasters, six panelled doors in corniced architraves, and moulded and dentilled ceiling cornice. Mayor's Parlour to right has plasterwork ceiling. Staircase hall to rear has fine stone Imperial staircase with alternating paired. plain and scrolled iron balusters; Ionic columns to base of staircase supporting landing with Corinthian columns. Upper hall has panelling to walls and an elaborate entablature. Ceiling is deeply coved and panelled, with Baroque plasterwork panel to centre. Landing has similar entablature, plasterwork panels and Corinthian pilasters flanking entrance to Banqueting Hall. This room has plasterwork ceiling with deep coving above entablature with swagged panels to frieze. Back wall has central scroll pedimented Corinthian doorcase flanked by fine grey marble, Ionic columned, fireplaces with pedimented doorcases beyond. Fireplaces have rich plaster picture panels over and side entrances have overdoors. Over the central door is a round arched minstrels gallery with bobbin balustrade. Side walls are panelled with large central pedimented picture panels. Rich Rococo plaster decoration throughout. Side doors lead to Saloon and Mayoress drawing room, both with coved ceilings, original fireplaces with acanthus friezes and shouldered architraves, dentilled corniced doorcases to Ballroom and fine cornices and ceiling roses.

The new Banqueting Hall of 1806 has corniced doorcases, entablature with plasterwork frieze, coved ceiling with central plasterwork panels and panelled walls with dado. Back wall has central minstrels gallery flanked by paired full-height; Corinthian columns, and columned fireplaces to either side below plaster panels. Delicate Classical Adam-style plasterwork decoration throughout. Rear staircase landing also of 1806, has Venetian opening with paired Corinthian columns and wrought iron balustrade on to staircase and similar Venetian window to rear; side walls with shouldered doorcases. Swagged panels to frieze of entablature and cove ceiling with central plasterwork panel. Kitchen range to rear of courtyard has central arcade of Tuscan columns and large chamfered fireplace. Courtyard has two Thorncliffe lamp standards, dated 1875.

Sources: Country Life July 6 1978, 'Doncaster Mansion House, Yorkshire' by Peter Leach. 'History of Doncaster' by E Miller, 1806.

Listing NGR: SE5750403273

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Mansion House, Doncaster at Wikipedia
• Mansion House, Doncaster official website
• Wikidata Q6751749

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)