51 Bootham

The building, in 2021

51 Bootham is a historic building on Bootham, a street leading north from the city centre of York in England.

The building was designed by Peter Atkinson for Richard Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone and was completed in or shortly after 1804. It was initially known as "Bootham House". In 1846, Bootham School purchased and relocated to the building. The school redesigned the rear wing and extended it. The rearmost part of the building was destroyed in a fire in 1899.[1] In about 1902, it was replaced by a science block (now the John Bright Library)[2] and a gymnasium, designed by Fred Rowntree and W. H. Thorp in the arts and crafts style. In about 1956, the block was altered by Colin Rowntree, work including dividing the gymnasium into classrooms.[3] The building was grade II* listed in 1954.[4]

The front to Bootham is of brick with stone dressings and a slate roof. It is three storeys high, with attics and a basement, and is five bays wide. There are sash windows, becoming less elaborate with each storey, and three dormer windows in the attic. At first floor level there is an iron balcony running the whole width of the building. The door has a fanlight and a Doric portico. The 1902 extension is built of red brick with terracotta dressings. It has an entrance front facing southeast, the door of which has a doorcase in the Ionic order. This section consists of various wings, each of which is two storeys high. The library section has bow windows and an octagonal wooden cupola. Inside, the original section has a stone staircase and several original fireplaces, while the 1902 block has panelled classrooms, and a stone staircase with an Art Nouveau balustrade. The library has built-in shelves and a bronze memorial plaque to John Bright.[1][4]

  1. ^ a b An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of York. Vol. 4. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1975. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  2. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Neave, David (1995). Yorkshire: York and the East Riding. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300095937.
  3. ^ "Design and Access Statement" (PDF). Bootham School. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  4. ^ a b Historic England. "NUMBER 51 AND BOOTHAM SCHOOL BLOCK TO REAR INCLUDING JOHN BRIGHT LIBRARY AND ATTACHED RAILINGS (1259468)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 November 2024.