Fairfax House facts for kids
Fairfax House is a beautiful old house in York, England. It's a "Georgian townhouse," which means it was built a long time ago, in the 1700s, when King George was on the throne. You can find it at 27 Castlegate, close to famous places like Clifford's Tower.
The house was first built around the 1740s. In 1759, a man named Charles Gregory Fairfax, who was a Viscount (a type of noble), bought it. He wanted to make it a special home for his daughter, Ann Fairfax. He hired a famous architect, John Carr, to redesign the inside.
After the Viscount passed away in 1772, the house was sold many times. It was used for different things, like a club, a building society, and even a cinema! In the 1980s, a group called York Civic Trust bought the house. They worked hard to bring it back to its original grand look. Today, Fairfax House is a museum that you can visit. It's also a "Grade I listed building," which means it's a very important historical building.
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History of Fairfax House
In 1761, Viscount Fairfax hired John Carr, a well-known architect from Yorkshire. Carr's job was to remodel the inside of the house at 27 Castlegate. The work was finished in 1765. The house has amazing plasterwork and carved wood from that time. The fancy iron railings on the stairs were made by Maurice Tobin.
Changes Over Time
Viscount Fairfax died in 1772. After his death, the house had many different owners. For a while, it was called St. George's Hall. Sadly, it became quite run down. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, part of the building was even used as a dance hall.
In 1921, a cinema called St George's Cinema opened next to Fairfax House. The building was made bigger for the cinema. The cinema closed in 1970. The city council then bought the old building.
Restoration and Museum Opening
The city sold the building to the York Civic Trust. Between 1982 and 1984, they worked with architect Francis Johnson to fix up the house. They turned the old cinema entrance into the main entrance for Fairfax House. Later, the York Conservation Trust bought the house. They still let the Civic Trust run it as a museum.
The Collections Inside
In 1980, Noel Terry, who was part of the famous Terry's chocolate business, passed away. He left his amazing collection of Georgian furniture and clocks to the York Civic Trust. This collection is now kept in the beautiful rooms of Fairfax House.
Since then, the museum has added more items. In 2017, they found a wooden panel carved by Grinling Gibbons. He was a very famous wood carver who learned his skills in York. Fairfax House also has a large collection of Georgian glass. What makes it special is that almost all the furniture is English-made. This makes it one of the best collections of English Georgian furniture in Europe. In 2023, a painting of Elizabeth Clifford, the wife of the last Viscount Fairfax, was added to the collection.
Gallery
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The Kitchen
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The Saloon
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The Drawing Room
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The Viscount Bedroom
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Annes Bedroom
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The main stairs
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Corridor inside
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The Dining Room
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The Library
