| Description | Caretaker's House, Back Lane, Wakefield. Mid to late 18th century house.
WYAAS archives holds plans and elevation drawings dating to 1994 and relating to the Orangery (see PRN 12958) and the Caretaker's House (Richard Collick Associates (Architects). 1994).
The drawings of the Caretaker's House depict a two storey, two unit house. The house is of brick with ashlar trim. The roof is hipped with a tall centrally positioned chimney stack. The south west front elevation has a symmetrical arrangement of openings. The front doorway, which faces the Orangery gardens, is a centrally positioned hall entry which leads directly to a staircase to the first floor. To the left and right of the entrance on the front elevation on both floors are classically proportioned single light windows with square glazed sashes. Above the door at first floor level is a single light window lighting a vestibule area. The ground floor windows have stone surrounds with a shallow triangular lintel. The upstairs windows have a stone lintel, brick sides with a brick arch above. The front door is of six panels, the surround has pilasters, a rectangular fan light window and a triangular pediment. The angles of the front elevation have ashlar quoins. There is a wide stone course at ground level and a second stone course, which extends around the house, at first floor level. The gutter is supported on moulded brackets. The south eastern side elevation has a window centrally positioned on each floor. The north western elevation has a single light window at first floor area. The windows on the side of the house may be blocked or occur as false windows. The rear north east elevation is devoid of openings and is built back to earth to first floor level.
Flanking either side of the small entrance hall are the doorways to the left and right ground floor rooms. The left hand room has been subdivided at the rear to form a kitchen/storage area. Access to the cellar is found below the central staircase to the rear of the right hand room. Both rooms are heated by the central stack. The small landing at the top of the staircase at the rear of the house has flanking doorways which enter the upstairs rooms. These are also heated by the central stack. The space between the stack and the front wall forms the vestibule area. This is depicted as a small room on the plan with a recess between the fireplaces in the central stack which creates a cupboard space.
Although the house has a Georgian appearance and has associations with the c.1780 Orangery and gardens, the house did not feature on the mid 19th century town plan of Wakefield. It is present on the OS 6' 2nd edition map of c.1894 (sheet 248). At this time the Orangery and gardens were in use as a Sunday school and burial ground to the adjacent Westgate Unitarian Chapel. The house may have church associations.
(Lunn, K.R. (WYAAS). 2013. Description of the Caretaker's House, Back Lane, Wakefield based on architect's plans and historic mapping. Description found in digital record only and not on file at WYAAS). |