What’s on in York:The Genius of Grinling Gibbons: From Journeyman to King’s Carver

GibbonsFairfax House :

Sat 14 Apr – Fri 14 Sep :

Normal Opening Times :

General admission price

To celebrate the ‘home-coming’ of the exquisite ‘King David Panel’ and to illuminate the extraordinary skill of Grinling Gibbons, Fairfax House will be mounting a major new exhibition in 2018, The Genius of Grinling Gibbons: From Journeyman to King’s Carver.

Opening on the 370th anniversary of his birth, this exhibition also marks the 350th year of Gibbons’ arrival in York. Drawing on new research and bringing together artworks and sculpture by the hand of this iconic individual from across the country, it will explore his development from an obscure journeyman to becoming the country’s most celebrated master-carver.

Ticket Prices :

Included in admission to the museum:

Adult: £7.50
Concession: £6.00 (applies to over 60s and students)
Children: £3.00 (over 6 and under 16) and include the Townhouse Mouse Trail or Townhouse Mouse Quest.
Family ticket: £17.50 (2 adults and up to 3 children)
Friends of Fairfax House, York Civic Trust members, York Pass holders, National Art Pass holders and Historic Houses Association members: Free Entry

For more information please click here.

What’s on in York: Concert – Alphabet Soup Made In Britain

Fairfax House :

Sat 27 May :

7.30pm – 9.00pm :

£14 & concessions

May _27AlphabetA is for Thomas Arne,
B is for Richard Rodney Bennett…
E is for Sir Edward Elgar.

An A to Z tour of composers of The British Isles from the past 800 years…

Ad Hoc returns with their customary eclectic mix of music, and invite you to share in an evening of alphabetical delights celebrating music Made in Britain.

Frances Brock, Sue Lindley and John Gill are joined by guests Rosy Jamieson, mezzo-soprano, and Alasdiar Jamieson, Bass and Keyboard.

Tickets £14.00
Members & Friends of Fairfax House £12.00 (Includes wine reception at the interval)

Tickets for events can be purchased from the Fairfax House museum shop during opening hours or by ringing (01904) 655543

Council set to sell Castlegate property for £431,250

Castlegate

The former youth advice centre premises at 29 Castlegate are set to be sold to the York Conservation Trust for over £431,000.

The building was the centre of a controversy three years ago when the Council seemed to be set on moving the youth advice service to unsuitable premises at West Offices in order to force a sale.

That issue now seems to have been resolved leaving the building – which is adjacent to Fairfax House  – empty.

The York Civic Trust intend to expand their Fairfax House operations into the building

A council report says that the open market valuation of the property is £575,000 but the discount can be justified by the new use for the building which will stimulate tourism and education visits to the City and its nearby attractions.

The new owners face bills of around £40,000 for repairs and redecoration of the property over the next 5 years.

It is expected that around £2.8 million will be invested in Fairfax House  and the adjacent building. The work will include providing full disabled access facilities.

This seems to be a  satisfactory solution to an issue which was surrounded in secrecy when considered by the last Council administration.

 

 

What’s on in York: Lecture & Demonstration: Minuet to Waltz: The Georgian Duet

Fairfax House :
Thu 24 Nov :
7.00pm – 9.00pm :
Tickets £14 or £12 for members and Friends of Fairfax House

Nov 24FairfaxDancing was central to Georgian life, at court, in the ballroom and on the stage. Country dances were extremely popular, but this was also the era of the duet – beginning with the minuet and ending with the waltz. This talk by Moira Goff will explore the Georgian duet, from the formal ballroom dances of the time of George I to the apparent spontaneity of the couple dances enjoyed in the reign of George IV. It will also trace the evolution and reveal the variety of theatrical pas de deux between the early 1700s and the early 1800s. Along the way, it will peer at fashion, celebrity and dance crazes through the prism of changes in the style and technique of social and theatrical dancing. There will be pictures and even some demonstration of the dancing of this period.

Moira Goff is a dance historian specialising in ballroom and theatre dancing from 1660 to 1760. Her research is practical as well as academic and she enjoys dancing duets and country dances from the 18th and 19th centuries. She has published many articles, essays and papers, as well as her book The Incomparable Hester Santlow: a Dancer-Actress on the Georgian Stage which appeared in 2007. Moira is currently Librarian at the Garrick Club in London.

Tickets £14 or £12 for members and Friends of Fairfax House – prices include a glass of wine.  Tickets can be bought by calling into the Museum Shop or alternatively phoning the shop on 01904 655543.

What’s on in York: A Hidden History of Harlotry – Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies

Fairfax House :

Thu 10 Nov :

7.00pm – 9.00pm :

Tickets £14 or £12 for members and Friends of Fairfax House

Nov 10HarlotBetween 1757 and 1795, The Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies, a guidebook to London’s ‘light girls’ was the essential piece of kit for a man about town.

For more information click here.

York Council to ramp up buying and selling plans

Castlegate
Castlegate

Castlegate

It looks like the Council will be selling its premises at 29 Castlegate later in the year. The building has been in use as a youth drop in centre for several years and before that housed a photographic gallery.

Closure of the youth centre provoked a strong reaction and the Council abandoned its plans to sell the building in 2015. However, a new home for youth activities has now been found at Sycamore House and it seems that the Council will resurrect is plan to sell the building to the York Civic Trust (who run the adjacent Fairfax House and which needs the space to expand).

A meeting on 24th November will discuss how to ensure that taxpayers get the best possible deal out of the change.

Leeman Road

Elsewhere the Council is expected to discuss in October whether it can buy the Unipart Rail site on Leeman Road. The site is one that will eventually be redeveloped as part of the York Central project.

The Council has so far failed to identify an investment model to drive forward land acquisition in the area. It has allocated £10 million in its capital programme to fund an access route into the site but many taxpayers are unhappy that this risk is not being born by commercial partners – or government agencies – who stand to profit from the development.

Piccadilly
Castle Mills car park

Castle Mills car park

It seems likely that the Council will fund the demolition of its Castle Mills car park on Piccadilly which is described as being in “poor condition”. It is likely to be replaced by a surface level car park until such time as the regeneration of the area actually moves forward.

Regeneration of the Coppergate/Piccadilly area has been stalled for over 15 years.

2016 Festival of Flowers – Floral Delights

Fairfax House :

Sat 27 Aug – Sat 3 Sep :

10.00am – 5.00pm :

Free as part of admission to Fairfax House

Aug 27FlowersFilling the magnificent historic interiors of the townhouse throughout, flowers and beautiful decorative objects will combine to create luscious and extravagant floral displays that pay homage to the Georgian era whist also celebrating the best of contemporary design and artistry.

The 2016 Festival of Flowers takes as its the theme Georgian Floral Delights. The House will be transformed by New Earswick Flower Club and friends whose floral creations will be inspired by the entertainments, pastimes and amusements of the period whether card playing, taking tea, making music or even horseracing on the Knavesmire.

Come and be entranced by the glorious and creative forms that this takes.

Admission to the House costs are: Adult £6, Concession £5.  Tickets not required.  For more information or to book tickets visit Fairfax House.

Living History Weekend: At Home with the Georgians

Fairfax House :

Sat 6 Aug & Sun 7 Aug :

11.00am – 4.00pm :

Free as part of admission to Fairfax House

Aug 6_GeorgiansHow did the Georgians spend their leisure time? What diversions and games entertained them at home, in the country and in the town?

Enter the Georgian world of polite society for one weekend, as The Mannered Mob bring Fairfax House to life. From the refined to the bawdy, they will explore the amusements available to people in the eighteenth century.

Admission to the House costs are: Adult £6, Concession £5.  Tickets not required.  For more information visit Fairfax House.