![Doncaster Mansion House](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Doncaster_Mansion_House.JPG)
Doncaster Mansion House is a
Grade I listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
in
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
,
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham.
In N ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It is owned and managed by Doncaster Council, and the venue is used for civic and private functions, including tours, afternoon teas, wedding services, and official receptions.
The Mansion House stands on the site of the Carmelite Friary, which had been established in Doncaster in 1350 and remained until its dissolution on 13 November 1538, after which the buildings were destroyed. During the 18th century, Doncaster's position on the
Great North Road brought wealth to the town.
The town's corporation was frequently called on to host entertainments, initially at the mayor's house or the Angel or Three Cranes inns. In 1719, they took a lease on a house in the
High Street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
for holding feasts, but let this lapse around 1727. They bought a site on the High Street in 1738, with the intention of building a permanent base for entertaining, but little construction took place for several years. In 1746,
James Paine was appointed as architect in 1746.
[A House for the Corporation](_blank)
Doncaster Council Although young, Paine had already worked on
Nostell Priory
Nostell Priory is a Palladian house in Nostell, West Yorkshire, England, near Crofton on the road to Doncaster from Wakefield. It dates from 1733, and was built for the Winn family on the site of a medieval priory. The Priory and its contents w ...
and had designed Heath House, both near
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
.
[James Paine The Architect](_blank)
Doncaster Council
Mansion Houses had already been constructed in
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
(now demolished),
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
and
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. Whereas these other buildings contained both formal reception rooms and living quarters for the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
, Doncaster's differed in being designed purely for entertainment, although some later mayors used space in the building as accommodation.
[Doncaster's Mansion House](_blank)
Doncaster Council
City of Doncaster Council is the local authority of the City of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England, based at the Doncaster Civic Office in Waterdale, central Doncaster. It is one of four local authories in South Yorkshire and provides the maj ...
Paine planned a building along the now established designs of
Assembly Rooms
In Great Britain and Ireland, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, assembly rooms were gathering places for members of the higher social classes open to members of both sexes. At that time most entertaining was done at home and there were ...
.
It was completed in 1748
and officially opened in 1749, the construction having cost £8,000.
[Mansion House](_blank)
, historical Doncaster Paine was immediately offered more local work, starting with alterations to
Cusworth Hall
Cusworth Hall is an 18th-century Grade I listed country house in Cusworth, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire in the north of England. Set in the landscaped parklands of Cusworth Park, Cusworth Hall is a good example of a Georgian country house. ...
. He published his designs for the Mansion House in 1751. This work showed the building flanked by two other structures, marked as houses for the town clerk and recorder, but these were never part of the commission and were not built.
William Lindley
William Lindley (7 September 1808 in London – 22 May 1900 in Blackheath, London), was an English engineer who together with his sons designed water and sewerage systems for over 30 cities across Europe.
Life
As a young engineer he worked t ...
extended the building between 1801 and 1806, adding an
attic
An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the ...
storey, a rear banqueting hall and rear landing.
Friends of Doncaster Mansion House
The charity Friends of Doncaster Mansion House (Registered Charity Number 1171398) was formed in January 2015 “to support Doncaster Council to conserve, restore, research, interpret and display the Mansion House and its contents for the benefit for all sections of the community and for future generation to open up the Mansion House to the public”.
In 2017, the Friends of Doncaster Mansion House led on the James Paine Festival,
the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the birth of
James Paine, architect of the Doncaster Mansion House.
See also
*
Grade I listed buildings in South Yorkshire
There are 62 Grade I listed buildings in South Yorkshire, England. In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural signific ...
*
Listed buildings in Doncaster (Town Ward)
Town ward is a ward in the metropolitan borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The ward contains 105 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, two are listed at Grade I, the highest ...
References
External links
Doncaster Mansion House official website{{coord, 53.5231, -1.1341, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Houses completed in 1748
Buildings and structures in Doncaster
Grade I listed buildings in South Yorkshire
Mayors' mansions in the United Kingdom