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 ...

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 county, ceremonial and metropolitan county, metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of City of Doncaster, Doncaster and City of Sh ...

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
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 ...

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
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 List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

. 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 ...

, Doncaster's differed in being designed purely for entertainment, although some later mayors used space in the building as accommodation.Doncaster's Mansion House
Doncaster Council Paine planned a building along the now established designs of

Assembly Rooms In Great Britain and Ireland, especially in the 18th century Britain, 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 ...

. It was completed in 1748 and officially opened in 1749, the construction having cost £8,000.Mansion House
, historical Doncaster Paine was immediately offered more local work, starting with alterations to Cusworth Hall. 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 extended the building between 1801 and 1806, adding an attic 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.

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

Friends of Doncaster Mansion House

See also

References

External links