Fairfax House, York

Acquisition of Grade 1 listed building, without question the finest Georgian house in York. Fairfax House was built to the design of John Carr as a dowry for the only surviving child of Viscount Fairfax of Gilling Castle, who acquired the house in 1760 and moved in with his daughter Anne in 1762, after the refurbishment had been completed. The shell of the house dates from about 1745, having a front elevation of 5x3 arrangement. To the left a late Georgian house, converted into a cinema entrance in the 1920's, was amalgamated to Fairfax House at the same time. Fairfax House was bought by York Civic Trust from the City Council in 1981 with the view to restore the building and open it to the public as a period house, displaying the superb furniture and clocks collection of the late Noel Terry, bequeathed to the Trust in May 1980. The architect Francis Johnson FRIBA carried out the restoration work and the house was opened to the public in November 1984. Fairfax House gained its Registered Museum status in October 1991.