Petergate House facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Petergate House
Oratory House
Petergate House, in 2021
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Tradition	Oratory of Saint Philip Neri
History
Former name(s)	The Rectory
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*

Petergate House (or Oratory House) is a grade II* listed building in the city centre of York, in England.

A previous building on the site was constructed about 1500, and its later owners included Thomas Herbert and Henry Swinburne. William Turner bought it in 1723, and largely demolished it, only a single passageway surviving. The new house was of three storeys and seven bays, with a stucco front, lined to resemble stonework, while the rear is of brick.

In the 19th century, a new mansard roof was added, as was a two-storey semicircular bay to the rear. The interior was also largely remodelled, and the staircase was altered and moved. From the original fittings, several fireplaces survive, as does much of the decoration of the left-hand front room on the ground floor. The top of the staircase includes some reused balusters from about 1700.

Rear of the house, seen from the garden of York Oratory

The building serves as the rectory for the York Oratory. It is the home of the Fathers of the Oratory and its garden is occasionally opened to the public.