THE ceilings in what is said to be “England’s finest town house” have been saved after emergency work prevented them from becoming a public danger.

The deteriorating condition of ceilings at Fairfax House led to the closure of the building during York Residents' Weekend at the end of last month.

During the usual January closed period, specialist testing, carried out by York Conservation Trust, was undertaken on all of the ceilings.

The results showed that the ceilings required emergency work to prevent them becoming dangerous.

A spokesperson for Fairfax House said: “Our number one priority is public safety and so we simply cannot allow access to the building during this time.”

However, it was revealed by the Fairfax House team on Twitter yesterday that the work on the ceilings and plasterwork has now been completed.

The tweet said: “Happy news. We can now announce that our ceilings have been saved and all is well in the world of stucco.

“In partnership with York Conservation Trust, Ornate Interiors have stabilised and repaired the cracks following the discovery of extensive debonding.”

As the emergency work caused closure over York Residents' Weekend, the team at Fairfax House plans to run an open weekend for residents of the city later in the year on a date to be confirmed.

The spokesperson for Fairfax House added: “We have very much enjoyed being part of York Residents' Festival over the years and being able to share our magnificent townhouse and collections with visitors and the local community.”

Fairfax House is set to re-open to the public on Friday, March 27.

To celebrate the re-opening of the house, a ‘Keeping up with the Georgians: Celebrity, Society & Satire’ exhibition will be launched.

There are limited free tickets available for the event, which can be found at: bit.ly/2HxWb1o

Fairfax House has been used recently for filming the BBC series Gentleman Jack and ITV’s Victoria.

Visit the website at: http://www.fairfaxhouse.co.uk/