St Bees Priory, former chancel to Priory Church of St Mary and St Bega (Old College Hall)
St Bees Priory, former chancel to Priory Church of St Mary and St Bega (Old College Hall), B5345
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1086681
- Date first listed:
- 09-Aug-1984
- List Entry Name:
- St Bees Priory, former chancel to Priory Church of St Mary and St Bega (Old College Hall)
- Statutory Address:
- St Bees Priory, former chancel to Priory Church of St Mary and St Bega (Old College Hall), B5345
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
| Buildings |
| Scheduled monuments |
| Parks and gardens |
| Battlefields |
| Shipwrecks |
Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2000-07-16
- Reference:
- IOE01/01078/33
- Rights:
- © Mr Julian Thurgood. Source: Historic England Archive
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1086681
- Date first listed:
- 09-Aug-1984
- List Entry Name:
- St Bees Priory, former chancel to Priory Church of St Mary and St Bega (Old College Hall)
- Statutory Address 1:
- St Bees Priory, former chancel to Priory Church of St Mary and St Bega (Old College Hall), B5345
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- St Bees Priory, former chancel to Priory Church of St Mary and St Bega (Old College Hall), B5345
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Cumberland (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- St. Bees
- National Grid Reference:
- NX 96910 12130
Details
This List entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 07/11/2017
NX 91 SE (INSET),
8/67
ST BEES
B5345 (west side)
St Bees Priory, former chancel to Priory Church of St Mary and St Bega (Old College Hall)
(Formerly listed as St Bees School, Music room in former chancel to Priory Church of St Mary and St Bega)
GV
I
Former chancel to Priory Church (music room for St Bees School when surveyed). Rebuilt late C12; south aisle added late C13/early C14. Un-roofed at Dissolution; re-roofed and south arcade walled up when converted for use as lecture room in early C19. Wooden floor inserted. Sandstone blocks.
North side and east end have moulded plinth, string, decoratively carved cavetto eaves moulding, and pilaster buttresses between windows. Five-bay north side has tall lancets with waterleaf capitals (to nook-shafts, now lost). East end has three lancets of equal height with waterleaf capitals; some en-delit nook-shafts survive. Remains of (stepped??) lancets in gable. Four-bay south arcade has windows inserted in blocking walls; steps up to door. Fragmentary remains of south and east walls to aisle.
Internally, removal of rubbish below wooden floor in 1981 uncovered medieval flagged floor with steps up to altar platform; (C14?) effigy or woman against north wall. In music room, east wall retains ornate two-tier late C12 blind arcading between windows.
Listing NGR: NX9690912130
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 76165
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Hyde, M, The Buildings of England: Cumbria, (2010)
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 02-Jul-2026 at 14:46:06.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.