Garden Wall extending south of the Talbot Hotel on the line of Malton's medieval town wall

Summary

Garden wall of C17 origin, but marking the line of the medieval town wall.

Reasons for Designation

The late C17 garden wall is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Garden design: as structural components of a C17 garden design for York House;
* Historical: as a marker for the line of the medieval town wall;
* Group Value: with the Grade II* listed York House and Talbot Hotel along with the other associated listed garden structures.

History

The garden wall follows the line of Malton's medieval town wall, although the current structure is considered to have been originally built for Sir William Strickland in the late C17 as part of the gardens associated with York House (see NHLE 1290865). The wall is shown in the 1728 painting of Malton by Settrington and on the 1730 plan by Dickinson, the latter hinting that the gateway towards the centre of the wall was present by this time as well as the eastwards kink towards the south end of the wall. An illustration with a closer perspective dated to 1827 shows the wall as having a ramped top matching that of the eastern wall to the garden for York House (NHLE 1220709). By 1739 the Wentworth family had acquired both York House and the former Strickland Hunting Lodge which was then converted into an inn or hotel. This catered for the gentry and acted as a social hub for Malton's horse racing and breeding scene, becoming known as The Talbot Hotel (see NHLE 1202751). The southern section of the garden wall was largely rebuilt in 2002 following storm damage.

Details

Garden wall, late C17.

MATERIALS
Hildenley limestone squared, pulvinated rubble laid to courses that are not horizontal, but follow the lie of the hillside. Flat coping stones.

DESCRIPTION
The wall is generally just over 2m high and runs north south for about 40m. The north end of the wall is now incorporated into a basement passage beneath the Talbot Hotel (q.v.) and abuts the east end of the high terrace wall (see NHLE 1290839). Towards the centre of the wall there is a square headed pedestrian gateway with a plain rendered surround that links to a short flight of steps onto a low terrace on the eastern side of the wall. This terrace, which appears on the Dickinson plan of 1730, continues the general line of the lower terrace (see NHLE 1282011) to the rear of York House (q.v.). At the southern end of the wall, the wall line kinks slightly westwards (as shown on the 1730 plan) just before ending about 50m from the river, the boundary continuing as a hedge line. Evidence that the wall line originally continued is inconclusive.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

389620

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Other
Peter Goodchild, Some Historical Notes on York House, Malton, and its Garden and Grounds, 2011,
Colin Briden, The Talbot Hotel Malton North Yorkhire: An assessment of the gardens, 2011,

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