St Marys Abbey Remains Precinct Walls St Marys Tower
ST MARYS ABBEY REMAINS PRECINCT WALLS, MUSEUM GARDENS
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1257131
- Date first listed:
- 14-Jun-1954
- List Entry Name:
- St Marys Abbey Remains Precinct Walls St Marys Tower
- Statutory Address:
- ST MARYS ABBEY REMAINS PRECINCT WALLS, MUSEUM GARDENS
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2006-08-22
- Reference:
- IOE01/15829/16
- Rights:
- © Mr David Robson. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1257131
- Date first listed:
- 14-Jun-1954
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 14-Mar-1997
- List Entry Name:
- St Marys Abbey Remains Precinct Walls St Marys Tower
- Statutory Address 1:
- ST MARYS ABBEY REMAINS PRECINCT WALLS, MUSEUM GARDENS
- Statutory Address 2:
- ST MARYS TOWER, MARYGATE
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 MARYS ABBEY REMAINS PRECINCT WALLS, MUSEUM GARDENS
- Statutory Address:
- ST MARYS TOWER, MARYGATE
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- York (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SE5998352340
Details
SE5952SE
1112-1/12/781
14/06/54
YORK
MUSEUM GARDENS
St Mary's Abbey remains: Precinct Walls
(Formerly Listed as:
MARYGATE
Precinct walls of St Mary's Abbey)
(Formerly Listed as:
BOOTHAM
Postern and Tower (formerly listed as Queen Margaret's Arch))
(Formerly Listed as:
BOOTHAM
St Mary's Tower)
(Formerly Listed as:
MARYGATE
Tower immediately to south-west of St Mary's Tower)
(Formerly Listed as:
MARYGATE
West Tower (Marygate Landing))
GV
I
Includes: St Mary's Tower MARYGATE.
Defensive wall approximately 150 metres long from Queen
Margaret's Arch and Postern Tower to St Mary's Tower,
including 2 intermediate towers; defensive wall approximately
400 metres long from St Mary's Tower to the Water Tower on
Marygate Landing, and 3 intermediate towers. Walls 1266,
raised, crenellated and extended 1318; St Mary's Tower and
Water Tower 1324, St Mary's Tower repaired 1644 following
Civil War damage; Queen Margaret's Arch and Postern Tower
1497, Postern Tower raised and altered in C17. Pedestrian
arches beside Queen Margaret's Arch and the Water Tower
inserted c1836.
MATERIALS: walls and towers of magnesian limestone except
Postern Tower which is red brick faced with ashlar; Postern
and St Mary's Towers have tiled roofs, respectively hipped and
conical.
EXTERIOR: walls with crenellations vary from approximately 2
to 5 metres in height and have irregularly spaced dwarf
buttresses with offsets and steeply sloped copings. Some
merlons are pierced with cruciform arrow slits; others retain
grooves to house wooden shutters protecting embrasures, three
of which are fitted with replicas.
Queen Margaret's Arch: stub wall attached to Postern Tower
contains segmental arch, chamfered and with defaced coved
hoodmould on outer side; inner side rebated for gates and
flanked by buttresses with offsets. Bronze plaque of 1899
incorrectly records date of arch as 1503. Inserted arch
adjacent has shouldered head.
Postern Tower (sometimes known as Bootham Tower): 2 storeys
and attic, on moulded plinth. Vertical panelled door in
4-centred arch in moulded surround with flat hoodmould and
sunk spandrels: similar doorway to left side now blocked by
2-light window. Upper floor windows are inserted in splayed
openings except for single segment-headed light in moulded
surround over door. In right side, C19 ground floor window is
of 3 diamond latticed lights with board shutters on ornate
C-hinges. INTERIOR: brick newel staircase in thickness of
wall. Openings have 4-centred arches of chamfered brick.
St Mary's Tower: 2 stages, an irregular circle on plan,
originally with chamfered plinth. Doorway to Bootham has board
door in moulded surround with restored 4-centred arch with
keyblock. To right is 2-light window with trefoiled heads in
chamfered square-headed surround. Upper stage has three
re-used 2-light windows with ovolo-moulded mullions and
transoms and moulded sills, and one cruciform arrow slit with
oillets. Inner side has wide chamfered doorway with 2-centred
head and C20 board door. Two upper stage doorways led to
wallwalk on each side, both in chamfered surrounds, one with
corbelled head, one with flat lintel.
Water Tower (sometimes known as Marygate Landing Tower):
originally 2 stages, now sunk in sloping ground to wallwalk
level. Exterior is circular on plan, interior hexagonal, with
single opening to each inner face: chamfered doorway to
wallwalk has shouldered head, four cruciform slits have
oillets to the arms, one vertical slit at wallhead has
chamfered opening.
INTERIOR: openings are splayed and have shouldered lintels.
Adjacent pedestrian gateway is 4-centred double chamfered
arch.
Scheduled Ancient Monument.
(An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of York:
RCHME: The Defences: HMSO: 1972-: 160-173; An Inventory of the
Historical Monuments in the City of York: RCHME: Outside the
City Walls East of the Ouse: HMSO London: 1975-: 14-22).
Listing NGR: SE5998352340
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 464214
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
An Inventory of the City of York II Defences, (1972), 160-173
An Inventory of the City of York IV East, (1975), 14-22
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
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