St Mary's churchyard walls, including walls lining approaches from Castle St, High St & Rose Hill St

Cadw's description

Location

Surrounding the churchyard.

History

Of uncertain date, but the original precinct of the late C12 monastery was probably bounded by Rose Hill Street, Church Street, High Street and Castle Street. The present walls, probably piecemeal in construction, bound the back yards of the buildings fronting those streets.

Exterior

Rubble-stone walls surround the churchyard, and are continuous with passages on each side to the town's main streets. On the S side of the churchyard, E of the Rose Hill Street entrance, the wall is 2-2.5m high, and towards the E end, where the wall is partly rebuilt in brick, are the bases of 3 buttresses. A lower rubble wall is on the E side, rising to 2.5m high beyond the Castle Street entrance and an added corner building at the rear of No 12 Castle Street. On the N side the wall is overgrown, up to 2m high E of the High Street entrance, 3-4m high to its W where it is cement coped. This section is partly rebuilt and has a lean-to in the churchyard. To the L and R of the lean-to are the blocked segmental-headed former windows of a building on the outer side of the wall. On the W side the wall is up to 4m high, and concrete coped, N of the Church Street entrance. To the S of the Church Street entrance the wall was incorporated into a former air-raid shelter on the outer side of the wall (at the rear of No 5 Church Street), beyond which and continuing on the S side, the wall is 1-2m high. It has a buttress on the S side and has been breached to make an entrance to the Rectory.
The approach from Rose Hill Street has cement coped walls 2.5m high on the E and 1.8m high on the W. The Castle Street approach has a wall 1.8m high behind No 14 Castle Street, broken by an outbuilding, and 2m high on the N behind No 12 Castle Street. The High Street approach has walls which, on the E side is up to 2m high and continuous with the rear wing of the Castle Hotel. On the W side the wall is 3m high and abuts the rear of No 11 High Street. On the W side the wall abuts the gate piers in Church Street, which are listed separately.

Reason for designation

Listed as an important component of the church precincts and for group value with the church and other listed churchyard items.