Priory Walls, including North, West and Postern Gateways

Location

Enclosing the Cathedral Close on 3 sides. The OS map reference is to the W gateway.

History

Medieval and later, and was described in 1698 as "looking more like a Town ...than the House of a private Gentleman having no less than Three Great Gates for entrance into the outer Court". The wall is thickest between the Almonry and Tithe Barn (now heritage centre), and thinner as it runs down Priory Hill. Masonry joints near the barn indicate that the wall was removed to build W wall of barn, probably in early C17, so wall predates the barn. The crenellated parapet, however, is later than the barn, but given that part of the western wall is shown with a very similar appearance in the Bucks’ print of 1741 may be late C17 or early C18.

Exterior

Massive wall of stone rubble with embattled parapet which extends south-west from former Almonry and links North, West and Postern gateways. The north gateway has a tall segmental headed arch with two niches with pointed heads over; parapet walk to rear; arch with head of dressed stone to the east on the side of the former Almonry. The Western gateway has a wide segmental headed arch of dressed stone with, to S, a narrow pedestrian arch with chamfered architrave. The Postern gateway has a curved-headed arch of dressed stone with gable over. To the east of the Postern gateway, the wall is lower (corbels near SW corner and then turns through approximately a right angle to run in a SW to NE direction roughly parallel to the South-east elevation of the Deanery.

Reason for designation

Stone wall retaining Medieval structure, defining the Cathedral Close. Group value with the listed Lych Gate, the Cathedral Church of St John the Evangelist, the Almonry, the Tithe Barn, the Canonry and Vestries, and the Chapter House, Clergy House and Deanery which form an exceptional group of ecclesiastical buildings.