York Historic Environment Record

Abbey gatehouse and lodges, partly ruined; now part of The Yorkshire Museum (qv). Gatehouse late C12, lodges added c1470; St Mary's Lodge to south west altered and restored c1840 for The Yorkshire Philosophical Society for occupation by their Museum Keeper, John Phillips. Carriage gates, gate piers and railings c1840. MATERIALS: abbey buildings of magnesian limestone; octagonal stone stacks to St Mary's Lodge, roof of which is obscured by added plain parapet with sloped coping. Gates and railings of cast-iron, gate piers of ashlar. EXTERIOR: front to Marygate: 1-storey 1-bay gatehouse; to right, St Mary's Lodge is 2 storeyed with basement, 2 bays wide; to left, 1-storey ruins of north-east lodge. Gatehouse has semicircular arch of 3 chamfered orders on responds with moulded imposts: inner face of arch of 2 similar orders. Imposts extend to form moulded string across gatehouse side walls behind. Side walls arcaded symmetrically in 3 bays of paired blind round arches on paired shafts with moulded capitals and bases, rising from wallbenches. On both sides, arcades incorporate blocked doorways: springers and vaulting shafts for 3 transverse vaults survive. North-east lodge: on moulded and chamfered plinth: double chamfered arched doorway with 2-centred head and hoodmould has vertically panelled door. St Mary's Lodge: moulded and chamfered plinth: bays separated by narrow 3-stage buttresses with moulded offsets and gablets. Entrance through doorway with glazed and panelled door inserted in gatehouse arcade. Windows, one or two to each bay, generally mullioned and of paired cinquefoiled lights in square-headed splayed openings of differing sizes. On Museum Gardens front 3 round-headed slits light staircase. Moulded string extends around 3 outer sides of building. INTERIOR: of north-east lodge: staircase in thickness of wall is tunnel-vaulted; lit by chamfered opening with round head. Interior of St Mary's Lodge: short flight of steps inside door has bulbous balusters. Tunnel vaulted staircase rises to first floor within wall thickness. Other fittings of 1840 include several fireplaces and coffered ceilings with bosses to ground floor rooms. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: gate piers approximately 1.5 metres high; square on plan with chamfered bar-stopped angles, moulded
bases and cornices, and truncated pyramidal caps. Railings raised on low chamfered wall, stepped down in places. Railings and gate bars have barbed finials and top rail of pierced quatrefoils: gates strengthened with crossed curved braces. Scheduled Ancient Monument. (An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of York: RCHME: Outside the City Walls East of the Ouse: HMSO London: 1975-: 16-17; Murray H, Riddick S & Green R: York through the Eyes of the Artist: York City Art Gallery: 1990-: 58,59).
Listing NGR: SE5983452158

Derived from English Heritage LB download dated: 22/08/2005

NMR Information:

No further description provided.

Related event: (UID 613515) INVESTIGATION BY RCHME/EH ARCHITECTURAL SURVEY
Architectural Survey
14-NOV-1995 - 14-NOV-1995

Bertram Hyde Ltd, 2005, St. Mary's Precinct Conservation Management Plan (Unpublished document). SYO1736.