| Summary : Keldholme Priory Wall. A substantial wall, about 100m long, forming a property boundary within an area known to be the site of a medieval nunnery. The boundary is shown on the 1856 Ordnance Survey map and documentary sources state it could that the two medieval coffin lids that are incorporated into the wall could have been uncovered in landscaping works of 1818. It varies in height but is typically around 3m tall. Along its length there are several construction breaks representing blocked gateways and areas of repair and rebuilding. The northern face is predominantly rubble stonework, although this changes to typical 19th century stock brickwork towards its eastern end. The southern face is of similar brickwork incorporating typical brick built buttresses. In places the wall is capped with pantiles, some stretches being clay tiles, some being replacement concrete tiles. The northern side has a number of large, semicircular full height buttresses, the one closest to the now converted Coach House including the sawn off stumps of substantial timbers at around 2.5m above the ground surface. A few metres to the left of this buttress there is a medieval grave slab set vertically and built into the wall. This grave slab is chamfered and has an incised design in the form of an ornate cross. A second medieval grave slab of a simpler and more weathered design is built into the wall about 10m to the west. |
More information : Keldholme Priory Wall. A substantial wall, about 100m long, forming a property boundary within an area known to be the site of a medieval nunnery. The boundary is shown on the 1856 Ordnance Survey map and documentary sources state it could that the two medieval coffin lids that are incorporated into the wall could have been uncovered in landscaping works of 1818. It varies in height but is typically around 3m tall. Along its length there are several construction breaks representing blocked gateways and areas of repair and rebuilding. The northern face is predominantly rubble stonework, although this changes to typical 19th century stock brickwork towards its eastern end. The southern face is of similar brickwork incorporating typical brick built buttresses. In places the wall is capped with pantiles, some stretches being clay tiles, some being replacement concrete tiles. The northern side has a number of large, semicircular full height buttresses, the one closest to the now converted Coach House including the sawn off stumps of substantial timbers at around 2.5m above the ground surface. A few metres to the left of this buttress there is a medieval grave slab set vertically and built into the wall. This grave slab is chamfered and has an incised design in the form of an ornate cross. A second medieval grave slab of a simpler and more weathered design is built into the wall about 10m to the west.
The layout of the medieval priory is not well understood, although it is thought that the church, cloister and associated buildings were centred just north of the current house known as The Priory and thus north of the wall that is the subject of this assessment. If this was the case then the wall is in the wrong place to be a precinct wall in origin. The precinct is known to have been bounded by the river to the south and thus any precinct wall would have been further north, possibly close to the modern road, running east-west to enclose the loop of the river. It has also been suggested that the wall may have been a boundary between the inner and outer courts of the priory: that is separating the church and cloister (the inner court) from the various service and farm buildings of the priory's outer court. Outer court buildings were normally arranged just inside an entrance to the precinct and because of the river this was probably to the north or west of the church at Keldholme. So again any boundary between the inner and outer courts would have been to the north of the wall that is under assessment here. Consequently the wall and its wall line is likely to be post-medieval in origin, although an earlier origin cannot be completely disproved.
In form, the wall with a brick southern face and a stonework northern face is consistent with those constructed for gardening purposes with the brick face absorbing the heat from the sun providing an improved micro-climate for plant growth. Although it may have earlier origins, the style of brickwork suggests that the wall is 19th century in origin, possibly constructed as part of landscaping works circa 1818. As such it would only normally be considered for listing with the associated house, and in this case the house is known to have been extensively altered and does not appear to be listable on the basis of available information. The wall has also undergone alteration and extensive repair work over the years. The form of the large stone buttresses is unusual and the inclusion of the two medieval grave slabs adds particular interest, but in a national context the wall is not of sufficient special interest to meet the criteria for listing in its own right on the basis of the information available.
The was propsed for listing in 2008, but did not meet the criteria for addition to the list for the following reasons:
At present there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate a medieval or early post-medieval origin for the wall.
As an 18th or 19th garden wall it is not associated with a listed house.
The 2 medieval grave slabs and the unusual stone buttresses do not provide sufficient special interest in a national context for the wall to be listed.
At present there is insufficient evidence for the archaeological survival of the medieval priory to justify a scheduling recommendation for the wider area.
The wall and any archaeological remains of the priory are currently appropriately managed via the local planning process. (1)
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