Out & About …

… on the North York Moors, or wherever I happen to be.

A landscape, outdoor shot on a sunny day shows the weathered stone ruins of an archway, part of the former Gisborough Priory, framing the view of a quaint town street. The archway stands in the foreground on a grassy patch, its arches mostly intact but with crumbling stone and vegetation growing from its top. The far arch is semi-circular and the nearer side is divided into a round-headed pedestrian archway and an elliptical one for horse-drawn carts. Through the arches, a traditional English town scene is visible: a red-roofed white building with a red vehicle parked outside and what appears to be a red mailbox. To the left, a portion of another white house with a dark roof can be seen. The sky above is clear and blue.

The Priory Gatehouse: Overshadowed but Not Forgotten

I had reason to visit Guisborough today and took the chance to walk around the old priory. I have posted before of its great east wall—impressive as it is, it remains only a fragment of what must once have been a formidable complex.

A wide, low-angle shot on a clear day shows the weathered, ruined stone archway of Gisnororough Priory, rising majestically against a bright blue sky. The abbey's remaining Gothic architecture, including pointed arches and intricate carvings, is silhouetted against the sky. In the foreground, a vast expanse of bright green grass stretches out, with some molehills visible. A low stone wall runs horizontally across the midground, separating the grassy area from a line of mostly bare trees, indicating either late autumn or early spring. The overall impression is one of ancient grandeur amidst a serene natural setting.
The East Wall

The priory met its end in 1540 with the Dissolution. Ten years later, Sir Thomas Chaloner bought the site, lock, stock and barrel. His family took on the role of lords of the manor and built the Old Hall to the south-west of the priory in the late sixteenth century. Much of the stonework from the ruined priory was almost certainly reused in constructing this house on Bow Street, demolished in the early 1800s. Still, the Chaloners left the grand east arch, the dovecote and the remains of the Norman gatehouse standing—useful, it seems, as ‘romantic’ additions to their garden.1Guisborough Conservation Area Appraisal 2011. Page 7. Para 3.19.

The dovecote will wait for another post. Today’s focus is the gatehouse, seen from the manicured Priory grounds. The original wrought iron railings that once framed the verge and protected the gatehouse were handed over during the 1940s for the so-called war effort. In their place stands a crude wooden fence, which does the monument no favours.2Guisborough Conservation Area Appraisal 2011. Page 18. Para 4.1.45. The great arch might steal the attention, but the gatehouse deserves better.

Its broad, moulded semi-circular arch opens out onto Church Street. The nearer south side includes a round-headed arch for pedestrians and an elliptical one for carts. On the right, a stretch of wall contains a fireplace and a small cell, both plain in form but part of what remains of this once significant structure.3Gisborough Priory. Historic England Research Records. Hob Uid: 28304. https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=e8d2f552-2415-4937-be51-862f30ab71a9&resourceID=19191

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