Gates, Walls And Railings To Former Churchyard Of St Mary Bishophill Senior Wall Bounding Former Churchyard Of St Mary Bishophill Senior

The gates, walls, and railings surrounding the former churchyard of St Mary Bishophill Senior in York date from around 1860, incorporating sections of an earlier wall. These structures bound the churchyard to the south-east and south-west, as the church itself has been demolished since 1963. The walls are made of coursed dressed stone and include a stretch of brick wall, with ashlar gate piers and cast-iron gates and railings.

The carriage gate piers are octagonal in shape and feature stepped polygonal caps above a moulded cornice, while the foot gate piers are square but have lost their caps. The double carriage gates consist of railings adorned with fleur-de-lys finials and bands of quatrefoil castings, and there is a single pedestrian gate that matches this design. The walls vary in height from approximately 1.0 to 1.75 metres and have sloped coping, with the south-east side raked up. The railings are diagonally set, with octagonal standards that have tapering finials and alternating pointed and fleur-de-lys finials.

The church was restored in 1859-60 by JB and W Atkinson, who often collaborated with William Walker, the foundry responsible for the railings. Similar gates and cast-iron piers were ordered from Walker by the Little Blake Street Improvement Committee in 1863. It is believed that the wall on the south-east side incorporates remnants of a wall that may have belonged to a Saxon burial ground.