Boundary Wall Extending West And South West From Church Of St Laurence Belfry To Gateway

BLACKMORE

TL6001 CHURCH STREET 723-1/15/14 Boundary wall extending W & SW from Church of St Laurence belfry to gateway

GV II

Boundary wall. Early C18, altered in C19. Red and blue brick in Flemish bond. Abuts on SW corner of belfry of Church of St Laurence (qv) and extends westwards for approximately 10m to a blocked gap one metre wide, and there turns in a short radius curve to the SSW, as far as a gateway immediately N of the moat, a distance of approximately 115m. The C18 section is from, and including, this curve. Blue headers form a regular pattern on both sides. 65m SW of the belfry is a recess on the E side within a wider recess, the whole being 13m wide; the inner corners are square, the outer corners form short radius curves in header bond. At the S end the wall forms a reversed quadrant of approximately 1.50m radius to a square pier of the gateway (blocked with a wooden fence). The short section S of the gateway, abutting on a brick bridge over the moat, is not of architectural interest. No buttresses on either side. Has been raised twice with red brick. The lowest course of the first raise is of long bricks in stretcher bond on both sides, the bricks being up to 0.40m long. Plain copings of bricks on edge at each raise. The S part of the double recess has been damaged, probably by a falling tree, and repaired in plain red bricks, one of which is inscribed TMCL 1919 on the W side. The reversed quadrant at the S end has been repaired at both top corners with modern bricks and cement mortar. The section immediately W of the belfry is of a later build, similar in quality and style to the wall N of the E end of Blackmore Church with a blocked doorway with segmental arch 2m from the belfry and 5 buttresses on the N side, 4 of which have 2 roll mouldings and tumbled courses at the reductions. Similar coping. The main part of the wall is a rare survival in exceptionally good order.

Listing NGR: TL6028501557