Pentney Priory Gatehouse

This is an Augustinian priory gatehouse built in the late 14th century.

Plan

The building is roughly rectangular in plan, with two polygonal-plan turrets on the north elevation, a projecting square-plan turret at the north end of the east elevation, and a projecting garderobe at the north end of the west elevation.

Materials

The gatehouse was constructed using a variety of materials found in the immediate vicinity and sourced from neighbouring counties. The main body was built of locally sourced rubble flint, with ashlar Barnack limestone dressings from a quarry outside Peterborough. Local carstone is used throughout the building as infill and repair. The chimneystacks on the east and west elevations were constructed of red brick, most likely dating from the 16th century. The roof structure was constructed in 2012-13, comprising a new oak frame with a lead covering. Plain glass was introduced to all windows during restoration works in 2012-13.

On the interior, chalk or clunch was used as infill, with red brick for window and door arches, jambs and fireplaces, and later as infill throughout the building. A section of carstone cobble survives on the ground floor of the west block and has been preserved in place. In 2012-13, the following materials were introduced to the interior: a limecrete floor on a porous base on the ground floor of the west block; a steel stair on a concrete base rising to second-floor level; and laminated timber floorboards to the second floor of the east, central, and west blocks.

Exterior

North Elevation

The north elevation is composed of three bays, with a central two-storey bay flanked on either side by a polygonal three-storey turret and a full-height stepped buttress. The crenellated parapet is raised and angled to the central bay, with carved trefoil-headed arcading and recently replaced stone to the merlons. A string course under the parapet bears a gargoyle head to the north-east elevation of the east polygonal turret. The second floor of the central bay bears a sill course, and there is a continuous moulded plinth course to the ground floor.

The central bay has a pointed-arch window opening to the second floor, containing two trefoil-headed lights under a carved hood-moulding. The polygonal turrets each have a pointed-arch window opening to the first and second floors containing a trefoil-headed window under a round-arched hood-moulding. The north and north-east elevations of the east turret each have an arrow loop to the porter's lodge. The most easterly bay has a lancet window opening under a hood-moulding, providing light to an internal stair turret.

The central entrance has a camber-headed arch with a moulded surround and reveals, having carved roundels to the spandrels, each containing a blank shield in a quatrefoil frame. The arch contains a replacement double-leaf gate with raised-and-fielded timber panelling (replaced 2012-13). There are short stubs of broken wall projecting east and west of the north elevation, showing evidence of the former precinct wall. The north elevation measures approximately 20 metres in length.

East Elevation

The east elevation has a square-plan turret stair to its north end, a central red brick chimneystack rising from the ground floor to the parapet, and a moulded sill course to the second floor south of the chimneystack. The crenellated parapet has replacement stone to some merlons, and a continuous string course, featuring a carved gargoyle head near the south corner.

The second and first floors each have a square-headed window opening under a hood-moulding, the second floor having two trefoil-headed lights, and the first floor having two cinquefoil-headed lights. The ground floor has a single trefoil-headed light in a pointed-arch surround, with a pointed-arch hood-moulding. The square-plan turret contains a single lancet window opening on its east elevation under a hood moulding. The turret has a pointed-arch door opening on its south elevation, with a carved hood-moulding, chamfered reveals and a replacement door. The east elevation measures approximately 10 metres in length.

South Elevation

The south elevation has a central two-storey bay, flanked on either side by a three-storey bay. Each bay is flanked by a stepped buttress, and the walls have a stepped sill course to the second floor and a continuous plinth course to the ground floor. The angled crenellated parapet is raised to the central bay, with trefoil-headed arcaded carving to the merlons of the central bay only. A number of merlons have recently been restored and some stone replaced.

The central bay has a pointed-arch window opening containing two trefoil-headed lights, with a carved hood-moulding and chamfered reveals. The east and west bays each have a pointed-arch window opening to the first and second floors and a square-headed opening to the ground floor, each of the three windows having a carved hood-moulding and two trefoil-headed lights, increasing in size with each storey. The central ground-floor arch is pointed, with a moulded surround and reveals. The south elevation measures approximately 15 metres in length.

West Elevation

The west elevation is three storeys in height, with a sloped return from the north elevation containing a garderobe, a central red brick chimneystack rising from the ground floor to the parapet, and a sill course to the second floor. The parapet is crenellated with some merlons recently replaced, and features two carved gargoyle heads to the string course, one at the junction with the north return and one near the south corner.

The second and first floors each have a square-headed window opening under a square-headed hood-moulding, that to the second floor having two trefoil-headed lights, and that to the first floor having two cinquefoil-headed lights. The ground floor has a single trefoil-headed light in a pointed-arch surround, with a carved pointed-arched hood-moulding. A camber-arched opening with red brick voussoirs on the ground floor of the angled return granted access to a basement level. The west elevation measures approximately 10 metres in length.

Interior

The internal walls are constructed of rubble flint and clunch, with later brick infill. The central ground-floor archway was formerly covered by two ribbed vaults, which supported the large central chamber above. The east and west walls of the archway each have two blind pointed arches with rubble flint infill, and each bay is divided by a moulded engaged pier, from which there are remnants of the springing arches of the vaults. The east and west walls each have a door opening at their north end to the east and west blocks respectively, with a chamfered ashlar surround and replacement timber door. Where sections of the walls have collapsed, the fabric was substituted in 2012-13 by modern red brick laid in Flemish bond. The window openings throughout the building have red brick voussoirs to the interior.

West Block

The west block has a porous limecrete floor to the ground floor, with a section of original carstone cobbling to the north-west corner. A steel stair on a concrete foundation was introduced in 2012-13, and grants access from the ground floor to the second floor. The ground floor has a red-brick fireplace on the west wall, with some brick replaced in 2012-13. The west wall of the ground, first and second floors each have a door opening to a garderobe, the openings on the ground and second floors having an ashlar limestone surround with some replacement stone. The east wall of the first and second floors is composed of modern red brick laid in Flemish bond (replaced in 2012-13). The second floor has laminated timber floorboards, a steel-panelled balustrade to the stair landing, and a roof hatch allowing access to roof level. A pointed-arch door opening at the north end of the east wall grants access to the central chamber.

Central Chamber

The central chamber is a rectangular-plan room with a door opening at the north end of the east and west walls. The west wall of the central chamber is composed of modern red brick, and shared with the west block. The north, east and south walls are all of original construction, and the east wall has an original fireplace with a brick surround, and a pointed-arch door surround granting access to the east block. The central block has recent laminated timber floorboards.

East Block

Similar to the west block, only the ground floor and second floor of the east block are accessible today. The ground-floor room (formerly the porter's lodge) is accessed via the door on the east wall of the central archway. It contains a red-brick fireplace on the east wall, and a porous limecrete floor. The floor of the first-floor level is no longer present, but the first floor may be viewed from the door opening of the turret stair at this level. The second-floor room of the east block has a moulded pointed-arch door surround to the central chamber, and a chamfered pointed-arch door surround with deep reveals to the turret stair. As with the second-floor room of the west block and central chamber, the second-floor room of the east block has recent laminated timber floorboards.

Turret Stair

The turret stair at the north-east corner of the east block is of stone construction with stone treads, and features historic graffiti on its internal wall. A skylight and some replacement treads were introduced in 2012-13.