Priory of St. Mary in the Meadow

TG 14 SE 2/7

BEESTON REGIS Priory of St. Mary in the Meadow

(Formerly listed as Remains of Beeston Priory)

4.10.60

G.V. I

Augustinian Priory Church, now ruinous. Probably founded in 1216 by Margaret de Cressy; dissolved in 1539. Flint (Quaternary) with Lincolnshire Limestone and brick dressings. Aisleless nave with outshut to north (perhaps a sacristy), north transept with eastern chapel, possibly a south transept, chancel. West wall remains to gable; C19 brick archway window above with some stone dressings and fragments of tracery remaining; angle buttresses to north west corner robbed of ashlar. Nave of three bays. South nave wall now c.2 metres high obscured by vegetation, no trace of openings. Buttressed north nave wall remains to full height but central section where former openings were has fallen. Outshut in angle of nave and transept has remains of unidentified feature on north wall now robbed of almost all ashlar. Brick quoins. Roofline visible on west wall of transept. Angle buttresses to north transept remain; some C13 brick dressings; triangular coping. North face of transept has sill band below opening for large north window, top of the gable and window head now collapsed. Window high in west wall of transept has lost its tracery but otherwise intact. East chapel with sill band; buttresses lost; some medieval brick. Two windows to north one having lost some stone. North east window has remnant of tracery suggesting Y-tracery with hollow chamfered ribs; two hollow chamfered orders to arch. East window robbed. To nave wall south of the crossing remains of a bell-turret which collapsed in 1903, overgrown with ivy. Chancel of two bays with angle buttresses; two blocked lancets to south with sill band and continuous hood mould. C19 brick archway, stone jambs; this apparently cuts a larger two-centred arch opening, possibly a relieving arch. Roofline over, partly obscured by vegetation. North chancel wall with one opening, profile of reveals as transept chapel; sill band and continuous hood mould. Central section of east wall rebuilt; remains of sill and hood bands.

Interior. Outshut to north nave wall entered from nave; perhaps remains of wide doorway, now blocked; has hollow-chamfered jamb. Doorway into transept. Three clustered shafts of crossing pier now incorporated into bell turrets, might suggest that south transept was intended; other crossing piers lost. Part-blind arcade of five Early English arches to south chancel wall, two of the arches enclosing now blocked windows. Sill band. Impost band. One taller blind arch remains to east wall. North wall had similar arcade to south, three arches now remaining, the centre being blind. Remains of piscina and sedilia in south wall of transept chapel. To south the remains of the cloister. Two parallel flint walls running approximately 20m south.

Listing NGR: TG1675642801