Stone Wall

A freestone boundary wall in Tetbury, approximately 135 metres long and 5 metres high at its highest point, dating from the 17th or 18th century with some later rebuilding.

The wall is constructed of local limestone rubble, with the lower retaining courses lime mortared. Parts of the wall contain roughly squared stone set in mortared courses, positioned fairly randomly among the coursed freestone. The stretch behind numbers 40-44 Close Gardens retains its slightly overhanging coping stones; the remainder is topped with a rounded mortar cap.

The wall is retaining below a height of about two to three metres, as the external ground level falls away towards the south and west. It sweeps around the corner between West Street and The Knapp at the head of Cutwell, marking the boundary of the former grounds of The Close, which was the foremost residence of the town.

The Close itself dates in part from the 16th century, though the current gabled building dates largely from the 17th century. When described as newly built in 1594, it was owned by the Estcourt family of nearby Shipton Moyne. The house passed through the marriage of Mary Estcourt to Francis Savage and remained in the Savage family until 1850. In the later 19th century, The Close was owned by local solicitor Josiah Tippets Paul and subsequently inhabited as a family residence by several private owners until the mid-1960s. The last owner, Major Morrison-Bell, sold it to Wing Commander Pink, who converted it into a hotel.

In 1962, Major Morrison-Bell sold the majority of the Close Gardens for development. A library was constructed near the house, and a small estate of bungalows and houses was built on the remainder, with the wall becoming the rear boundary for numbers 38-44 Close Gardens. A section of the wall to the rear of 38 and 39 Close Gardens on New Church Street collapsed in the 1990s and was repaired. During this rebuilding, a coin dated 1799 was discovered, providing a possible date for construction or an earlier repair.

The wall represents approximately ninety per cent of the length of the original boundary wall associated with The Close. The quality of craftsmanship and materials is good, and its length, height, and the technically accomplished long sweeping curve make it an impressive survival. Despite some inevitable later repairs, the wall is largely intact and has considerable townscape value.