Abbey Gatehouse, Including The Porters' Lodge

The Abbey Gatehouse, including the porters' lodge, dates from the mid-14th century and was completely restored in 1810. It features a large arched entrance flanked by buttresses and a vaulted side entrance leading to the porters' lodge on the north side. The medieval upper storey of the gatehouse is now missing. The building has a pantile roof that is half-hipped at the south end. The lodge is two storeys high and includes a possibly 17th-century splayed bay that rises through both storeys, along with a ten-light mullioned and transomed window and a crenellated parapet. The left-hand range extends to the rear and has mullioned windows. There is a small medieval archway, which was formerly the entrance to St Patrick's almshouses, attached to the south end of the range, featuring a four-centred arch with a heraldic device above it. The Abbey Gatehouse is located within an area scheduled as an Ancient Monument and forms part of an important group with the Town Hall, St Dunstan's House, and Nos 6 to 9 Market Place.