Details
YORK
SE5952SE MUSEUM GARDENS
1112-1/12/778 St Mary's Abbey remains: Church
14/06/54
(Formerly Listed as:
MUSEUM GARDENS
Remains of St Mary's Abbey)
GV I
Formerly known as: Remains of St Mary's Abbey MUSEUM GARDENS.
Abbey church, now ruined. 1089, 1270-94. Magnesian limestone
incorporating some re-used Roman gritstone.
PLAN: 8-bay nave, 3-bay transepts, 9-bay east arm, all aisled:
central tower originally.
EXTERIOR: east arm: base courses of buttressed east end and
north wall exposed.
Transepts: to north transept, base courses of east wall and
fragment of north wall and buttress exposed. To south
transept, base courses of east wall and buttresses survive;
lower courses of west wall visible including buttress with
moulded bases of triple attached angle shafts. South-west
buttress now contained in basement of the Tempest Anderson
Hall (qv).
Nave: north side on bold plinth, articulated by 2-stage
buttresses. Bay towards western end contains moulded doorway
with 2-centred arch springing from piers of alternately
attached and detached shafts with decayed capitals, beneath
hoodmould on stops: on each side are narrow pointed blind
arches. Windows similarly arcaded with alternately 2- or
3-light arched windows, originally with traceried heads,
flanked by recessed pointed blind arches. Arcade carried on
detached shafts, mostly missing, with stiff-leaf capitals,
largely decayed, the outer sides dying into flanking walls:
window mullions originally multi-shaft piers with moulded
capitals, now decaying. Sillstring below windows. On south
side, lower courses of 5 bays and fragments of buttresses with
splayed angles and triple engaged shafts are visible. West
front: on moulded plinth, buttressed and arcaded in three
tiers of trefoiled blind arches springing from tripled shafts
with moulded or foliate capitals under crocketed gables. North
side of west door arch survives, of 5 orders, one attached,
four detached, enriched with vine trail mouldings. Decayed
north jamb only of the west window survives. Remains of
3-light west window to north aisle had moulded arch on jambs
of engaged shafts and with moulded soffit.
INTERIOR: east end: plan of church of 1089 set out in
stonework on the ground. North aisle bays articulated by
lowest courses of triple engaged shafts rising from wall
bench. East respond of north arcade has five filleted or
keeled shafts. On south side lower courses of four arcade
piers of octofoil plan with filleted and keeled shafts
reconstructed.
Crossing: north-west pier asymmetrical on plan intact to
springing height, with multiple filleted and keeled shafts,
moulded bases and stiff-leaf capitals. Remaining three piers
rebuilt to height of 5 courses.
North transept: lower courses and vestiges of wallbenches of
two north bays of west wall survive: both bays arcaded in two
pointed arches with hoodmoulds, each over twin subsidiary
arches springing from shafts, now missing, with moulded
capitals and with moulded uncusped roundel in the spandrel.
Third bay has 2-centred arch of 3 moulded orders to nave north
aisle. Above, one bay of triforium survives, with 2-centred
arch of 2 orders over blind arcade of 4 trefoiled lights and
quatrefoil tracery. South jamb of middle bay window has 3
engaged shafts with decaying moulded capitals and bases.
Nave arcades: of north arcade, nothing survives: of south
arcade, base courses of one octofoil pier with one trefoiled
shaft towards south aisle. West responds are multiple shafted,
keeled and filleted, and with triple roll-moulded bases and
foliate capitals. North aisle wall is articulated by
full-height triple engaged shafts with moulded bases and
foliate capitals. Each bay arcaded as for north transept, with
tripled arches rather than two: north doorway blocked with
railings, incorporated in arcading, has stilted segmental
rere-arch beneath hoodmould to inner face. In westernmost bay
is plain blocked doorway to vice. In upper stage, external
window detailing repeated on inside. South aisle wall survives
only in base courses of 3 bays, fragments of wallbench, flight
of door steps and base of one triple shafted pier.
West end: west doorway flanked by 2-arched arcades as in north
transept and by single trefoiled arches as on exterior of west
end.
Scheduled Ancient Monument.
(An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of York:
RCHME: Outside the City Walls East of the Ouse: HMSO London:
1975-: 8-12).
Listing NGR: SE5988752148
