Listed Building record MDO12747 - Park Wall, Gold Hill, Shaftesbury

Wall bounding Gold Hill on its West side. Originally the boundary wall to the Abbey precincts at their south east corner. It is built on an outcrop of rock and forms a retaining wall to the steep open strip known as "Park". It is of stone ashlar with large buttresses of various dates, some battered, some with offsets. About half-way up the hill there is a blocked round-headed doorway. It dates mainly from the late 14th or early 15th century with later repairs and rebuilds. The record for this monument has been enhanced with support from Wessex Water.

(Centred ST 862227) The Park (NAT)
(ST 86262290 to ST 86222280) Park Wall (NR) (Remains of). <2>

'On the south side of the town, near which formerly stood the abbey and the church, was a park belonging to the abbey, which still retains the name of Park-Hill. At the east end, where it abuts upon....... Gold-Hill, remains part of the wall that inclosed it...... supported by very large buttresses; but lower down, near the parish of St. James, little more than the ruins of it are extant'. A map of 1615 shows the 'Park Wall' extending from about ST 86262291 to ST 86092267, evidently enclosing the southern portion of 'The Park' centred at ST 862227. <1>

(ST 86262290 to ST 86222280) A stone wall bounding Gold Hill on the west, which although repaired and rebuilt in several places, dates mainly from the late 14th or early 15th century and probably formed
part of the boundary of the Abbey land.

The portion which stands nearest the bottom of Gold Hill has been rebuilt but original material appears to have been re-used. Towards the top of the hill the original masonry is preserved with buttresses of two and three weathered stages; supplementing these are probable 19th century buttresses with inclined faces. About half-way up the hill there is a blocked round-headed doorway. <3>

<1> Hutchins, J, 1868, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. Volume 3. 3rd edition, 38 & Map - 'Typus oppidi Shastoniensis' 1615 opp pl (Monograph). SDO11486.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 1 to 25 inch scale map, 1929 (Map). SDO18020.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1972, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume IV (North), 69-70, No 75, Plat 64 (Monograph). SDO99.

Gold Hill is a steep lane connecting High Street with St. James's Street (Plate 64). On the W. it is flanked by a high stone wall (75), and on the E. by a number of cottages.
(75) Stone Wall, bounding Gold Hill on the W., is largely of ashlar (Plate 64). Although repaired and rebuilt in several places, much of it dates from the late 14th or early 15th century and it probably formed part of the boundary of the Abbey land. It is about 130 yds. in length and, where the height is greatest, some 35 ft. from ground to coping. The part which stands nearest the bottom of Gold Hill has been rebuilt, but original material appears to have been reused. Towards the top of the hill the original masonry is preserved, with buttresses of two and of three weathered stages, with chamfered plinths and hollow-chamfered drip-moulds; the buttresses are set at intervals of about 12 ft.; supplementing them are later buttresses with inclined faces, probably of the 19th century. Between the original buttresses the bays of the wall have weathered plinths and string-courses, stepped in correspondence with the hill. About half-way up the hill there is a blocked round-headed doorway. Near the top of the hill the wall is strengthened by an additional thickness of finely jointed masonry which brings the wall-face almost to the same plane as the buttresses.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 206569 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 8 2024 3:41PM