St Mary's Chantry, Alnwick. Photo Northumberland County Council, 1971.

(NZ 18481378) Chantry House (In Ruins). (1)

In July 1448 a licence was granted to establish a chantry and chantry house at Alnwick. The chantry house was immediately built in Walkergate, in the ecclesiastical style of that period, the chantry itself - dedicated to St Mary - was within the Church of St Michael. The chantry house provided for the education of the youth of the borough and was the origin of Alnwick Grammar School. The house was last in use, as a school, in the early 17th century (a new school being built in Pottergate in 1630), and is now (1868) a roofless ruin. (2)

The remains are those of a rectangular stone building divided into two unequal parts by a passage. In the south wall is a doorway with a pointed arch giving access to the dividing passage, and another blocked up doorway with a Tudor-type lintel. There are also two blocked up windows, the upper one having traces of mullions. The north wall also has a doorway with pointed arch giving access to the passage. There are also two small windows and the remains of a fireplace. Built into the north wall near the north west corner are two large stone corbels. Their purpose is uncertain but they may have been used as a support for effigies. The east and west walls are plain, without doorways or windows. The maximum height of the remains is 5m.
The interior of the Chantry House is overgrown and the walls are ivy-covered in many places. The whole building is in a poor state of repair, although there are traces of restoration work at the north west and south west corners.
No other reference to the school built in Pottersgate in 1630 was discovered. Investigation failed to reveal any trace of this school. The school standing in Howling Lane and a little to the south west of Pottergate Tower is a modern structure. (3)

(Subsequently published) Chantry House. (4)

Condition unchanged. (5)

5330 Walkergate (North Side)
St Mary's Chantry (ruins)
NU 1813 NW 3/394 20.2.52
Grade II* GV
2.
Scheduled AM (No 59). Mid 15th century (circa 1448). Only the south wall and east gable visible, north wall stands with small doorway to garden. Large pointed doorway. To left is a later cross window, now bricked in, with cusped heads. A secondary door to right of main door has a chamfered four-centred arch in lintel. (6)

The building measures 17.8m x 6.1m , with walls about 900mm thick. The front wall is faced in regular coursed sandstone rubble with coursed and random rubble internally. Parts of it are still standing almost to wall plate level , about 4.5m, while the surviving portion of the west gable wall is higher still. The roof and floors have disappeared though there is evidence of corbels and scarcements.
The unprotected wall heads support heavy ivy growths and a mature tree is growing on the north wall. Although the ivy obscures much of the wall, root growth and branches have clearly contributed to the collapse of large sections of masonry. There are fresh falls of stone and mortar by the north arch entrance and to the north of the north wall.
The upper part of the south wall is leaning to the north and the east end has already collapsed. Built in timber lintels in the lower parts of the walls are rotten and this may have contributed to the lean. Built in timber is visible immediately behind the facings towards the west end.
The masonry on the south face is heavily eroded , particularly the south west qoiuns and mouldings which are most exposed to weathering. Areas protected by overhanging vegetation are less eroded but blackened, probably from atmospheric pollution. Joints are generally hungry due to wash out of the lime mortar from the unprotected wall heads, general weathering and root growth, and there are a number of large cavities. (7)

A preliminary report on the Chantry was carried out in 1999 to inform a longer term conservation strategy. (8)

Scheduled. (13)

NU 185 137. St Mary's Chantry House. Scheduled No ND/59. (14a)