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Summary

An early C17 gateway, altered in 1742, giving access through the Elizabethan curtain wall across the Garrison neck.

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 62521: OUTER WALLS AND GATEWAY
• Scheduled Monument 15434: POST-MEDIEVAL BREASTWORK, CURTAIN WALL AND ASSOCIATED DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE GARRISON, ST MARY'S

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SV 91 SW 255
• National Record of the Historic Environment to Historic Environment Records data transfer
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1170233
• NBR Index Number: 111235
• OS No. (OS Quarter-sheet and OS No.): SV91SW SV81SE
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 7906.05
• SMR No. (OS Quarter-sheet and SMR No.): SV91SW 31

Monument Type(s):

• GATE (17th Century - 1601 AD to 1700 AD)

Full description

Prior to the 1994 revision of the Garrison defences SMR, this site was recorded under PRN 7423.14 (b13).
An early C17 gateway, altered in 1742, consisting of a granite ashlar moulded arched doorway with relief carved plaques above, and walkway with bellcote over, and walled paved causeway in front, gives access through the Elizabethan curtain wall across the Garrison neck (7906.04) - with sallyports to the south (7906.06, 7906.07) to the Hugh and Star Castle (7902). Flanking the gateway inside are the Elizabethan guardhouse (7901.01) and barracks (7901.02). A WW2 pill box may have stood at or near this site (7909.04). It is a Llisted Building, Grade I and is Scheduled (h2, b11). The site is marked on the 1655 plan (b1). On a 1669 print the gateway and adjoining curtain appear crenellated and of similar height (b2). Walls flanking the causeway in front of the gate are shown on the 1742 plan (b3). Heath's 1750 account mentions a bridge across the ditch here (b4). Woodley (b5) notes that the site is the point on the walls between Star Castle and the pool or anchorage behind the old quay (7572). The 1834 plan shows the allee couverte running south from the gateway re-routed west of Gatehouse Cottage (b6). According to the Adams, the road at the gateway was lowered to allow through the 1900s Garrison guns (7908) without dismantling it (b12). In 1978 the OS fieldworker found the gateway walling 4.0m thick by 5.5m high (h1). The 1982 buildings inspector records label mould over mould arched doorway with sunk spandrels, and plaques with date 1742 and 'GR' and 'AT' monograms above, below the bellcote (h2, b11). The finer C18 stonework of uniform smaller ashlar blocks above the arch and forming the belltower was noted in 1993 with details of the walkway (h4). The south side of the latter is fenced off, but granite steps give access from the north. It is paved and the parapet walls are rendered inside; the west wall has a small gun hole and the east a step to the bellcote. The gateway is fitted with double wooden gates and a bell. A large scale survey was carried out in 1991 (h3). The monument was included in the Schedule on 19/3/1998.
"Outer walls and gateway, The Garrison GV I
Bastion walls and gateway. Wall and bastions across neck of the Hugh begun by Francis Godolphin soon after 1601; batteries and walls encircling peninsula of 1716-46 by Abraham Tovey, Master Gunner. Turf and granite coping to facing walls of dressed granite, the C18 walls being of particularly well-cut granite. Batteries are mostly angular in plan and are located in large bastions found principally at Morning Point, Woolpack Point and south of Steval Point; embrasures to tops of battery walls and gun emplacements formed by large dressed granite slabs. Stone sentry box with segmental-arched doorway and ball finial to pyramidal roof on rampart to east of gateway. Gateway has label mould over moulded arched doorway with sunk spandrels; C18 bellcote above surmounts plaque with date 1742 and GR monogram above plaque with monogram AT. The C18 batteries are mostly restorations or rebuilds of mid C17 structures, and their construction followed a report on the state of the defences by Colonel Christian Lilley in 1715. Part of an important fortification, centred on Star Castle (qv). Scheduled as an Ancient Monument. (P Laws: The Buildings of Scilly: Redruth: 1980-: 6, 10; B.H. St.J.O'Neil: Isles of Scilly: London (HMSO): 1950-: 26, 31-3; Saunders A: Fortress Britain: Liphook: 1989-: 79-80)." (EH Listed Building description, 2002)

See also (11, 12).

--------------------------------
Site history:
1: 1978. NJA/OS
2: 1982. UNKNOWN/EH
3: 1991. UNKNOWN/EH
4: 1993. RATCLIFFE, J/CAU
--------------------------------

Wills, H, Gazetteer of defence sites (Collection). SCO30299.

National Monument Record, The Garrison Survey, St. Mary's, Isle of Scilly (Survey). SCO29940.

<1> UNKNOWN, 1655, A MAP OF THE HEW HILL THE CHEIFFE FFORTIFICATIONS, DD GO 575 (Unedited Source). SCO5445.

<2> Bowley, RL (Ed), 1980, The Fortunate Islands, 53 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5086.

<3> UNKNOWN, 1742, A PLAN OF HUGH FORT ALIAS THE STAR CASTLE (Unedited Source). SCO5544.

<4> Heath, R, 1750, A Natural and Historical Account of the Islands of Scilly, 69 (Bibliographic reference). SCO3486.

<5> Woodley, G, 1822, A View of the Present State of the Scilly Islands, 222 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5069.

<6> Birch, JF, 1974, Plan of the Garrison on the Island of Saint Mary, Scilly (Bibliographic reference). SCO2851.

<7> North, IW, 1850, A Week in the Isles of Scilly (Bibliographic reference). SCO4004.

<8> Ordnance Survey, 1880s, 1st Edition 1:2500 Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4048.

<9> Ordnance Survey, 1900s, 2nd Edition 1:2500 Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4050.

<10> O'Neil, BH St J, 1961, Isles of Scilly MOW Guide, 29, 37 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4042.

<11> Bowden, M and Brodie, A, 2011, Defending Scilly, 34 (Bibliographic reference). SCO29932.

<12> Brodie, A, 2011, The Garrison, St Mary's Isles of Scilly: The Defences of the Garrison 1500-1945 - survey report, fid, 23 (Bibliographic reference). SCO24047.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• ECO3819 - Isles of Scilly Military Defences, 1540-1951 (Ref: RDRS 56-2011)
• ECO6309 - The Garrison, St. Mary's: Survey
• ECO3363 - The Garrison, St Marys: Survey, 2006-2011 (Ref: 39-2011)

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