under malton
Facing page (above), New Malton now – compare with the 18th-century painting on the preceding page. Below, the Talbot Hotel, mainly 17th and 18th century, has retained its medieval undercroft. Such was the quality of the work, that subsequent changes above ground were fashioned to accommodate the ancient vaults, not dispose of them
This page, above. Steps leading down to the ancient undercroft beneath the Talbot Hotel. Some ground levels have inevitably changed in Malton, leaving ancient window-openings now below street level. Left. stout medieval construction in the so-called ‘butcher’s cellar’ beneath part of the Talbot Hotel
the borough and date from the 12th century. This datemay especially apply to the range of undercrofts and passageways beneath parts of the TalbotHotel,with three to four-feet thickwalls and clustered adjacent to and either side of the medieval gateway through the stone-built town wall. This complex, of Hildenley limestone,will have been associated with theGilbertine Priory and particularly, perhaps, with their lucrative trade inwool.Other vaults in Yorkersgate and the Market Place may be of similar antiquity; yet others will date fromthe 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. Themasonry of these vaulted
undercrofts is notably both accomplished andmodest. It is simple, not elaborate. Two ribbed undercrofts do survive inMalton from the 12th century of somewhat greater elaboration. These are popularly considered to be the “only” medieval undercrofts in town, both of them associated with theGilbertine Priory. Most of the undercrofts that are not
The vastmajority of buildings in New
Malton occupy the footprint and plane geometry established after 1138, for all that this built fabric has been extended along the early burgage plot. Indeed, it ismy conviction that with such good foundations and such accomplished craftsmanship deployed from the onset, there was little inclination or reason to demolish stone structures in Malton at
all before their adaptation or the gentrification of their façades and window openings. Thus, much fabric of themedieval borough remains intact and in situ.
THE undercrofts of Malton, I believe, date from all portions of the medieval period, and that some, at least, may have been built in the earliest years of
beneath public houses are currently unused. Very fewhave received unwarranted or inappropriate 20th-century attention and have avoided tankingwith ordinary Portland cementmortars or even, thankfully, coats of modern paint. FewofMalton’s vaults require other
than localised repair; repointing with soft quicklime or earth mortars and
several coats of hot-mixed limewash, which is our general approach. Most of them are generally safe fromharm, and the vast majority are part of the property portfolio of the Fitzwilliam (Malton) Estate, which generally supports the use of traditional buildings skills and materials and encourages its tenants to do likewise. Nevertheless, some of the vaults may be at risk of development and ignorance about the necessary performance of traditional buildings, or due to ignorance about their age or significance. It is the objective of the recently
formed Malton BuildingsGroup, in conjunction, it is to be hoped,with the vaults’ custodian, the Fitzwilliam Estate, to fully record and interpret all of these undercrofts and to specify their future maintenance, care and repair. It’s also an aim to equip tenants and owners alike with the information necessary to ensure the long-term health of this perhaps nationally significant collection of undercrofts. The vaults and undercrofts ofMalton
are a hidden testament to themasons and the vitality of the town since time out of mind – or, as it says in the medieval borough charter, in broad, 15th-century, Yorkshire English: “the qwhyche tyme iswith owtynMan’s Membraunce or mynde”.
For more information on theMalton vaults research project, visit
www.maltonbuildingsgroup.com
Cornerstone, Vol 32, No 2 2011 73
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