SUMMARY
Repairs were carried out in 2003 and 2006 by The Kings School on a section of the Gloucester abbey precinct wall
which also formed part of the 13th-centiay town defences. A survey of the historic fabric was made before repair by Past
Historic. The lower 2m of the wall comprised the town/abbey wall of the early 13th century, which may have been topped
by crenels. In the 16th century the wall was heightened and windows inserted to form part of the abbot's lodging and
subsequently the bishops palace. In 1860 the bishop s palace was demolished and a new one constructed: the precinct
wall was retained with its 16th-century detail.
INTRODUCTION
The northern precinct wall of the Abbey of St Peter at Gloucester, now the Cathedral, runs along the south side of the
lane now known as Pitt Street. The wall also forms a northern boundary of buildings now owned by the Kings School,
the former Bishops' Palace. The 85 m length of wall is part listed and part scheduled; it appeared in the
English Heritage Register of Buildings at Risk.
Repairs were undertaken by the owners. Kings School, to specifications by Stainburn Taylor, Architects. Repairs were
carried out in two phases, phase 1 in 2003 to the western section, and phase 2 in 2006 to the scheduled eastern section.
THE ABBEY WALL: HISTORY
The site was formerly part of the precinct limit of Gloucester Abbey. In the late Saxon period the abbey precinct may
well have been contained within the Roman walls; but c. 1100 the abbey precinct had been extended to the north over
land which had previously belonged to St Oswald's Priory. It is not clear whether this northern section was built c. 1100.
Abbot Peter built a precinct wall (1104-13) but on this side his wall may have taken a course further south. Even so, a new
boundary wall was certainly built by the abbey on this line in 1218. Though it formed part of the abbey precinct, the wall
was also seen as part of the town defences, and until the mid 15th century the city laid claim to it as theirs.
For more than a century this length of wall enclosed mostly gardens. Then before 1329 a new abbot's lodging was
begun by Prior Wygmore in this area; it was completed by Wygmore during his abbacy (1329-37). He built 'the Abbot's
Chamber beside the infirmary garden and later completed the Abbots Chamber near the Great Hall, with the
small hall attached to it and the chapel there.
Abbot Malverne (or Parker) (1515-1539), probably made further additions to the palace. Malverne may have inserted
stained glass, one fragment of which, now in the cathedral cloisters, carries the initials WM and the arms attributed to the
reputed founder of the abbey. It may have been Abbot Malveme who installed the long gallery, with its oriel window.