Restored by the Vivat Trust between November 2009 and April 2010, the gatehouse originally formed the entrance to the village rectory and a courtyard of medieval buildings. The rectory was rebuilt in 1698 and the outbuildings, with the exception of the gatehouse, were demolished in the early 19th century. Today, the gatehouse provides holiday accommodation for two and is owned and managed by the Vivat Trust.
The Parish of Bolton Percy
Until the late nineteenth century the village of Bolton Percy was at the heart of a very large parish and included the nearby villages of Appleton Roebuck, Colton and Steeton. The parish boundary was redrawn when the population started to grow, and a new parish of Appleton Roebuck with Acaster Selby was created in 1875 leaving Bolton Percy with Colton and Steeton.
During the first years after the Norman Conquest, the village of Bolton Percy and its manor was held by William de Malet. Later, the lordship of the manor fell to the powerful Percy family; it is this family who are remembered in the name of the village. The exact location of the manor house is uncertain but evidence suggests the site of a hall and a moated complex alongside the north end of the churchyard.
The Bolton Percy Gatehouse does not relate to this complex but to the rectorial holding to the west of the church.
The village church of All Saints was built on the site of a much earlier church and was consecrated in 1424. At this time it was the most elaborate church within the historic district of York. Despite the small size of the village, its rectors enjoyed a large income, meaning they were able to fund the construction of unusually grand buildings.
The Gatehouse
Gatehouses were originally used as defensive structures but by the end of the middle ages, many gatehouses in England and France were converted into grand entrance structures to manor houses or estates. Many became separate, free-standing features, like the Bolton Percy gatehouse.
The gatehouse is thought to have been built at the end of the fifteenth century, although there is some confusion over its exact date; it's thought to have been built in around 1467 by a Thomas Pearson, who held various positions within the church.
The base of the gatehouse is composed of a stone plinth (largely limestone and sandstone). Above this rises an oak frame with distinctive vertical panels, composed originally of wattle and daub - a natural plaster made up of sand, earth and animal hair. It is two storeys high with a steeply pitched pantile roof. At first floor level, the single chamber has three bays which extend over a central passage (the entrance way.) The western bay has been ruinous since the 19th century and remains so; only recently the vegetation was removed and the stone course wall re-pointed.
The rectory was demolished at the end of the 17th century, and was replaced by, or more likely incorporated into, the Old Rectory - seen today, over the fence and to the north of the gatehouse. The gatehouse survived and it continued to be used as an entrance to the rectory and its grounds until the 1930s.
The scale and decoration of the gatehouse reflect the status and wealth of the rectors of the late medieval and early post-medieval periods, when they were usually senior ecclesiastics with additional duties in the diocese beyond the parish. Internally - at the point at which the timbers meet - there is elaborately carved foliage; and externally, there are plaques with finely-detailed, carved green men. Such elaborate decoration is rare in rural Yorkshire buildings and was more commonly found in urban settings.
The gatehouse probably housed vestry meetings and provided accommodation for priests. But, by the mid-18th century, its use became more intensive - the first floor was used as a granary, with stables and a cow house on the ground floor. Little is known about its use hereafter although, by the mid-19th century, there was a barn to the north east of the building, suggesting that the gatehouse might also have been used for agricultural purposes.
The Bolton Percy Gatehouse Preservation Fund
By the 1970s, the gatehouse had been out of use for some time and was becoming run-down and fragile. A group of local residents mounted a campaign to raise the funds to restore and save the building. They created the Bolton Percy Gatehouse Preservation Fund, which took on the freehold of the building and the responsibility for its fabric. They organised enormously successful events, raising enough funds to restore the east wing and the central passage. Sadly, not enough money was raised to restore the western bay. The project was undertaken between 1972 and 1974 and involved extensive replacement of parts of the timber frame as well as the infill panels, windows and alterations to the ground floor. The events are remembered today with great affection; the medieval fayres became popular annual gatherings, attracting as many as 2000 people from all over the county. After its restoration, it was used occasionally for private parties and community events, and at one point by a local taxidermist.
Restoration of the Gatehouse
Despite the heroic efforts of the Bolton Percy Preservation Fund, the building was used so infrequently that it started to fall into disrepair. English Heritage even identified it as a problem building, in need of repair and a new use on their Buildings at Risk register.
The Vivat Trust was approached by the trustees of the Fund and was asked to commission an Options Study to investigate the viability of converting the building into a holiday property. The Trust appointed the architect Peter Pace and developed with him a restoration scheme which aimed to reinstate the medieval character of the building while also making it practical as a luxury holiday-let for two. Diamond-leaded windows replaced the plain, steel windows of the 1970s; new oak gates were made; and the partition wall, created in the 1970s was taken down. A shower room and kitchen were installed on the ground floor and the three bays of the first floor chamber were emphasised by the addition of a new oak staircase. Although the timber restoration undertaken as part of the 1970s restoration scheme was top quality, the materials used in the infill panels were hard and cement-based - common practice at the time. These panels were replaced with a traditional lime-based plaster and coated externally in a lime wash; both materials are porous and allow the building to breathe. The pantiles on the roof required replacing in areas and a layer of insulation was installed. The Vivat Trust is now the sole trustee of the Bolton Percy Preservation Fund; so in effect it owns the building and is responsible for its fabric and management as a holiday let.
The restoration of Bolton percy Gatehouse could not have been achieved without the financial support of the following organisations. The Vivat Trust would like to thank them all for their kind donations.
Alan Evans Memorial Trust
Architectural Heritage Fund
Country House Foundation
David King Charitable Trust
English Heritage
R.E. Chadwick Charitable Trust
R.M. Burton Charitable Trust
Rural Enterprise Investment Programme
Veneziana Fund
Yorkshire Architectural Society
York Archaeological Society
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