ST Wolstans
St Wolstan's, known as 'Scala Caeli' - 'Steps of Heaven', was founded by Richard, the first prior, and Adam de Hereford c. 1205 for the Augustinian canons of St Victor. The priory was suppressed in 1536 when Richard Weston, the last prior, was seized of the site (with gardens, orchards, cottages, etc) and the property was granted to John Allen, Lord Chancellor (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 193). On a short, gentle, N-facing pasture slope on the S bank of the R. Liffey. The very poorly preserved remains are very similar in layout to the Augustinian Priory at Athassel, Co. Tipperary (TS068-013----), founded slightly earlier, c. 1200. No ecclesiastical buildings survive and the upstanding remains comprise the defensive, enclosing elements of the priory. An inner rectangular area (dims. L c. 100m E-W; Wth c. 80m N-S) immediately S of the river is defined along the W and N by a small tributary of the Liffey, and by a partially stone-faced drain or fosse along the E. A faint fosse along the S noted in 1985 (SMR file) is no longer clearly visible. The inner area was entered via a main gatehouse mid-way along the S side, and there is a second, small gate (postern gate?) mid-way along the E. A third, outer gateway, c. 180m to the SE, marks the outer extent of the priory. The OS 6-inch map records a fourth 'Gate' located almost midway between the main inner and outer gates, of which no visible surface trace survives: it was drawn by A. Cooper in 1782 as a two storied, circular tower with a significant crack running up its full height, and fell c. 1830 (Cane 1920, 55, 59).
The main inner gatehouse is a partially ivy-clad, substantial, three-storied, rectangular structure (ext. dims. L 11.15m E-W; Wth 6.6m N-S) with a small, rectangular, stairs-tower at the S end of the E wall (ext. dims. L 3.13m N-S; Wth 2.2m E-W). Built of roughly coursed, undressed limestone blocks, there is a slight base batter on the N wall. A very tall archway (dims. H c. 6m; L 6.6m N-S; Wth 2.7m E-W) on the E side of the structure is flanked on the W by a rectangular guardroom entered from the archway through a round-arched doorway at the N end of its E wall. Corbel stones mark first-floor level and there is a vaulted ceiling (N-S) above the first floor. The ground floor is lit by a double-splayed loop in the N wall, while the first floor is lit by a pointed-arched window in the N wall. The spiral stairs is accessed through a round-arched doorway in the N wall of the tower, and lit by a loop at ground and first-floor level. There is no longer access from the stairs to the area above the archway and guardroom. Farm sheds and a silage pit are built, almost abutting this gatehouse. The surviving portion of the smaller gate on the E side stands forward of (8m outside) the fosse (Wth 2m; D 0.7m) defining the inner enclosure. Now no more than an ivy-clad, single-storied wall, built of coursed, roughly dressed, limestone blocks (dims. L 5m N-S; T 1.7m), rounded at its N end with traces of a step on its inner face at N, it contains a tall, round arched doorway (H 2.25m; Wth 1.23m). A grassed-over causeway crosses the fosse inside. A small tower stands in the NE sector of the inner enclosure. Built of coursed, roughly dressed limestone blocks, this three-storied, almost square structure (ext. dims. L 5m N-S; Wth 4.5m E-W) has a small, rectangular, four-storied, turret (ext. dims. L 2.1m E-W; Wth 0.75m N-S) at its SW angle which helps accommodate a spiral stairs. It appears to be a folly: externally at first-floor level, the faces of the W, N and E wall are stepped out beyond the wall faces below and each floor is lit by Gothic-arch style windows. The third, outer gateway, c. 180m to the SE of the main gatehouse to the inner enclosure, marks the S extent of the priory. A rectangular structure (dims. L 6.75m E-W; Wth 5.05m N-S) built of coursed, roughly dressed limestone blocks, it contains a tall archway (dims. H c. 4.4m; L 5.05m N-S; Wth 2.95m E-W) flanked on the E by an intramural stairs entered through a square-headed doorway in the N wall, and lit by a robbed-out loop in the SE angle. Short fragments of two walls running E (L 1.65m; T 0.6m) and W (L 2.05m; T 0.9m) from the SE and SW angles of the gateway appear to be the vestiges of a curtain wall. There are historical references to several mills at St Wolstan's (Boylan 1972, 141, 146), of which no visible surface traces survive. (Kirkpatrick 1896-99, 283-288; Lyster 1903-5, 101; Killanin and Duignan 1967, 101; Harbison 1972, 136-40; Meagher 1979-80, 118)
ST Wolstans
St Wolstan's, known as 'Scala Caeli' - 'Steps of Heaven', was founded by Richard, the first prior, and Adam de Hereford c. 1205 for the Augustinian canons of St Victor. The priory was suppressed in 1536 when Richard Weston, the last prior, was seized of the site (with gardens, orchards, cottages, etc) and the property was granted to John Allen, Lord Chancellor (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 193). On a short, gentle, N-facing pasture slope on the S bank of the R. Liffey. The very poorly preserved remains are very similar in layout to the Augustinian Priory at Athassel, Co. Tipperary (TS068-013----), founded slightly earlier, c. 1200. No ecclesiastical buildings survive and the upstanding remains comprise the defensive, enclosing elements of the priory. An inner rectangular area (dims. L c. 100m E-W; Wth c. 80m N-S) immediately S of the river is defined along the W and N by a small tributary of the Liffey, and by a partially stone-faced drain or fosse along the E. A faint fosse along the S noted in 1985 (SMR file) is no longer clearly visible. The inner area was entered via a main gatehouse mid-way along the S side, and there is a second, small gate (postern gate?) mid-way along the E. A third, outer gateway, c. 180m to the SE, marks the outer extent of the priory. The OS 6-inch map records a fourth 'Gate' located almost midway between the main inner and outer gates, of which no visible surface trace survives: it was drawn by A. Cooper in 1782 as a two storied, circular tower with a significant crack running up its full height, and fell c. 1830 (Cane 1920, 55, 59).
The main inner gatehouse is a partially ivy-clad, substantial, three-storied, rectangular structure (ext. dims. L 11.15m E-W; Wth 6.6m N-S) with a small, rectangular, stairs-tower at the S end of the E wall (ext. dims. L 3.13m N-S; Wth 2.2m E-W). Built of roughly coursed, undressed limestone blocks, there is a slight base batter on the N wall. A very tall archway (dims. H c. 6m; L 6.6m N-S; Wth 2.7m E-W) on the E side of the structure is flanked on the W by a rectangular guardroom entered from the archway through a round-arched doorway at the N end of its E wall. Corbel stones mark first-floor level and there is a vaulted ceiling (N-S) above the first floor. The ground floor is lit by a double-splayed loop in the N wall, while the first floor is lit by a pointed-arched window in the N wall. The spiral stairs is accessed through a round-arched doorway in the N wall of the tower, and lit by a loop at ground and first-floor level. There is no longer access from the stairs to the area above the archway and guardroom. Farm sheds and a silage pit are built, almost abutting this gatehouse. The surviving portion of the smaller gate on the E side stands forward of (8m outside) the fosse (Wth 2m; D 0.7m) defining the inner enclosure. Now no more than an ivy-clad, single-storied wall, built of coursed, roughly dressed, limestone blocks (dims. L 5m N-S; T 1.7m), rounded at its N end with traces of a step on its inner face at N, it contains a tall, round arched doorway (H 2.25m; Wth 1.23m). A grassed-over causeway crosses the fosse inside. A small tower stands in the NE sector of the inner enclosure. Built of coursed, roughly dressed limestone blocks, this three-storied, almost square structure (ext. dims. L 5m N-S; Wth 4.5m E-W) has a small, rectangular, four-storied, turret (ext. dims. L 2.1m E-W; Wth 0.75m N-S) at its SW angle which helps accommodate a spiral stairs. It appears to be a folly: externally at first-floor level, the faces of the W, N and E wall are stepped out beyond the wall faces below and each floor is lit by Gothic-arch style windows. The third, outer gateway, c. 180m to the SE of the main gatehouse to the inner enclosure, marks the S extent of the priory. A rectangular structure (dims. L 6.75m E-W; Wth 5.05m N-S) built of coursed, roughly dressed limestone blocks, it contains a tall archway (dims. H c. 4.4m; L 5.05m N-S; Wth 2.95m E-W) flanked on the E by an intramural stairs entered through a square-headed doorway in the N wall, and lit by a robbed-out loop in the SE angle. Short fragments of two walls running E (L 1.65m; T 0.6m) and W (L 2.05m; T 0.9m) from the SE and SW angles of the gateway appear to be the vestiges of a curtain wall. There are historical references to several mills at St Wolstan's (Boylan 1972, 141, 146), of which no visible surface traces survive. (Kirkpatrick 1896-99, 283-288; Lyster 1903-5, 101; Killanin and Duignan 1967, 101; Harbison 1972, 136-40; Meagher 1979-80, 118)