| Description | 41, Northgate. Wakefield. 16th century timber framed building now demolished.
In 1986, building 41, Northgate underwent demolition. Peter Thornborrow (WYAS) produced an archaeological assessment at this time which resulted in photographic images, measured drawings of the timbers and an article on the archaeological remains (Thornborrow, P.H. (WYAS). 1986: WYAS. 1986). The 1986 article is entitled 'A glimpse of Wakefield's Tudor past' and is transcribed below:
'During demolition this week of no.41 Northgate to make way for Wakefield's newest building, as featured in last week's Express was revealed tantalising fragments of what may be Wakefield's oldest standing building in the town centre.
In October 1969 nos. 35 and 37 Northgate were demolished prior to redevelopment but because the developers were unable to purchase no.41 (Oesterlein's), on the corner of Cross Street and Northgate, this building was left standing. During demolition it was discovered that nos. 35 and 37 were timber framed and as Ken Bartlett tells us in his recently published study on the development of Northgate the complete end timber wall truss of no. 37 was embedded in the wall of no.41 and was left in position and enclosed in brick being sandwiched between the shop and the new building. It is this timber framed wall which has been revealed during the course of the demolition of no.41 this week.
Cross Street was created sometime between 1823 and 1848 and the corner building, no.41 was probably created at the same time. It was a brick building with an angled corner and hipped stone slate roof. The brickwork was subsequently rendered and marked with false joints in imitation of stonework.
It is clear now that the revealed timber framed wall and closed king post roof truss were not the gable end of the original timber framed gable end wall but was an internal wall and the building actually extended northwards occupying the site of no.41. When no.41 was rebuilt in the 1830s part of the west wall survived forming an internal division wall of no.41. Demolition revealed the original wall plate resting on the top of this wall and still mortised into the timber post of the framed wall.
Further demolition has revealed that the original building was two storey where it fronted Northgate but single storey to the rear having a side aisle with its own timbered post still in situ with part of its wall plate still in position onto which is mortised the aisle tie beam which still had two curved braces supporting the principal rafter.
It is an amazing survival considering it has been part of two rebuilds. The original timbered building was probably built in the mid 16th century and would have witnessed the Civil War skirmish between the Royalist troops which held Wakefield and the Parliamentarian forces under the leadership of 'Black Tom', Sir Thomas Fairfax, the son of Lord Fairfax.
On Whit Sunday morning, May 21, 1643 'Black Tom' on his white charger with his four troops of horses, broke through the Royalist barricades across Northgate. Fairfax charged down Northgate into the Market Place full of Royalist troops leaving his own troops behind and was very nearly captured by a regiment of enemy infantry. By dodging in and out of lanes and yards he was able to re join his own troops back in Northgate and lead them to victory, capturing the town with its store of ammunition before returning in triumph back to Leeds.
So the remains of this timbered building has survived from the days of the first Elizabeth though to the second and has created much interest in the town having been revealed briefly before its final demolition'.
(Thornborrow, P.H. 1986. 'A glimpse of Wakefield's Tudor past'). |