| Description | Rectory cellar, under Zetland Street. Wakefield. 18th or 19th century barrel vaulted cellar.
The rectory cellar which were unearthed during resurfacing work of the Zetland Street car park in 2005 was the subject of an archaeological assessment by Chris Constable (2005) in 2005. Constable describes the feature as a double barrel arch vaulted cellar situated under Zetland Street and the car park adjacent to the vicarage. The cellar is built in brick (probably handmade the bricks were painted at the time of assessment). The cellar is likely to be of late 18th to early 19th century date and were constructed under the rectory and adjacent area.
(Constable, C. (WYAAS). 2005. 'Wakefield. Masonic Lodge, Zetland Street').
It is rumoured that the cellars were part of a Free Masons' warren connected with the Mason’s Lodge on Zetland Street or that they were part of a vast network of tunnels associated with Wakefield Cathedral perhaps used as the escape route of worshipping non conformists after the passing of the Act of Unity in 1662. The tunnels were said to run as far as the River Calder (The Wakefield Express. 15/07/2013. 'Old city 'labyrinth' discovered by dog'. Page 5).
At this location in the mid 18th century stood The Rectory Manor (OS Wakefield 1/1056 Town Plan. 1848). The rectory is said to have stood here from early times as the residence of the rectors of Wakefield. In the time Henry VIII it was styled as a mansion with a garden, dovecote and orchard. The Rectory was a large, three gabled house of solid oak frame work with masonry of brick and stone facings; the doorways, mullions of the windows, external string courses and fireplaces were of wrought stone, the whole being plain, substantial and 'picturesque'. The mullioned windows contained diamond leaded lights, and on one of the ceilings was the date 1584 which possibly relates to the rebuilding. The house stood within a court yard enclosed by a low wall with iron railings and handsome wrought iron entrance gates. The garden extended from Lady Lane on the east to Jacob's Well Lane on the north and Goodybower on the west side. In 1767, the Rectory was the residence of a ‘horse squire’ who kept horses in stables here for racing and hunting. Part of the house was used as a boarding school in the first half of the 19th century. The Rectory was demolished c.1878 to be replaced by the Masonic Lodge. A portion of the old Rectory House was retained within the new building in which a fine stair case was incorporated (Walker, J.W. 1972. 'Wakefield. Its history and people'. Volume 1. Pages 133 and 596 598).
The tithe barn was a stone building with large folding doors and massive oak frames. The original tithe barn was blown down in 1297 and rebuilt in stone and oak (60' by 30')( Walker, J.W. 1972. Page 133). The area of the orchard and tithe barn were replaced by a malt kiln and is now partly below the Trinity Walk Shopping Centre.
Although the exact position of the cellars could be located from the archive, there is a strong association with the former Rectory or its estate buildings, representing, perhaps, a later phase of development. Alternatively, an account of the Old Vicarage (PRN 13056) from 1764 describes the property as built of stone, wood and plaster, with a stone roof; with thirteen rooms, kitchen, brew house and two cellars (Goodchild, J. 1997. Academic research into the history of The Old Vicarage, Wakefield). |