Workington Rectory (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
St Michaels Rectory; St Michael's House

In the civil parish of Workington.
In the historic county of Cumberland.
Modern Authority of Cumbria.
1974 county of Cumbria.
Medieval County of Cumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NX99802896
Latitude 54.64577° Longitude -3.55415°

Workington Rectory has been described as a Uncertain although is doubtful that it was such.

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains.

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*.

Description

Rectory now sheltered home. Probably C15 with C19 and C20 alterations. Cement roughcast over extremely thick stone walls, under graduated greenslate roof with C19 coped gables and kneelers; original cement-roughcast chimney stacks. 2 storeys, 2 bays, with flanking gabled wings: hall with cross wings. Central recessed 2-bay section has C19 panelled and glazed door in original pointed chamfered arch with hoodmould, but heavy C20 restoration. C17-style stone-mullioned windows in hall and wings of 2, 3 and 4 lights, some with mullions removed and all with moulded sills and dripmoulds. Right wing has unusual projecting upper-floor left return wall on corbels. Both wings have large stepped external chimney stacks. Left wing return wall has C20 windows in plain reveals. Rear extensions have large C20 windows. Interior of right wing has a former external pointed-arched doorway, only recently uncovered, which is similar to the entrance doorway and this, with the consistent thickness of the walls, suggest that the hall and wings are of one build. Blocked inglenook in ground-floor room right. Rear C17-style staircase. An extremely interesting and rare survival of a hall-house more common in the south of Cumbria. Former stable to right, now warden's house, is not of interest. (Listed Building Report)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1144478
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 22882.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- BBC Cumbria
  Old Cumbria Gazetteer
Books
- Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 111 (plan)

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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