Moving with the times

When you walk past an old building or ruin, you tend to assume that it has stood there since the day it was built, and perhaps you’d take a moment to wonder at the miracle of how it has survived for so long. 

It’s a fairly safe assumption to make with objects that have stood for centuries and, for anyone unfamiliar with the history of Beverley, a casual glance at the Old Friary Gate on Eastgate, near the Minster, would probably make you think the same thing about this near 500 year-old remnant of the town’s medieval Dominican Friary.

Settled neatly within the wall that lines this street, you could almost imagine the friary buildings sitting behind the gate in the Minster’s shadow.

But, on closer inspection, all is not as it appears.  A small adjacent plaque briefly tells how, on Sunday, 14 June 1964, the gateway was moved to ‘ensure its permanent preservation’.

Now, 50 years on, for people who want to learn more about this odd occurrence, the East Riding Archives & Local Studies Service can shed some more light on the subject with photographs of the gate before and after the move, news cuttings, and video footage documenting the delicate procedure that was undertaken to remove the 16th century gate and secure it in its new position.

Collections officer Sam Bartle said: “It’s remarkable to see how this centuries-old gate was moved intact from one side of the street to the other and sits there now as though it had never been moved. The picture quality of the video leaves something to be desired but it does at least show us exactly what happened on 14 June 1964.”

Sitting in front of the office accommodation for the old Armstrong Patents Co Ltd, this monastic gate was in danger of being damaged by passing traffic, and so it was down to Armstrong’s works manager, George Heslip, to manage its safe relocation.  He assembled a team of joiners, fitters, welders, and bricklayers, and worked out a plan of action.

The team slowly and carefully released the gate from its footings, and once secured, it was lifted and carried en masse by a lorry-mounted crane, approximately 40 yards across to the western side of Eastgate and lowered into position near the old Minster Vicarage.

For more information, visit the Treasure House, on Champney Road, Beverley, or call 01482 392790.  A ‘Beverley Industry’ DVD that includes footage of the gate’s removal is also on sale at the Treasure House and Beverley Tourist Information Centre.