Documents

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The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM90143_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014674)

Summary

Description

The monument consists of two elements: a heavily-restored medieval gateway and a stretch of precinct wall.

Elgin Cathedral and its associated buildings were formerly enclosed by a stone wall, 3.6m high and 1.8m wide, extending approximately 1km from the River Lossie, SW to Collie Street, and then N across the back of the Deanery to the Lossie again. It was punctuated by four gates leading into the precinct from a paved street following the external perimeter of the wall. Only one of these, Pans Port, or the Water Gate, still survives to the south-east of the cathedral.

Heavily restored in 1857, it now consists of a pointed-arched opening flanked by imitation dumb-bell shaped shot-holes and surmounted by a stepped coping. The arch contains a portcullis slot, some 0.15m thick. A short stretch of wall runs some 25m SW of the gate. Some 80m SW of this, there survives another fragment of walling on the south side of Pansport Place. This is an angled fragment, 8.5m long, 2m thick and 2.7m in maximum height. It too has been heavily restored.

The area to be scheduled includes Pans Port and its associated fragment of wall, contained within an area of ground measuring some 8m WNW-ESE by 36.5m NNE-SSW, and the isolated fragment of wall to the SW of this, contained within an area of ground measuring some 13m on the N, 9m on the E, 18.3m on the S, and 10.6 on the W, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as representing part of the sixteenth-century precinct wall surrounding one of Scotland's finest medieval cathedrals. It sheds light on Elgin's medieval urban topography and on medieval fortification, besides illustrating the approach to conservation adopted by nineteenth-century restorers.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.