BLACK FRIARS ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES: THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE WINDOW ARCHES
External partner: Tyne & Wear County Council – Archaeology Section
First mentioned in 1239, the Dominican friary in Newcastle extended from Low Friar St. to the town wall at Morden Tower. Surrendered in 1539 by the prior and 12 friars, the church, sacristy, and cloister were then demolished, and exist today only as foundations, but the east, south and west ranges survived as the Houses of the Town Guilds.
The church has been fully excavated and so a detailed ground plan is available to aid the reconstruction of the church elevations from surviving fragments of sculptured masonry. Of particular interest, are a dozen pieces of thirteenth century window tracery, from which part of the design of the windows can be deduced. By comparing this material with evidence from friaries in other towns, and with contemporary churches in the north-East, it should be possible to place the monastic architecture of the site in its regional and chronological context.
The fragments of window tracery are currently stored at Jesmond Old Cemetery, and the site of the church is open to visitors during daylight hours at Blackfriars, Monk Street, Newcastle.
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