Location

On the south side of Clayport, outside Westgate House.

Description

Various names have been used for this pant. It appears in the list of ancient monuments as "Pant Outside Westgate House", but we believe that this is the pant listed by Tate as "Clayport High Pant formerly Kidland's Well".This puts the date at 1755, which makes it the oldest pant in Alnwick (St Michael's Pant dates from 1759).

It is in the form of a large, squat pillar in local sandstone. There is an Iron spout on the north side,with an inscribed panel above it, and and the remains of a broken trough below. On the east side there are signs of repair, and remains of a metal bracket. On the west side there is a Wooden door fixed with screwed bars.

The top is covered with cement holding broken glass (presumably to deter vandalism), but it is not clear what lies under this. There used to be a round finial on the top, which is currently awaiting replacement. This appears in old pictures of the pant, and is mentioned in the listing entry..

English Heritage: Pant outside Westgate House. Low and square; built of ashlar with coved and ogee top, partly asphalted, with ball finial. Pipe in worn out stone tank from ogee panel containing the chamberlains' names: Mr William Hindmarsh, Mr Robt. Richardson, Mr Edw. Bell and one obscured (i.e. about mid C18).

Tate lists both a "Clayport High Pant (formerly Kidland's Well)", and a "Clayport Low Pant". English Heritage lists the structure higher on Clayport Bank as "Clayport High Pant". There was also another pant at the end of Tower Lane, which no longer exists. It was destroyed by a runaway bus, in 1948, when the driver used the pant to arrest its descent down Clayport Bank after the brakes had failed. No sign of this other pant can be seen on the ground. We have called it "Tower Pant", which is how it is named in 19th century newspaper reports. We believe this missing pant was what Tate referred to as "Clayport Low Pant", and he called this pant outside Westgate House "Clayport High Pant". The structure further up Clayport bank is a valve house, not a pant. On this basis, Tate (rightly) does not list the higher structure as a pant, and the English Heritage name is incorrect. This implication is that this pant (at the bottom of Clayport Bank) is what Tate thought of as the Clayport High Pant (or Kidland's Well), and the missing pant on Tower lane was what he called Clayport Low Pant.

Tate reports that Kidland's Well, at the bottom of Clayport Bank, was in 1755 converted into a pant.

According to Tate: The court records for 1683 record that "The Common Wells and Pant of Claport Warde are out of repair and choaked with filth and dirt which ought to be cleansed by Claport, we amerce each Inhabitant 2d." "The inhabitants of the same ward to clean them before the faires of Alnwick next on paine of xijjs. iiijd."

Note on inscription: There is another inscription on Pottergate Tower which reads: "This Tower was rebuilt at the expense of the Borough of Alnwick: And the new foundation laid April 28, 1768. John Grey, Senior, William Hindmarsh, Robert Richardson, Edward Bell, chamberlains". Does this mean that the obscured name would be "John Grey Senior?

Owner

To be determined

Status

Listed grade II

Images of England shows the finial in place, in 1999.

Condition

Basically sound, but could do with some cleaning and repointing.

May be ready for repointing.

Hollow in concrete top - possible risk of water collection?.

Wooden door in poor condition.

Inscription barely decipherable.

Suggestions for improvement

Replace missing finial, remove concrete from roof and repair.

Record inscripton before it deteriorates further.

Clear out trough to assess condition.