Market Street

Description

St Michael's Pant dates from 1759 (the freemen still have the original bill on file), which makes it the second oldest surviving pant in Alnwick, after Clayport Pant, further up the road. In the past it was also referred to as the "High Pant" (not to be confused with the Clayport High Pant), in contrast to the "Low Pant" at the bottom of Pottergate. The English Heritage record reads: Built by Matthew Mills, designed by Mr. Bell. 'Gothick'. High square base with blind cusped pointer arch to each face and set back angle buttresses with blind pointed arch and cusped finial on top of each Moulded cornice with quatrefoil, blind tracery parapet. St Michael and Dragon (the symbol of the Town) on top of traceried octagonal drum - lacks spear, carries shield with a cross patonce. Worn gargoyle for water spout into large square trough. The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association describes it as an eighteenth-century Gothic-style fountain with statue. A square pedestal with traceried panels and crocketed finials at each corner surmounted by an octagonal plinth on which stands a statue of St Michael lancing a winged dragon, his bare right foot on the dragon's back. From a spout on the east face water still flows into a large square, ashlar-faced trough. Alnwick Borough resolved to erect a new pant on the site in 1752 and this was carried out in 1755. Matthew Mills was paid £60 for the waterworks, 'Mr Bell, the architect' £4 16s for the construction of the fountain, and James Johnson £5 7s 6d for the figure carving.(1) The fountain was later restored by the Alnwick architect, F.R.Wilson at the end of the nineteenth century.

Towards the end of the 17th century there was a market house open at the sides and supported on pillars standing on the south side of Clayport, along with a market cross called the Grass Cross. This was taken down by 1704, and the space converted to a malt market. This was where the first market pant was built in 1712.

According to Tate: An order was made in 1709 to bring water to the Market Place, but it was not till 1712 that the High Pant—the principal pant of the town—was erected, "att the Old Crosse called the Grasse Cross as the most convenient place." It, however, was insufficiently supplied with water and fell into decay; but in 1752 the four-and twenty resolved to erect a new pant in the Market, near George Shepherd's house; but this was not carried out till 1755, when the famous St. Michael's Pant was built by Matthew Mills, at a cost of about £60, from a design by Mr. Bell, architect, for which he was paid £ 1 16s. The design is somewhat ambitious, in the Pseudo-Gothic of the period; it is a little square tower, adorned with carvings, and having two pinnacles at each corner, and surmounted with the figure of St. Michael killing the dragon, deftly but stiffly sculptured in stone. The water is continually running from a carved head, into a large reservoir out of which cattle may drink. James Johnson received £5 7s. 6d. "for carving the figure." The supply is brought by pipes from fountains at the top of Clayport Bank, into which is conducted water from springs on Alnwick Moor. After the establishment of the Local Board of Health, the corporation very readily gave up to that representative body the custody of the pants.

This pant is fed by pipes down Clayport bank. There are complex connections between this, the original Tower pant, and a diversion which runs past the Stone Well and Pottergate New row to Pottergate pant. The Cholera map of 1849 shows pipes that run from a Well just north of where Lisburn Street now runs, then along Green Batt and down St Michael's lane, but these are not connected to this part of the system.

There is a door on south side, and an inscription on the north side of the column - which is not completely decipherable, but appears to list chamberlains.

The water in this pant had a reputation for exceptionally high quality, and was thought by some to have medicinal qualities. Within living memory, it has been known for the water to be collected in drums, because it was believed to relieve excema.