Conservation

Date 2003

Event ID 1000763

Category Building History

Type Conservation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1000763

NX 748 474 During 2003-4, a second inventory of the substantial collection at Dundrennan Abbey was begun as part of the Ex Situ Carved and Moulded Stones Project (DES 2003, 7-10).

This large collection is presently stored in various locations at the abbey. The stones catalogued so far are set out in the vaulted cellars on the W side of the cloisters. A number of corbels remain in the collection, many of which have parallels still in situ, with one piece resembling the mid-12th-century corbels in the N transept, where they support wall shafts. A further group of seven corbels are related to those above, for example the E and W walls of the N transept, the N and S choir walls, and the E wall of the S transept, and are dated to the mid/late 12th century. One large group of carved stones forms part of a wall arcade, and many of these have been set up around three walls of one cellar. The nail-head ornament with which these stones are decorated is typical of the type of ornament found in the abbey in the mid/late 12th century, where it can be seen on capitals and around doorways.

Some large ex situ fragments probably came from the 13th-century chapter house. No vaulting remains in this large three-aisled vaulted space, but springers in the western angles have ribs with a similar profile to those of two large free-standing vault springers now in one of the cellars. Another two fragments in the same cellar are vault bosses, and the ribs of these are related to those of the two springers, and therefore also to the chapter house vaults.

Inventory October 2003 onwards; 230 pieces catalogued by September 2004; 12th-15th century; NX74NW 12.

Archive held by HS and in the NMRS. See also www.arch-etype.net.

Sponsor: HS.

M Markus 2004