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Blackfriars turns to new chapter as Dominicans celebrate 800th anniversary

The owner of a restaurant and banquet hall housed within a former medieval friary in Newcastle is celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Dominican Order which resulted in the ‘Black Friars’ settling in Newcastle as he plans the next chapter in the building’s history.

Andy Hook, who has been running Blackfriars Restaurant, Banquet Hall and Workshop for the past 15 years, will shortly be making some major changes including a refurbishment of the restaurant and expanding into some currently unused areas of the historic building including the Parlour and rooms above the restaurant which were the former libraries for the friars.

The Dominican Order, which was set up by the Spanish priest Saint Dominic de Guzman in France, was approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216.   The Dominican Friars were then sent around the world to establish their religious order and to build monasteries and friaries.  They arrived in the UK in 1221 and settled in Newcastle in 1239 and became known as the ‘shod friars’, a name which distinguished them from the Franciscans who appeared bare footed.  They wore white tunics and black cloaks, which gives rise to their name ‘Black Friars’.  The story goes that the Dominicans gave Newcastle United its idea of wearing black and white.

When they arrived in Newcastle they had little money and the site where Blackfriars now stands was funded by donations from three anonymous sisters and the first Mayor of Newcastle, Sir Peter Scott, who raised funds to build their first shelter.  Offers of more land came in and they were soon established with money from local people and grants from King Henry III.

For the next 300 years the ‘Black Friars lived in relative peace in the friary, which originally covered seven acres, teaching, converting and helping the needy of Newcastle.   The original site included dormitories, a refectory, extensive library, guest hall, accommodation, Chapter House, Priors lodgings, Parlour, a church and infirmary.  They also worked in extensive gardens growing vegetables and herbs to use as healing powers for the sick.

During the 14th century King Edward III spent a lot of time at the Priory during his efforts to fight the Scots as there had been no inn to accommodate royalty in the town.  A right rousing time is recorded and times when the King had to make good the damage that was caused by his retinue.  He was also recorded as meeting Edward Balliol, the claimant to the Scottish throne in 1334 at Blackfriars and also spent Christmas there.

Following King Henry VIII’s disagreement with the pope in 1536, the English monarch decreed that all monasteries should be closed and their wealth confiscated. The church was completely stripped, fell into disrepair and was finally demolished in the 16th century.

In 1543 Blackfriars was purchased by the mayor and burgesses of the town and the buildings became the meeting houses for the trades guilds of the town including the Brewers, Bakers, Butchers, Cordwainers, Fullers, Dyers, Saddlers, Skinners, Glovers, Smiths, Tanners and Tailors.  The general arrangement of the establishment meant that the first floor rooms were used for meetings of the guilds and the ground floor rooms were often let as alms houses – to provide a place of residence for poor and elderly.  A number of inhabitants also lived on the site over the years.

 

During much of the 19th century and half of the 20th century, the buildings of Blackfriars were neglected and fell into an increasingly bad state of repair and in the 1950s Newcastle City Council acquired Blackfriars.  The Guild of Tailors, among others, continued to meet at Blackfriars until 1974.

Between 1973 and 1981, the buildings were restored and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother visited Blackfriars, and unveiled a commemorative plaque as part of the Newcastle 900 celebrations. Blackfriars has since seen numerous tenants come and go including a café, leather makers, photographers, architects to curtain makers and jewellers.  North of England Civic Trust was also based above the restaurant until 2015.

The fate of Blackfriars changed again in 2001 when local restauranteur Andy Hook spotted potential in the property and turned the original refectory into one of the leading restaurants in the region, earning it the title of ‘Taste of England’ in the North East England Tourism Awards and one of the top five top restaurants in the UK by Visit England

Andy spent a number of years researching the history of Blackfriars, working with Durham University’s Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies and renovated the former Guest Hall to recreate an authentic medieval dining space.  It now hosts more than 300 events per year including weddings, themed events, medieval banquets, corporate events and private parties.

He also opened a Workshop within the former Prior’s Quarters and now hosts more than 200 cooking workshops per year including Bread Making, Dinner Party cooking and kids’ cookery classes as well as corporate team building events.

Over the coming months the team is planning some ambitious changes to bring the buildings that now lie empty back to life.  This will include a refurbishment of the restaurant’s dining room, re-instating the Parlour next door, which was originally the heated waiting room for visitors to Blackfriars, as a unique place for people to enjoy a drink before their meal or coffee afterwards.  The team will also be taking over the rooms above the restaurant and opening up a larger Workshop as well as the Tanners Guild Tasting Rooms for corporate/private events where visitors will sit on antique 19thcentury seating, once used by the Tanners guild.  The Smiths Hall above the restaurant will remain as part of a public exhibition.

 

New Medieval Meeting Rooms will also be refurbished in the Dormitory Rooms and new toilets will open for the Banquet Hall.  Staff will move to another building, previously leased by Northern Architecture.  The toilet provision will also be extended to the Banquet Hall including a disabled toilet which has been a priority for many years.

 

The Blackfriars team is also keen to develop its education programme with schools and already hosts a number of Educational Realms days where school children learn about medieval life and how the Friars lived day to day.

 

Andy Hook, MD of Blackfriars Restaurant said: We’re privileged to be the current custodians of Blackfriars and its unique heritage which the city should be proud of.   Monasteries were, among other things,  houses of entertainment for almost all travellers and known as great assets to the city and we are pleased that Blackfriars continues to be enjoyed by the people who live here and visit the city.  Following on from the success of the restaurant we have been planning to expand Blackfriars now for many years and are delighted that our plans are coming to fruition, especially as the 800th anniversary of the Dominicans is marked.  We are hoping to have all the changes complete by January 2017.

 

So what would the Friars think of today’s developments at Blackfriars?

 

There are currently four Black Friars (Order of Preachers(OP) in Newcastle, one of whom is Colin Carr OP who has been celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Dominican order this year with various initiatives including a Flower Festival at the New Blackfriars on Bridge Street.  He said:  The Dominicans would be delighted that Black Friars is still being enjoyed and used by the people of Newcastle and that the site is being taken care of.  They would also have been particularly pleased that the educational side is giving opportunities to younger people and adults to learn new skills”

Andy Hook continued “The Friars were big ale drinkers as it was generally safer than water and they would have loved our new ale to celebrate such an important anniversary.”

 

Dr Giles Casper from Durham University’s Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, who Andy and the team work very closely with added: ‘It is wonderful working with Blackfriars to recreate medieval food: bringing the past to life in a complete sensory experience and in the most accessible way – through food. We’ve recreated the earliest dishes in the western Middle Ages and had great fun presenting these to a wide variety of people – changing the perception of medieval food, and emphasising is as one of the world’s great cuisines”.

 

The team at Blackfriars also opened Hinnies Restaurant in Whitley Bay in February 2016 which has just been nominated Best New Business in the North Tyneside Business Awards and they have just opened Dobson and Parnell, a new restaurant on 21 Queen Street on Newcastle’s vibrant Quayside offering refined British and European food.

 

Blackfriars, Friars Street, Newcastle, NE30 1XN, 0191 261 5945 www.blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk

Twitter:  BlackfriarsRest/ Facebook/Instagram: Blackfriars Restaurant

 

Media enquires contact Sam Hook on 0795 7551810 / sam@uniquethinking.co.uk

 

 

The Newcastle Blackfriars Timeline

 

1216 – The Order of Friars Preachers (O.P) otherwise known as the Dominicans or Blackfriars, are established by Domingo de Guzman- later canonized as St Dominic on 22 December.

1217 – Blackfriars established in Paris, France and then in Bologna, Italy in 2018.

1221 – Blackfriars established in Oxford, England.

1239 – Blackfriars finally settle in Newcastle, and come to be recognised as ‘The Shod Friars’, a name which distinguishes them from the Franciscans who appeared barefooted. This is the earliest reference to the Dominicans in Newcastle, which records a gift to the community of 150 ells (a measure equivalent to 45 inches of white cloth) by Henry III.

1240 – Henry III grants a further gift of ells of cloth for each friar follows in this year. This gift of ells, which were then adapted for use as a tunic, came to the value of twelve pence.

1248 – ‘The greatest part of the borough of Newcastle, together with its bridge, was consumed by a raging fire’.

1250 – The General Chapter of the Order, meeting in London, censures the prior of Newcastle for architectural extravagance- this could possibly refer to either the extension of existing buildings or to the erection of a new, secondary Friary, due to the destruction of its predecessor. This reconstruction was greatly supported by the influential local figure, Sir Peter Scot. Comically, it is understood that the friars of Newcastle were also penalised at this meeting for coming on horseback to it- an act which was considered to be of grave extravagance during this period!

1264 – On November 6th, Adam de Gesemuth, sheriff of Northumberland, and Henry of Carliol, mayor of Newcastle, at an inquisition, held that ‘the aqueduct which the Friar preachers of Newcastle, by grant of the King, have brought from a well without their court to their house and from there to the said town, is to remain, as it will not be to the damage of the King, and will be for the improvement of the town’.

1275- Walter de Merton, bishop of Rochester, bequeaths 10 marks (approximately 67 pence) to the order, and directed that the Epistolae Pauli Glossatae, which he had borrowed from the friary, be returned.

1280 on September 18 we see evidence of royal favour, with permission for the construction of a narrow gate, called a ‘postern’ through the new town wall, the line of which had bisected their gardens.

1312 – On June 4, a second licence was granted by royal consent for the construction of a wooden draw bridge. Five feet wide, the bridge spanned the distance created by a defensive ditch outside the wall which had been added to the fortifications of the town.

1318 – On March 1, the Dominican Friars gained ownership of land previously owned by one Gilbert de Middleton- a figure who had been connected to Belsay Castle, yet now found guilty of treason and thus executed for his crimes.

1322- On September 10, the first of a series of royal visits is recorded when Edward II and his Queen, Isabella, daughter of Philip IV of France, were the friars’ guests for two weeks. In honour of their visit, and of the English victory over the Scots at Norham, the members of the religious communities in the town received 6s 8d each (approximately 34 pence).

1329 on May 16th, another plot of land adjacent to the friary was granted by royal licence.

1329 – On June 16, the Friars of Newcastle are excused the repayment of £6, incurred for the supply victuals during another royal stay.

1332 – On October 9, Griffen, son of Sir Griffen Thloyt, was buried at Blackfriars in Newcastle, the King giving 40s towards the funeral expenses.

1334 – On June 19, Edward Baliol, with the Earls of Athol, Dunbar, Mar, and Buchan, did homage for the Kingdom of Scotland in the church at Blackfriars in the presence of Edward III, the earls Cromwell and warren, the Archbishop of York and the bishop of Carlisle. As well as this, we learn that Edward III was present at Blackfriars during the autumn of this year, as on All Saints Day, when Philip de Weston, a royal chaplain, celebrated his first mass. It is significant to consider that in various ways, the king granted Blackfriars many benefactions during his stay. It is noted that on one occasion, he granted ten quarters of corn worth 50s, a tub of flour worth 40s, and a cask of wine worth £5. On a separate occasion he game them alms of 10s. 8d, together with a present of 100 quarters of corn. It is to be noted that at this period, there were thirty two friars dwelling at Blackfriars. On two further occasions, the king is said to have granted 100s, and we learn that such gifts were bestowed in consideration of “the injuries their buildings had sustained during his visits”.

1335 – The King Edward III spent Christmas at Blackfriars, and on Christmas day heard three masses in church, after which he made an offering of 9s.4d, in honour of the great festival.

1341 – In this year the friars can be seen petitioning the king for the right to reinstate their gates, broken down during an affray between the townspeople and ‘certain men of the county of Northumberland’.

1345 – Edward III grants ‘a pardon to Adam de Alnwyk, friar of the order of Friar Preachers of Newcastle-Upon Tyne, of the Kings suit against him for the death of John de Denton, and of any subsequent outlawing.’ This is significant, because it illustrates to use the favour Edward bestowed upon the Friars of Newcastle.

1378 – In April of this year, Margaret, widow of Sir John Eure, directed that she should be buried in the choir of the church, bequeathing 5 marks for masses for her soul.

1390 – Richard II is moved to prohibit the conferring of the degree of master upon certain of the brethren because of their misconduct and apostasy.

(References become infrequent from this point until late 1400’s)

1442 – Sir Peter Scot and his son, Sir Nicholas Scot, are said to have been the founders of the house, and this is no doubt correct. In an inquisition in the 1442 to ascertain the heir of John de Hawkswell, the lineal descendent of the Scots, Sir Peer is described as “the founder of the house of the Friar preachers in the town of Newcastle-Upon Tyne”. Intriguingly, however, the actual site of the house is said to have been given by three sisters, “whose names have long since been ingratefully buried in oblivion”.

1475– Pope Sixtus IV grants permission for the order to accept properties and rents – something that appears to have been readily seized upon as a solid source of revenue at Blackfriars.

1476 – In line with the aforementioned issue with regards to property renting, a great close or field was leased by Prior John Rokesburgh and the friars to William Hays on July 13. The property was leased for 25s (£1.25) per annum, and carried with it the right to fix a leaden pipe to the aqueduct mentioned in 1263.

 

 

The Dissolution

1537- Richard Marshall, Prior to the Dominicans, flees the country, his position having become untenable due to his staunch advocacy of papal supremacy. In this year, we also see a covenant being struck up between the prior of Blackfriars and Robert Davell, then archdeacon of Northumberland, and master of the Hospital of the Virgin Mary in Newcastle. In consideration of £6. 18s, which Davell and bestowed on the friars “in great need and necessity”, they undertook to perform daily certain services for the dead “before the picture of Our Lord named the Crucifix, that is, betwixt the cloisters and the outer choir door within the church of the same convent”. This is significant when it is noted that during the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII rule, many churches and religious houses, out of fear, barricaded doors and sealed off windows in an effort to defend the church from Henry, who, in their eyes, was a tyrannical king. Due to this, daily service and rituals, such as the funeral, the burying of the dead and even the baptising of children became delayed. Thus we understand the desperation of Robert Davell in his bid to encourage the friars of Newcastle to recommence with their services for the dead.

1539 – On January 10, the King’s visitor, Richard Suffragan, bishop of Dover, received the document of surrender. The sale which followed the surrender realised a total of £5 3s 4d, a sum composed of £4 13s 4d for the vestments and utensils of the house, and 10s for the paving tiles in the church and the centre contents of the cells. Eighteen fothers of lead from the church roof (almost 18 tons); the bells, weighing 5cwt; and two chalices, weighing 58oz, are reserved for the King. Soon afterwards the house and lands are let at an annual value of £2 19 4d; and those holding the leases were Henry Anderson (then mayor of the town), John Davell, Andrew Bewick, John Noble and James Lawson.

1543- Blackfriars is purchased by the mayor and burgesses of the town for £53 7s 6d. It is recorded that the purchase included ‘the church, belfry, and churchyard, and all buildings and lands; but the bells lead (except for gutters and windows), stone, iron and timber of the church were reserved for the king’.

 

 

The Craft Guilds

1552 – The mayor and burgesses lease the friary to ‘nine of the mysteries, or most ancient trades of the town’ at 42s per annum – the guilds of Blackfriars who are:

Brewers, Bakers, Butchers, Cordwainers, Fullers, Dyers, Saddlers, Skinners, Glovers, Smiths, Tanners and Tailors. The buildings were divided into nine self-contained units, and, where necessary, complimented with new internal partitions with external staircases to provide access to the upper rooms. The general arrangement of the establishment meant that the first floor rooms were used for meetings and the ground floor rooms were often let as alms houses.  The guilds witnessed a considerable amount of renovation during their time at Blackfriars. A Diaper plaque in the Tailor’s undercroft records alterations made in 1693, whilst Charleton, in his ‘Streets of Newcastle’, mentions an inscription stating ‘This hall was repaired at the charge of the company of Skinners and Glovers Anno 1712. Jno. Emerson, Robt Barnes, Rob Shute, Philip Smith, Wardens.’

The Smiths’ Hall abounds with plaques recording repairs and alterations. Engravings and prints show a ‘plaque bearing the date 1436, the year of the incorporation of the Company, although this has now disappeared. Above the main studded door is the coat of arms of the Company, bearing the motto ‘By hammer and hand all arts do stand’, and to the left a plaque recording: ‘This Hall repaired by the Company of Smiths Anno 1770. Jno. Jobling, Eubs. Robinson, Wm. Jamison, Jos Cooper, Stewards.

At the centre of the west range of the Tailors’ Hall still bears a plaque complete with a coat of arms and the motto ‘Taylors Hall rebuilt 1788 Richard Franks, Thomas Robson, Stewards, James Harrison, Esq Secretary. Concordia Parvae Res Crescunt’- ‘Harmony Makes Small Things Grow.’

At the head of the stairs: ‘The Hall was required at the Charge of the Company of Smiths Anno 1803. William Wilkinson, Charles Todd, William Jameson, Thomas Scott, Stewards’.

And above the fireplace: ‘AD 1823. This Hall was altered, repaired and ornamented at the charge of the Company of Smiths. Thos Scott, John Dewar, Alex Robinson, John Stevenson, Stewards.’

In the south-west of the cloister the coat of arms of the company of Cordwainers can be seen. On the external walls above the main door to the hall a tablet records:

‘This Cordwainers Hall was rebuilt on the site of the ancient hall of the Guild hen George Noble Clark, George Atley Brumell were the Wardens and Jno Fenwick the Secretary. ‘Anno 1843’.

1850 – During this year a number of inhabitants that live in the Friars, as the area was known, including; Christopher Graham (Smith), Andrew Brown (Tailor), William Jobson (Butcher), Marion Pollard (Teacher) and John Redhead (Cow Keeper).

1875 – Commercial ventures are recorded during this year, ranging from T. Burlinson who worked as a grocer and J. Davidson, who earned a living as a builder. To the north of the Refectory, on the site formerly occupied by the church, we see new buildings erected, including by the 1950’s, Low and Duff, plumbers and merchants.

  1. 1926. This Hall was repaired and ornamented at the charge of the Company of Smiths. Wm Watson Allison, James Wm Bell John Geo, Youll, Henry Youll (Secretary) Stewards.

1930 – The area known as Friars Green is seen to gain an unsavoury reputation, especially when we note the murder of a householder in the early 1930’s as a result of being attacked and stabbed in the back by two drunks early one Sunday morning. Tragically, the victim was investigating a disturbance at the request of his wife, just inside the passageway from Monk Street to the Cloister Garth. It is for this reason that we see the construction of the iron bar at the Monk Street end, in an attempt to restrict access to those hoping to use the passage as a shortcut to Stowell street.

1950 – In this year, we see residential occupation, which had begun with the almshouses of the guilds and developed through the centuries, cease, with the friary and its surrounding areas entering a period of significant decline. Robert John Charleton illustrates this decline when he writes ‘we may make our way to the Frias by several ways, of which the least attractive of all is that through the dirty lane called Monk Street’.

1951 – A newspaper article, whilst discussing Newcastle Blackfriars monastery, refers to the building as ‘decrepit [and] dilapidated’. This provides us with an awareness of the neglect and disuse that Blackfriars fell into from the mid 1900’s onwards. Throughout the 1950’s, we see numerous proposals for the restoration of Blackfriars. It is also in this year that we see the occupation of both the guilds and the private individuals of the various buildings within Blackfriars end, handing over the rights to the property to the City Corperation pending the restoration of the buildings.

1960- However, it is not until the 1960’s that we witness the resurrection of Blackfriars Friary. Largely, this is due to the efforts of one Alderman Peter Renwick, mayor of the city of Newcastle in 1963 and 1964, then sheriff in 1967. Plans formulated during this period include the introduction of a city records office- something which demonstrates Renwick’s concern for the preservation for the past.

1972- By this time, only the Tailors and Smith’s halls were fit for occupation, and it was at this time that Mr Bruce Allsop of the Newcastle University School of Architecture prepared for the City Council a report setting out proposals for the conservation of the Friary and the development of the adjoining areas. The recommendations included the restoration of the Smiths’ Hall, and the restoration of the remainder of the building for possible use as studios, workshops or a restaurant. We also see that it is recommended that any restoration should respect the alterations carried out in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as well as the original medieval fabric, and that the site of the friary church should be excavated and landscaped.

1973 – plans were underway, as the firm Wales, Wales and Rawson of Skipton are appointed to provide a structural survey of the building. Alarmingly, their survey revealed that, unless restoration commenced in the near future, complete ruin would be inescapable for Blackfriars.

1974 – we see the appointment of Wales, Wales and Rawson of Skipton as consultant architects on behalf of the City Council. The initial phase of restoration was focussed on the west range, and it is at this point that we see a group of local craftsmen approaching Blackfriars with the intent of occupying this space, therefore providing a convenient use for Newcastle’s historic landmark.

1977- With the restoration of the west range completed by this year, work begins upon the south range between the years 1977-1980, with the east range being completed in 1981 by the contractors J&W Lowry Limited of Newcastle.

1980 – As part of the Newcastle 900 celebrations, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother visits Blackfriars, and unveils a commemorative plaque. For her efforts she receives a gift fashioned by Blackfriars resident craftworkers. Upon completion of the east range, the tourist centre was officially opened by Councillor Roy Burgess, Chairman of the Development, Planning and Highways committee, and the late Councillor Sidney Foster, Chairman of the Land and Property Committee, in the presence of the Lord Mayor, Councillor John Charlton Kerrigan.

1991 – The sense of a medieval cloister is fully achieved with the construction of Jacobins Court in this year, to the north of the church site. In both its size and structure, this residential development remains faithful and respects its medieval neighbours.

Over the years a variety of businesses are located in North East Civic Trust, Audacious Curtains, Phoenix Antiques, and Le Prevo Leather Shop, The restaurant was a café called and Eclectic, ran by the Council.

2001 – Blackfriars Restaurant is opened by Andy and Sam Hook and went on to win a number of awards including Taste of England by North East England Tourism Awards, Best Restaurant in Newcastle (Metro Newspaper and Licensed Trade Awards).   It has also  been shortlisted for the Living North Best North East Restaurant Award 2016.

2011 – Lease of the Guest Hall agreed and work is carried out to refurbish it to be renamed the Banquet Hall as well as the Workshop (formerly Priors Quarter).  Main restaurant also refurbished.

2017 – The restaurant to receive its second refurbishment to increase capacity to 90.  The Parlour will be re-instated and a larger Workshop will open above the restaurant along with the Tanners Guild Tasting Rooms. New Medieval Meeting Rooms will be refurbished in the Dormitory Rooms and new toilets will open for the Banquet Hall in the former Priors Quarter.

 

 

Source: information sourced from Old Newcastle Archive, Lit and Phil Newcastle, and the following libraries: Newcastle University, Northumbria University, Durham University, Great Hancock and Society of Antiquaries.