 Wetheral Priory Gatehouse is a 15th @-@ century stone fortification in Wetheral , Cumbria . The priory was founded at the start of the 12th century and the gatehouse controlled the entrance to its outer courtyard . When the priory was dissolved in 1538 the gatehouse and a nearby stretch of wall were the only parts to survive . The gatehouse passed into the control of Carlisle Cathedral and became the local vicarage during the 16th and 17th centuries , before being used to store hay . Now part of a modern farm that occupies the former priory site , it is controlled by English Heritage and open to visitors . The crenellated gatehouse has three storeys , with the main entrance and porters ' lodge on the ground floor and two domestic chambers on the upper floors . English Heritage considers the building to be " the finest medieval gatehouse in Cumbria " . 
