Building record 0167102000 - THE NURSERY, W OF CHENIES MANOR HOUSE

Dimensions - Length 13m, Width 9m.
Plan Form - L-shaped.
Small brick building, ruinous, said to have had chimneys resembling those of the house (B5).
Garde II. Circa 1530 brick building of two storeys and attic. Apparently built to serve as Russell children's nursery. Originally 3 bays, now roofless and west bay demolished. English bond brickwork. Restored crow-step gables. South elevation. Centre bay with projecting staircase wing (stairs gone). Former lateral stacks to outer bays, brick fireplace arches. Oak framed windows. RCHM I 88 MON.2 (PART) (B14).
Building survey and further research prior to proposed renovation suggests that building may have originally had an upper and lower hall and subsequent groundworks revealed a brick-floored cellar and further wall foundations. Size and form of the building suggests that it was originally constructed as a detached pavilion, analogous to a banqueting house or all-purpose guest lodgings. Later used as nursery and later still as estate steward's lodging (B15).
An archaeological walkover survey of the area was undertaken by Stewart Ainsworth of English Heritage, along with a detailed study of cartographic and written sources. This indicated that the Tudor complex was probably originally approached from the west, with the building known as the Old Nursery potentially originally built as a gatehouse, possibly one of a pair. Geophysical survey in the area adjacent to the Nursery confirmed a high-resistance feature that could have been the second gatehouse and another feature that may have been a road. On excavation, however, nothing was found (B17).