Building record 0240500000 - OLD CHANTRY CHAPEL

Summary

Building survey and historical records of medieval hospital, chapel and school, now a community hall

Protected Status/Designation

  • Listed Building (II*) 1201391: OLD LATIN SCHOOL

Map

Type and Period (7)

  • (Former Type) CHAPEL (12th Century to 19th Century - 1100 AD to 1899 AD)
  • (Former Type) HOSPITAL (12th Century to 19th Century - 1100 AD to 1899 AD)
  • (Former Type) SCHOOL (16th Century to Modern - 1546 AD to 1907 AD)
  • (Former Type) CHANTRY CHAPEL (13th Century to 16th Century - 1200 AD to 1599 AD)
  • COMMUNITY CENTRE (20th Century - 1900 AD to 1999 AD)
  • (Former Type) MILITARY TRAINING SITE (Modern - 1941 AD to 1945 AD?)
  • (Former Type) MEETING HALL (Modern - 1939 AD? to 1945 AD?)

Description

Dimensions - Length 1400cm, Width 600cm, Height 550cm.
Plan Form - Rectangular.
Grade II+. Former chantry chapel, later school. Rebuilt 1475 incorporating Norman doorway, re-roofed late C18 and restored by G Gilbert Scott in 1857 and 1875. Uncoursed limestone rubble with limestone dressings and plain-tile roof. Aisleless rectangle. Norman doorway near middle of left side with 1 order of shafts with leaf capitals, imposts with palmette-in-zigzag ornament, inner arch with ornament of shallow pointed-arched arcading, chevron ornament to outer arch and to hoodmould. Circular sexfoiled window above, near eaves. Two 2-light window to left of doorway one above the other with trefoil-headed lights and straight hoods. 2-light Perpendicular window to right with trefoil-headed lights and hoodmould. Right side is concealed by adjacent building and has 2 sexfoiled circular windows at high level. 4-light windows to gable end facing Market Hill divided in 2 by sub-arches separated by small encircled quatrefoil to head and with foiled Y-tracery and trefoils above pointed trefoil-headed lights with pierced spandrels. Hollow-chamfered surround and hoodmould. Stone-coped gable with kneelers and C19 gabled bell-cote to apex. INTERIOR: principal window to gable end has deep splay and hollow-chamfered head dying into wall. End truss of 4-bay roof has many-moulded tie beam with camber to centre to clear head of window and arch-braced collar, otherwise C18 kingpost trusses, except for truss at other end which has queen struts and collar. Piscina with moulded surround and cusped basket-arched head. Panelled dado. Gallery to inner end with serpentine splat balusters to rail, with 6 former pew ends from old parish church either end and at regular intervals. Pew ends have poppy heads. One is inscribed 'THOMAS/ GROVE/ GENT.' Another is dated 1626 and another inscribed 'ANNO/ 1652' with AG in heart to back. Arms to heads. HISTORICAL NOTE: formerly chantry chapel of St John the Baptist. Endowed early C13 as a chantry by Archdeacon Matthew de Stratton. Belonged to the Hospital of St John Acon in London and perhaps served the Hospital of St John the Baptist in Buckingham. Dissolved with other chantries in the reign of Edward VI and known from c1540 as the Royal Latin School. Now owned by the National Trust. (Buckler JC: Endowed Grammar Schools: 1827-: ILL.)(B7).
PROBABLY 1ST BUILT LATE C12 AS PART OF ST JOHN'S HOSPITAL. BECAME A CHANTRY ?1219-68. WAS A LATIN GRAMMAR SCHOOL 1546-1907. BOUGHT BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION & PRESENTED TO NATIONAL TRUST 1912. IS NOW A GRADE II STAR LISTED BUIDING, USED FOR SOCIAL PURPOSES (MEETINGS, JUMBLE SALES &C) (B9).
WW2 uses of building. The Old Latin School was used by the Land Girls as an off-duty meeting place. At the Royal Latin School a branch of the Air Training Corps was formed in Feb 1941 by Mr Tom Allit (B10).
Assessment of documentary history and building recording (to EH level 2) carried out by Northamptonshire Archaeology in January and February 2009 identifies a number of changes to the building and the extent of 19th century restoration. See report for detail (B11).
Watching brief by Gary Marshall in November and December 2009 during building alterations, recorded a former doorway in the NW end wall, blocked with reused panelling possibly in the 1870s, and evidence for a wider, stepped foundation to the external wall near the NW corner of the building. See report for detail (B12).

Sources (15)

  • ---SBC21392 Aerial Photograph: Mike Farley (BCM). 1992. Oblique AP by Mike Farley taken 1992. SP69523388. Yes.
  • ---SBC21394 Aerial Photograph: Mike Farley. 1992. 1992 oblique AP by Mike Farley. SP69443370. Yes.
  • ---SBC21397 Aerial Photograph: Aerofilms. 1973. Aerofilms oblique AP. SP69533392. Yes.
  • <1>SBC16730 Bibliographic reference: Browne Willis. 1755. HISTORY & ANTIQUITIES... OF BUCKINGHAM. p81.
  • <2>SBC6915 Article in serial: W H Kelke. 1854. 'DESTROYED & DESECRATED CHURCHES OF BUCKS', IN RECS OF BUCKS1 PP66-9. Vol 1. pp66-69.
  • <3>SBC20460 Bibliographic reference: William Page (ed). 1905. A History of Buckinghamshire (Victoria County History) Volume I. Volume 1. pp392, 486.
  • <4>SBC12922 Bibliographic reference: RCHM BUCKS 2 P20. p20.
  • <5>SBC7169 Bibliographic reference: KNOWLES D & HADCOCK RN 1971 (2ND EDN) MEDIEVAL RELIGIOUS HOUSES OF ENGLAND & WALES PP316, 348. pp316, 348.
  • <6>SBC9889 Bibliographic reference: NATIONAL TRUST 1976 LIST OF PROPERTIES.
  • <7>SBC23498 Bibliographic reference: Department of National Heritage (DNH). 1994. LIST OF BUILDINGS OF SPECIAL ARCHITECTURAL OR HISTORIC INTEREST: BUCKINGHAMSHIRE: BOROUGH OF BUCKINGHAM. pp85-86.
  • <8>SBC1987 Bibliographic reference: BUCKLER JC 1827 ENDOWED GRAMMAR SCHOOLS (HAS ILLUS OF UNRESTORED BUILDING).
  • <9>SBC8267 Unpublished document: W L Matthews. 1989. THE NATIONAL TRUST ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY: AYLESBURY, THE KING'S HEAD etc.
  • <10>SBC22801 Bibliographic reference: Pip Brimson. 2001. Buckingham at War. pp26, 53.
  • <11>SBC23549 Unpublished document: Northamptonshire Archaeology. 2009. Archaeological assesment of The Chantry Chapel, Buckingham and its documentary resource..
  • <12>SBC24424 Unpublished document: The National Trust. 2009. Observations on a blocked doorway in the north wall of the Chantry Chapel, Buckingham.

Location

Grid reference SP 69571 34027 (point)
Civil Parish BUCKINGHAM, Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (6)

Related Events/Activities (3)

  • Event - Survey: Historic building recording (EBC17246)
  • Event - Survey: Site visit (EBC1357)
  • Event - Intervention: Watching brief (Ref: ENA5785) (EBC17614)

Record last edited

May 30 2022 2:16PM

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