St. Osyth's Priory Gatehouse and East and West flanking Ranges (EHER 25669)

Late 15th century gatehouse of St Osyth's Priory. The east flank incorporates 13th century features.

Late 15th century gatehouse and flanking ranges, with the east range incorporates earlier medieval features. 2015. Building survey of chimney. On the east side of the great gatehouse, there is a stone-built wing, of two storeys and 16m long, with a pitched roof covered with peg tiles. The chimney which is the subject of this report projects from its south wall. Examination of the fabric of the east wing indicates that it was built not long after the gatehouse in the late 15th century, incorporating part of an earlier gate at its eastern end. The east end of the wing was rebuilt in the period of Darcy occupation with a large brick chimney, from which time, if not before, that part of it was a kitchen. The wing is otherwise relatively little altered, apart from some sub-division of the spaces at its west end and the provision of refurbished windows and improved internal finishes. Apart from its eastern end, the fabric of the wing is built of knapped flints, septaria blocks and the occasional ashlar, arranged randomly but laid roughly to courses. The masonry of the chimney is similar, indicating it to be an original feature of the wing. It was an essential feature of a large room which could be considered a reception area adjacent to the porter’s lodge or a ground floor hall. The chimney is an original feature of the east wing as built in the second half of the 15th century. At the ground floor it served a handsome fireplace with a stone surround and an oven in one side. It is uncertain whether it originally provided a hearth at first floor, though one was certainly formed at a later date. The brick chimney stack, and the top of the chimney has been rebuilt. It has been suggested that the entire chimney has been rebuilt, but there seems to be no evidence to support that. <3> 2015. Building survey of wing to the east of the gatehouse. The two stone arches at the east end of the east wing, apparently representing evidence for a 13th century gateway, raise questions about the layout of the abbey precinct, and how it was subdivided and used. Even if the church has disappeared and most of the cloister, their environs remain unusually open and untouched by later development, with extensive boundary walls of various dates. These walls have never been studied and their analysis lies beyond the scope of this report, but some observations can be made. This early gateway can be seen as being superseded by the existing great gate, and would have given access to the west side of the church and cloister. The existence of a stone Tudor garden wall aligned north-south on the east end of the gate arches suggests this wall may have followed an earlier boundary, possibly defining the cemetery which is likely to have been to the south of the church or else to the east of it. The arch in the wall to the east of the gatehouse wing could have been an independent way into this area. The east wing must have been added soon after the construction of the gatehouse. Its ground floor can be interpreted as containing a large, well appointed, and heated room, next to which was a narrow bay containing a staircase, and then beyond at the end of the wing a service room. To judge from its taller windows, the first floor held the more important accommodation. As a self-contained unit, the gatehouse area would have required a kitchen, and the service room at the end may always have had this function. However, the existing brick chimney is clearly an alteration to it and the conventional dating of it to the Darcy period has been followed. The wing is not identifiable in the 1540 inventory, but could have provided accommodation for people such as the bailiff and sexton who are both recorded as having chambers. The Darcy ownership of the Abbey saw changes to the layout of the east end of the wing: a partition wall and stair were removed to open up a large service room with a rebuilt end wall containing a single large brick chimney with a complicated arrangement of ovens and flues. This chimney is a rare survival and an important example of an elaborate cooking hearth. The clasped purlin roof, if conventional dating is followed, must have been built by the Darcys, reconstruction which may have been necessary as a result of dereliction or despoliation at the Reformation. In later periods the rooms in the wing were modernised and seem to have been residential, although of relatively minor importance in the hierarchy of accommodation available at the Abbey. In the gatehouse the medieval wall paintings were plastered over. The western part of the east wing was subdivided into a lobby and a small room, whilst the main room had the old timber framed wall covered over, and the ceiling beams plastered with mouldings matching the new cornices. At first floor there is a good group of 18th century two panel doors, some with original door furniture. The 19th century seems to have seen little change. From the mid 20th century, the gatehouse and its wings became the main residential accommodation as Somerset de Chair refurbished it for his use. His restoration is an interesting example of its time, relatively sensitive to the historic fabric but keen to expose historic features and not beyond importing them from elsewhere, notably the painted door frame and panel from Park Farm in St. Osyth. <4>