St Peter's Church (Plume Library), Maldon (EHER 7746)

A late 17th century public library, Plume Library, built on the site of the nave of the late 14th century St Peter's Church, which collapsed in 1665. The west tower remains extant, though the upper part has been partially rebuilt, and now functions as the entrance to the library. The tower is built from flint and septaria rubble and the roof is covered with slate. The church was the parish church of the parish of St Peter, which may have been the original Anglo-Saxon parish. The late 14th century church may have been built on the site of an earlier Anglo-Saxon minster. The library was constructed by Thomas Plume in 1699 to house his personal collection of more than 7,000 15th-18th century books. It also housed a grammar school when it first opened. Upon Plume's death in 1704, he gifted the library to the town and it became one of the oldest public libraries in England. The library is built from red brick with a slate roof. It was extended in 1821 and restored in 1875 by Ewan Christian. An excavation through the floor of the west tower in 1999 recorded a medieval tiled floor surface.

Monument description derived from merging with EHER 7747 and EHER 38384: October 1951. Grade I listed. A public library which incorporates the late 14th century west tower of the former Church of St Peter. The upper part of the tower has been rebuilt, and the library was built in around 1699, and extended with two bays at the east end in 1821. It was restored by Ewan Christian in 1875. The three-stage tower is built of flint and septaria rubble, and has ashlar and red brick dressings, and angled buttresses. The buttresses are heavily restored with bands of tiling and brick. The library is built from red brick in Flemish bond with some burnt headers and stone dressings. The roof is covered in slate. A stair turret to the north-east gives access to the upper floor of library, which is of two storeys. There is a 20th century door in the south side of the building, in a former window opening. Internally, the ground floor has 20th century library fittings. The first floor has contemporary panelling and peninsula bookcases between the windows. There is a 1920s fireplace with Jacobean overmantel. The nave of St Peter's church collapsed in 1665. The library, which originally housed the grammar school on the ground floor, was given to the town by Dr Thomas Plume on his death in 1704. It is one of the oldest public libraries in England, containing over 7,000 volumes, mainly of the 16th-17th centuries. <1> See photos <2>. May 1998. Scheduled Ancient Monument. Only the 15th century tower of St. Peter's Church remains. On the site of the nave and chancel a two storey building in red brick has been erected to house the Plume library. The upper floor retains its panelling and bookcases (from around 1700). <3> June 1999. Archaeological excavation. Excavation through the foundations of the tower (once of St Peters Church) located the original compact mud floor and a medieval tile floor. <4> <5> The Plume Library was built on the site of St Peter's Church, and was founded by Dr Plume (d. 1704). Of the church, only the tower remains, as the rest of the church fell into disuse and ruin after the Reformation. <6> <7> The church nave fell down in around 1665 and Dr Plume (1630-1704) built the present structure just before he died, as a school and library. The base of the tower was in use in 1913 as a mason's lodge. <7> <8> The library was founded by a will of Dr Plume in 1704, the tower was used as a vestibule. The west tower has an embattled tower, restored with 17th century bricks. An inserted doorway in the south wall has 'modern' jambs and a two-centred arch; it is protected on the outside by an early 18th century portico. One bell is in the tower, of 1699. The library has red brick walls and a slate roof. It retains its early 18th century windows and early 18th century book cases. There is reset early 17th century panelling and an overmantel of this date. The library contents include a collection of books from 15th-18th centuries, a series of portraits (mostly copies) and three early 18th century tables. RCHM has two photos of interior of library. <9> The late 15th century tower has walls of flint rubble with limestone dressings and a slate covered roof. The tower retains 15th century windows and a doorway, part blocked and now used as a window. The Plume Library includes a collection of books dating from the 15th to 18th centuries. Photo in RCHM of interior of tower. <9> <10> <11> Dr Plume bequeathed his library of around 6000 volumes, mostly theological works dating to the 15th to the early 18th century. <10> <11> <12> St Peter's parish appears to have been the older of the two parishes on the hill-top and was therefore probably the original Saxon parish and hence parish church for the Saxon town. It may also have had a Minster function. St Peter's Church was located at the corner where the High Street and Market Hill met. It was the tithable property of the Canons of Beeleigh Abbey. The parish was roughly equivalent to the Manor of Little Maldon. The only surviving portion of the church is the late 15th century tower. As the parish church for the oldest portion of the town it is probable that it replaced a much earlier building, possibly of late Saxon date. <12> NRHE data transfer: Ch (NR). <13> The late 15th century west tower is all that remains of St. Peter's Church, Maldon, which fell into disuse and ruins after the Reformation. On its site was built the Plume Library founded by Dr. Plume before he died in 1704, he also bequeathed his own library of 6,000 volumes to it. The ground floor is now a branch of the Essex County Library. Both the Plume Library and the church tower are Grade I listed. <9> <14> <15> September 1976. Field visit. As described above. See photograph. <16> Ch (NAT). <17> Plume's library and St Peter's Church Tower. Late 15th century tower. Rest of church disused and fell in ruins after Reformation. On its site 1704 library. Grade I (see list for details). <18> Demolished in around 1665, except for the tower. <19> See also <20> <21>.