26 High Street (EHER 9436)

15th century college of secular priests or chantry house. Originally a College or Chantry House, founded under the will of Bartholomew, Lord Bouchier, in 1411/2. Of original building only a small part remains with a 19th century addition to the street front and a 16th century enlargement on the north side. The original building has a very fine elaborate roof construction, visible on the 1st floor. There are parts of an original hammer beam roof, one with a terminal carved angel, and parts of an embattled cornice with traceried panels. Side purlins and ridge piece. Collar arches are spur tied. The 16th century upper storey projects on south-west side and there are some moulded ceiling beams. 2 storeys, timber-framed and plastered with red plain tile roof. Externally of little architectural value, but remaining parts of interior rich in detail. This building was the subject of historic building analysis in 2018 after it was damaged by fire.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: House, with shop, originally a college or chantry house, on the north-west side of the High Street, about 100 yards south-west of the Town Hall. It is two-storied; walls are plastered timber frame, roofs are tiled. The college is said to have been founded under the will of Bartholomew, Lord Bourchier in 1411, but only a rectangular fragment survives from the original building, which apparently extended further to the west. It was enlarged on the north side probably in the 16th century. On the south-east front is a 'modern' addition. An original carved hammer-beam truss in the roof is visible; the hammer beams are stop chamfered and one terminates in a carved angel holding a shield. Below the hammer beams are curved and chamfered braces springing from semi-octagonal shafts; the cambered collar beam also has curved braces and there are fragments of the original cornice. The purlins and common rafters are stop-chamfered. On the south-west elevation the upper storey of the 16th century addition projects and is supported on curved brackets. The standard of carpentry is high. Site Assessment = "An original carved hammer-beam truss in the roof is interesting". <1> Sir Robert Bouchier obtained licence in 1341 for a college with eight chaplains in St. Andrews parish church, Halstead. This did not take effect and in 1412 Richard Clifford (Bishop of London) and other obtained licence to found the Bouchier chantry for five chaplains but it apparently never had more than two. The chantry is now a house and shop at 26, The High Street. Of the original building only a rectangular fragment remains, which apparently extended further towards the west. It has a 16th century addition on the north side and a 19th century addition on the south-east front. Externally of little architectural value, but the remaining parts of the interior are rich in detail. Grade 2. <2> <3> In 1347 Sir Robert Bourchier obtained licence for a college with 8 chaplains in the parish church. This did not take effect and in 1412 Richard Clifford (Bishop of London) and others obtained licence to found the Bourchier chantry for 5 chaplains, but it apparently never had more than 2. The College was suppressed in 1545 In 1976 the chantry was a restaurant. <4> Externally of little architectural value, but remaining parts of interior are rich in detail. <5> July 1976. Field visit. 26, High Street is now a restaurant. The only external evidence of the 15th century chantry is some timber studding visible in the west wall of the building. Not outstanding. See photographs. <6> 1999. Survey. Only a small part remains of the original building with a 19th century addition to the street front and a 16th century enlargement on the north side. Original building has a very fine, elaborate roof construction, visible on the first floor. There are traces of an original hammer beam roof. <6> May to October 2018. Level 3 building survey. A historic building assessment was carried out after the building was damaged by fire. At the time of the survey the building was hidden by scaffolding. The front of the building was not damaged and the two canted bays remain on the ground floor and the central first floor canted bay is still intact. The roof of the kitchen was all but completely destroyed by fire. The two original tie-beams that span the frame remain. The bridging joist is not original but an early 19th century addition to support ceiling joists. Although burnt and deeply charred the Chantry roof remained largely intact. A small section of the ridgepiece was burnt right through but the structure kept its integrity. The flat paired rafters are pegged into the ridgepiece and then rest on two butt purlins either side supported by a hammer beam truss with carved angel terminal hammer beams. Each fourth rafter is larger to accommodate the butt purlins. Inside the chantry frame on the first floor the northeastern and southwestern walls are infilled with wattle and daub panels skimmed with lime mortar. The fire damage has revealed the keying on the base coats. Of interest is that every stud has been inscribed with a X on its side with a fine blade as if each timber was blessed. The southwestern wall has an opening for a doorway. If this is so then the panels cannot be original. There is an applied crenelated moulding at knee height which carries into the front of the building and so may not be original or at least is reused. There is some concern for the integrity of the chimney stack as the timber support beam has been burnt through. It determined that the original chantry frame is early 15th century, probably built shortly after 1411. The Chantry frame is represented by the main roof with its hammer beam structure, butt purlins and flat rafters. All the timbers are hollow chamfered. The hammer beams retain one carved angel, the other having been cut off in the early 19th century to insert rooms. The upper gabled walls are fully framed and complete. The lower North East wall is nearly complete although about 1 meter has been cut of the base off the full height studs. The remaining ground floor walls have been removed and the building extended to the southwestern and southeastern. A beam from the speres truss is still in-situ supporting the upper southwestern wall but all its posts and spandrels have been removed. The building was originally meant to support five priests so it follows that there must have been more accommodation. It is likely that the rear Cross-wing with its heavily moulded joists and similar construction details is of the same period. DW Clark assigns it to the 17th century but this does not seem likely given the richness of the details and weight of the frame. He recorded the building when it was an Edwardian House and may have missed these details. The building was extended forwards in the mid 18th century with a very clumsy roof hidden by a tall parapet. This was done with pitsaw scantling and grey slate hidden pent roof. Early photographs indicate there were precursors to the current early 20th century shop windows with small paned bay windows of lesser stature. Photographic evidence shows that the present shop front was applied between c.1900 and 1909. This included the addition of the first floor bay window. A section is built partly of red bricks and contains the bottle store. The brickwork here is mid to late 19th century in character. The store was later expanded with Fletton brickwork. The toilet block at the rear is built of Flettons with concrete lintels typical of the era of the 1930’s and 1940’s and the scullery and Walk in freezer are late additions. <7> See also: <8>