Building record 2707/2/1 - Nassington Prebendal Manor House

An early 13th century manor house with Saxon origins located on the southern side of Church Street. The building was remodelled during the 15th century and a service wing added late 15th century to early 16th century. The hall was subdivided during the 17th century. The house was again remodelled in 1730 and during the mid 19th century.

{1} Prebendal Manor house. C13 on site of Saxon hall; remodelled C15, service wing late C15/early C16, hall subdivided horizontally and vertically C17, remodelled 1730 and mid C19. Squared coursed limestone with ashlar dressings and stone slate roof. Originally hall with solar range to north, now demolished, and service range to south. 2 storeys. Entrance front of 4-window range of mid C19 sash windows under wood lintels. 2-window range, to right, breaks forward, and is the medieval hall. Bay to far right breaks forward slightly and has small square squints in the return, at ground and first floor levels. 2-window range, to left, is C17 and later. C15, central, gabled porch corresponds with entrance to screens passage. Outer doorway has cambered tie beam with carved boss and king post above. Flanking, reset, carved heads. C15 inner doorway with moulded surround and 4-centred arch-head. 2-stage buttress between windows, to right. Ashlar gable parapet between hall and service ranges. 3 stone stacks to ridge and end of hall range. Service range has hipped roof, to left, and lateral stone stack. Gable end, to right, has evidence of north range, demolished c.1800. C13 arch-head doorway, to far right, with jamb of similar opening abutting at right angles. Various blocked openings in this gable. Rear elevation, to garden, has 2-window range of hall, to left, and unequal gabled cross-wing of service range breaking forward to right. Hall windows are C13, 2-light with round heads and C15 cinquefoil headed lights. The left window is a C20 restoration. Single-stage buttress between windows. C13 doorway into screens passage, to right, has chamfered jambs, round head and moulded abaci. Above is a single-light window with moulded stone surround. Gable end of cross-wing has cross casement at first floor, with reset carved heads at cill, under wood lintel. Single light window, under wood lintel, below. Return wall has C19 casement, to first floor, and C20 door to ground floor; both under wood lintels. Elevation to right has some C19 windows. Interior: wall defining screens passage has 2 doorways, under wood lintels, and supports a plaster floor; thought to have been a minstrels gallery. The hall, now subdivided into 2 areas, has central stack with open fireplace and bressumer, porbably inserted C17. Large open fireplace at the north end, probably inserted C15. A C20 staircase, with gallery, now gives access to the first floor of the hall. Traces of wall painting to wall at foot of staircase. The jambs of the windows on the entrance front correspond with the jambs of the medieval openings. C15 four-bay roof structure was reconstructed C19. Trusses with tie beams, arched-braced collars, struts, now missing, and 2 tiers of butt purlins. Tie beams are double ogee moulded; with the exception of that above the screens passage which is chamfered on the passage side. To the left of the screens passage the kitchen incorporates the service range, probably subdivided C17. A cross wall, with datestone 1743, has 2 doorways to each floor, under common lintels. Open fireplace in kitchen has restored bressumer. First floor room above kitchen, has ceiling with 3 cambered tie beams, probably inserted C16. 4 bay roof structure noted as having collars, clasped purlins, wind braces and cambered tie beams with curved struts; intermediate trusses have collars only. Rooms to west of kitchen are probably C16. A series of 3 doorways with eliptical heads lead progressively from the hall range into this area. C19 staircase to right of this arrangement. Remains of garderobe against south wall. Large mass of masonry in south-west corner. First floor room, over this area has fireplace with square-head chamfered surround. C18 roof with collars and clasped purlins. Excavations below the hall floor have revealed post holes of a Saxon aisled hall and evidence of a central hearth. The Prebend of Nassington was established in Lincoln Cathedral in C12 and the endowment consisted of Nassington Church its land and tithes. The house was occupied by the Prebendary and his tenants until 1836 when the Prebend was dissolved. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: p310; VCH: Northamptonshire: Vol 2, p586; RCHM: An Inventory of Architectural Monuments in North Northamptonshire: p121; Northamptonshire County Archaeological lUnit: Unpublished details of archaeological excavations)

{5}The house at Nassington now contains only the large hall of the original dwelling, which was altered and extended in the 15th century.

{12} Nassington was established as a Royal manor by the time of King Cnut. In the early 12th century Henry I granted the manor and some of the lands to the Bishop of Lincoln for the endowment of a prebend. A number of the prebens of Nassington became very powerful clergymen.

A decline in the status of the manor is documented in the letting of the property in 1535 to a farm of Thomas Beeston. In 1616 the manor went into secular ownership when Sir Anthony Mildmay bought the property and leased it out to tenant farmers. In 1969 it was separated from its agricultural land and sold as a private residence.

{13} Undated photo, also two photos dated September 1969;

{14} A recent re-assessment of some of the Anglo-Saxon and medieval pottery from the excavations has brought to light a fragment of a handle from a small Rhenish Greyware cooking pot of the 12th-13th century.

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 16/178 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), G12 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN41470.

<3> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1984, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.123-5 site 3 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77384.

<4> Jenkins S., 2003, England's Thousand Best Houses, p.548 (unchecked) (Extract). SNN104722.

<5> Woodfield P., 1981, The Larger Medieval Houses of Northamptonshire, 16/155, 177 (unchecked) (Article). SNN23550.

<6> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, pp.310-1 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<7> FOSTER P.; BAILE J.; JOHNSTONE G., 1989, The Prebendal Manor House at Nassington, Northampton, (unchecked) (Journal). SNN103914.

<8> Foster, P. Johnston, G. & Baile, J., 1988, The Prebendal Manor House: Excavations 1985-8, (unchecked) (Report). SNN1944.

<9> Ballinger J., 2000, Nassington Prebendal Manor House, (unchecked) (Photographic prints (COL)). SNN101342.

<10> 1990, Nassington Appraisal, (unchecked) (Document). SNN74161.

<11> Mowl T.; Hickman C., 2008, The Historic Gardens of England: Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Series). SNN106082.

<12> Foster PJ, Johnston AJ & Baile JMG, 1991, Excavations at the Prebendal Manor House, Nassington, Peterborough, p,94 (unchecked) (Article). SNN104525.

<13> Photographs of buildings in Nassington (Photographs). SNN112850.

<14> Blinkhorn, P and Baile, J, 2021, A medieval Rhenish 'Blaugrau' cooking-pot handle from the Prebendal Manor, Nassington, p. 430-431 (Note). SNN112934.

<15> Gardiner, M, Baile, J and Hill, N, 2021, The development of a Manor House over the Longue Duree: Nassington Prebendal Manor, Northamptonshire, p. 216-251 (Article). SNN112935.

<16> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, District of Listing: East Northamptonshire. 23-MAY-1967 amended 12-OCT-1988 (Report). SNN112993.

<17> Historic England, Undated, PREBENDAL MANOR HOUSE, NASSINGTON, BF084211 (Archive). SNN113377.

<18> Vernacular Architecture Group, 2000, Dendrochronology Database (Digital archive). SNN116200.

Record last edited

Mar 8 2024 1:18PM