Building record 1668/0/26 - The Chantry, Grafton Regis

House and barn, formerly stable and barn, originally gatehouse dwelling and north service building. Mid/Late C16, C19 and C20 alterations

{1}House and barn, formerly stable and barn, originally gatehouse dwelling and north service building. Mid/Late C16, C19 and C20 altertions.Coursed squared limestone and limestone rubble, plain-tile roof, brick end and ridge stacks. 2-storey, 5-bay range. Elevation facing road to south has two large blocked windows with roughly 4-centred heads; that to right has smaller blocked opening with wood lintel. Irregular glazing of 1-, 2- and 3-light casement windows with wood lintels. Off-set buttress near left angle. Left end elevation has three ventilation slits, right end elevation has C20 door with wood lintel and carved stone head above. Rear elevation has four 3-light stone arch mullion windows with cut spandrels, that to centre of range C20 and replacing door, plank door to far right with wood lintel. Pair of C20 leaded casement windows to 1st floor left of centre and loft door to right of centre, all between ground floor windows. Interior: dwelling has large chamfered spine beam. Late medieval 5-bay roof over whole building has massive stop-chamfered cambered tie beams to principal rafters with queen struts to collars and 2 tiers of purlins. The Chantry is said to be the chapel where Edward IV was secretly married to Elizabeth Woodville in May 1464. Whether it was the setting for this event or not, the blocked windows, surviving buttress, and the roof structure certainly tend to confirm that the building was indeed a chapel, subsequently sub-divided horizontally when converted into stabling. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: 1973, p227)

{4} House and barn, formerly stable and barn, originally gatehouse dwelling and north service building. Mid/Late C16, C19 and C20 altertions. Coursed square limestone and limestone and ironstone rubble, plain-tile roof, brick end and ridge stacks. 2-storey, 5-bay range. Elevation facing road to south has two large blocked windows with roughly 4-centred heads; that to right has smaller blocked opening with wood lintel. Irregular glazing of 1-, 2- and 3-light casement windows with wood lintels. Off-set buttress near left angle. Left end elevation has 3 ventilation slits, right end elevation has C20 door with wood lintel and carved stone head above. Rear elevation has four 3-light stone arch mullion windows with cut spandrels, that to centre of range C20 and replacing door, plank door to far right with wood lintel. Pair of C20 leaded casement windows to lst floor left of centre and loft door to right of centre, all between ground floor windows. Interior: dwelling has large chamfered spine beam. Late medieval 5-bay roof over whole building has massive stop-chamfered cambered tie beams to principal rafters with queen struts to collars and 2 tiers of purlins. Original rafters throughout. The building was probably a gatehouse range similar in form to that of Northborough, Cambs. Grafton was a royal manor in C16, and work is recorded here in 1520s-80s. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: 1973, p227. H Colvin: History of the Kings Works Vol IV, 1485-1660, pt II, 1982: p92-6; information from C T P Woodfield.)

{7} Close to the road there is a house called The Chantry, whose north wall is lit by a range of Tudor mullioned windows. It is possible that this house may have formed part of the 'offices along on the street side' which is mentioned in Tudor accounts.

{8} Undated photo, also three photos dated 27.07.1993;

<1> DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN1034.

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 13/41 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F11 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN45262.

<3> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<4> English Heritage, 2000, Listed Buildings Online, (checked) (Database). SNN105526.

<5> Cadman, G, 1995, The Chantry, Grafton Regis: Archive notes on Watching brief, July 1992, (unchecked) (Report). SNN49938.

<6> 1998, SMR REPORT FORM, (unchecked) (Plan). SNN54323.

<7> Brown R.A.; Colvin H.M.; Taylor, 1982, The History of The Kings' Works (Vol.IV) (Series). SNN60132.

<8> Photographs of buildings in Grafton Regis (Photographs). SNN112573.

Record last edited

Jul 20 2021 2:23PM