Building record 5003/2/1 - Delapre Abbey, post-medieval country house

The site of a medieval Cluniac nunnery, which was founded circa 1145 and was dissolved 1538 and subsequently partly incorporated into a 16th century and later house. Part of the original ecclesiastical building may survive in the north and east sides of the house, but the basic existing fabric is of the 16th century with a west front added in the 17th century, and further additions and alterations made in the 18th and 19th centuries. The main building forms a rectangle with an internal court. It has two storeys with attics and is built of stone. During the Second World War it was requisitioned by the war Office. From 1957-1992 it was used as the Northamptonshire Records Office but this function has now been moved to a seperate purpose-built building. Delapre Abbey is a Listed Grade II* building with a series of associated Grade II auxilliary buildings and structures, including the 18th century stable block, orangery, coach house, esatate cottage and game larder.

{1} The present building shows the changing tastes of its post medieval owners but its plan still retains the form of the medieval church and claustral range.

{2} Delapre Abbey. Trenches were excavated against the west face of the north wing (16/04/1985). Some squared limestone blocks were noted in the spoil. There was a ragged opening in the lower wall courses; no finds or records were made.

{3} Observation trenches against the west face of the north wing; squared limestone blocks were present in the spoil. Ragged opening in the lower courses of exposed wall; no finds or other records made.

{4} No actual portions of abbey remain as part of the house; one of internal walls has two doorways dating to about 1550. These were originally external to the building but now open into the passage leading from the hall to the kitchen. The opposite wall of the passage has a recess to hold lamps. The western front is Jacobean and lighted by mullioned windows; this front followed the usual E-plan with projecting wings and a porch in the centre. Original circular stone staircase survives. The Jacobean work is attributed to Zouch Tate who was in possession from 1617-1650. Many of the rooms with wood panelling are from this time and a staircase from this period is in the servants' quarters. In 1764 the property passed to the Bouveries who built the south front. The original south wing was extended westwards to enlarge the library. In the wall on the south front is a doorway in style usually associated with Inigo Jones.

{5} There are three mid C16th doorways in the house. One leads to a spiral stair. Zouche Tate remodelled the west wing of the house sometime between 1617-1651. He also built the ironstone E-shaped west front. Only one gable of the wing survives. The right one was removed during building of the library circa 1820. The porch has an arched entrance between Roman Doric columns and an embattled top. The rest of the roof was also embattled. Mullioned and transomed windows. The east side of the house is irregular but also remodelled by Zouch Tate. The north side is also irregular. The jamb of a blocked window is suggested as belonging to the nunnery church. The south façade was constructed circa 1750 or 1765.

{6} The mansion house owned by the Tate and Bouverie families. No monastic buildings remain, the earliest work of the house being a passage leading from the kitchen to the hall. Two doorways on the north side possibly date to 1550. The entrance porch and parts of the west side of the house is early Jacobean. Several rooms have original Jacobean panelling. A Jacobean staircase leads from the kitchen to the servants' apartments. The house was largely remodelled in C18/19th.

{8} After 1548 Andrew Wadham built a range of rooms still surviving on the north side of the old nunnery cloisters. The internal courtyard possibly represents the cloister court of the nunnery. Three sides of the cloister may have survived C16th alterations but were later demolished. The courtyard is circa 67ft square and has thick walls on the north-west, north, east and south sides containing a medieval core. The corridor round three sides of the court is on the site of the medieval cloister walks. Two stone lanterns built into the corners may be medieval in origin.
In the C16th Bartholomew Tate began the process of adapting or rebuilding the abbey buildings. He probably started by converting the church building; the outer walls may have been retained but the interior was divided by cross-walls and floors. On the south side two tudor doorways and a newel stair were inserted. The refectory in the south range became the great hall. In the C17th it passed to Zouch Tate (1606-51) who was Mayor of the Corporation of Northampton. He removed much of remaining medieval work and undertook extensive rebuilding which still exists today. He built the entrance porch and west front; on the east side he built the kitchen with huge fire-place. He also rebuilt the east range containing the kitchen and including offices. On the site of the chancel of the church he built a dairy and other outbuildings. The insertion of ground floor windows and mullioned windows on the east, north and west sides of the house is his work. The west range was demolished and a new entrance front built consisting of two projecting wings with curvilinear gables on the south-west and north-west and a plain gable beyond. The west façade may have been mere screen wall; it is shown as a gable at the back of the north-west wing. Zouch Tate may have intended to build solid block containing great hall behind entrance façade, and the servants' offices in the north and east ranges. There was further extensive rebuilding circa 1749. A new south range was built containing the main reception rooms. A vaulted corridor was built behind the main rooms. A circular domed-topped staircase was remodelled in the C19th with domes and pendentives in the style of Soane. The upper part of the east range may have been rebuilt. A third storey was also added. In 1794 Captain Hardy sold the Delapre Estate for £22,000; Edward Bouverie purchased the house to be succeeded by General Everard William Bouverie 1789-1871. The small C17th south-west wing was rebuilt as a large library in 'Gothic taste' circa 1820-40 by Edward Bouverie. In the late C19th the main staircase was rebuilt and a conservatory and other annexes added at the east end of the south range. In 1946 the house with 586 acres of land was sold to Northampton Corporation and in 1957 the building was adapted to house the Northamptonshire Record Office and Northampton Record Society headquarters from 1958-92.

{10} House incorporating remains of a medieval abbey; mainly C16th and C17th. The house is located within the area of a Registered Battlefield.

{11} The building forms a rectangle with an internal court. It is possible that some of the structure or the original abbey building remains on the north and east sides of this house but the older part appears to be C16th with a C17th west front and the south from C18th with early C19th and later alterations. The west front has a recessed centre of two storeys, ironstone with a battlemented parapet and central projecting battlemented porch which has an arched opening with moulded springers and architrave round arch, and is flanked by fluted Tuscan columns on plinths supporting sections of entablature crowned by ball finials. The sides of the porch have blocked circular windows in moulded rectangular panels. On each side of the porch is a bay of 8-light mullioned and transomed windows. To left of centre is a double gabled projection of two storeys and attic. The inner gable slightly projecting has a convex and concave curved outline, the outer gable is plain. Each has a 3-light stone mullioned attic window and two bays below, tall C18th sashes on the first floor, the left hand gable has similar windows on ground floor, the right hand has 4-light stone mullioned and transomed windows. The stonework suggests different periods of building. To right of central part is a large two storey stuccoed early C19th 'Tudoresque' projection of poor design but with stonework of original wing remaining on half the north side in which is a bay of 8-light mullioned and transomed windows. The south front with cornice and parapet with C19th balustrading has 10 bays of sash windows plus the Tudoresque addition to left hand. The windows have architrave surrounds and the two right hand bays are separated by a pilaster with a corresponding pilaster on the right hand end. It seems likely that the house was originally symmetrical on this front and also on west front, excluding left hand gable. The north and east fronts have some mullioned and transomed windows and some later windows in irregular arrangment. Internally some with four-centred arch heads and lantern wall recesses to a corridor are in the north wing. The corridor in which are the lantern recesses is supposed to be part of the original cloister of the Abbey. The recesses are framed in moulded stone and are at each end of the inner wall facing in two directions. They may be earlier than mid C16. Considerable redecoration must have been done in the C19th. Illustrated in "Old Halls and Manor Houses of Northamptonshire" by J.A.Gotch. Delapre Abbey with its Stable Block, Billiard Room, Garden Wall and Gateway, Game Larder, Coach house and Park House form a group.

{13} House incorporating remains of medieval abbey, C16th and C17th. Situated within a registered battlefield and public accessible park. Patches of stone erosion to ashlar dressings. Areas of missing and poor pointing with most window frames in need of repair. Rusty rainwater goods causing damp and supporting vegetation growth. Northampton Borough Council have undertaken holding repairs.

{14} House incorporating remains of medieval abbey, C16 and C17, within registered battlefield and public park. Areas of stone erosion to ashlar dressings, poor pointing, most window frames in need of repair and rusty rainwater goods. Several roofs were in very poor condition. Historic England grant-aided works for urgently necessary repairs to the roofs have been completed. The Heritage Lottery Fund Stage 2 works are in advanced stages, to convert Delapre into a heritage attraction. This will secure repair and enhancement work to the south range as the first phase.

{17} Zouch Tate "….built on the site of the nunnery and part of the church; he turned other parts to profane use, particularly the chancel to a dairy and buttery and other such offices…".

{18} The beautiful domain of De la Pre forms the southern boundary of Northampton; an ornamental landscape with woodland. The seat of John Augustus S. Bouverie, the elegant mansion is the old abbey of St Mary De la Pre. The monastery and its demesne lands in Hardingstone were granted to John Mershe in 1543. It came into the hands of the Tates during the reign of Elizabeth I. Zouche Tate was the member of Parliament for Northampton during the reign of Charles I. It rested with the Tates until the middle of the C18th when taken over by the Bouveries.

{23} Archaeological investigations carried out between 2014 and 2018 during the renovation of Delapre Abbey included a programme of building survey, recording features and elements as they were exposed by the building works.
The building survey allowed for an great element of local reconstruction from small keyholes, such as (for instance) the first floor framing of the south range. However, new overall views have not generally been forthcoming which might allow for Heward and Taylor’s phasing to be modified.
One noteworthy exception was the first floor room in the north-western corner of the north range, where the extent of opening up the floor and the north wall has promoted the hypothesis that this whole corner block may hide a timber frame beneath its skin. Certainly a girding beam is so deeply embedded on both north and west, with brick noggin at the back of all décor, where seen, that some form of box framing is possible. It would explain why this corner block protrudes beyond the north face of the range, a necessary protrusion to accommodate a stone skin to acquire long-term weather-proofing and achieve uniformity. The block is probably a secondary timber framed end to the North range constructed in the 17th century.

{24} Five photos dated 1990.

{25} In 2001 a society of Friends of Delapre Abbey was formed to prevent potential unspympathetic development. Their website contains a history of the site and a notice board of news and events concerning the abbey.

{26} Drawings with measurements of two coffins;

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1985, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.291 (checked) (Series). SNN77383.

<2> 1985, SITE RECORDS, (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN19980.

<3> CHAPMAN A., 1985, SMR Report Form, (unchecked) (SMR Report Form). SNN49455.

<4> Salzman L.F.(ed), 1937, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.254 (checked) (Series). SNN100371.

<5> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.352-53 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<6> WALKER, Sufferings of The Clergy, (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN2514.

<6> Serjeantson R.M., 1909, A History Of Delapre Abbey, Northampton, p.35-41 (checked) (Book). SNN474.

<7> Department of the Environment (DoE), 1976, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN3381.

<8> Wake J.; Pantin W.A., 1958, Delapre Abbey, Its History and Architecture, p.225-241 (unchecked) (Article). SNN597.

<9> Heward J.; Taylor R., 1996, The Country Houses of Northamptonshire, p.166 (unchecked) (Book). SNN41757.

<10> 1998, Buildings At Risk Survey, p.45 (checked) (Report). SNN43352.

<11> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 7/138 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<12> 1976, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), H14 (Catalogue). SNN1000.

<13> ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2008, Heritage at Risk Register, 2008, p.38 (checked) (Catalogue). SNN106096.

<14> Historic England, 2016, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2016, p. 54 (Report). SNN110747.

<15> Soden, I. & Walker, C., 2014, First phase archaeological excavation, recording, analysis and reporting in the basements of Delapre Abbey, Northampton: The evaluation of an accumulated soft layer beneath The Drawing Room (Report). SNN110238.

<16> Historic England, 2017, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2017, p. 61 (Report). SNN111090.

<16> Historic England, 2018, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2018, p. 61 (Report). SNN111434.

<17> WALKER, Sufferings of The Clergy, (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN2514.

<18> Whellan, 1874, History, Topography & Directory of Northamptonshire, p.265-66; Copy in NDC SMR File M21; (checked) (Book). SNN1002.

<19> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP75NE3 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<19> Williams J.H.; Shaw M.; Hardy S., 1978-1984, Northampton Development Corporation SMR Secondary Record Sheets, M21 (checked) (Catalogue). SNN108.

<20> FOARD G., 2004, Letter with Extract of Photograph, (unchecked) (Correspondence). SNN104837.

<21> PANTIN W.A., Delapre Abbey, (unchecked) (Report). SNN75509.

<22> Mowl T.; Hickman C., 2008, The Historic Gardens of England: Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Series). SNN106082.

<23> Soden, I and Prentice, J. with a contribution by Meadows, I, 2019, Archaeological monitoring, excavation, building recording and analysis at Delapre Abbey, Northampton 2014-19 (Report). SNN111408.

<24> Photographs of buildings in Northampton (Photographs). SNN114989.

<25> Friends of Delapre Abbey, 2005, The Friends of Delapre Abbey, [Accessed 16-AUG-2006] (Website). SNN115652.

<26> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/133/15,26 (Archive). SNN115.

<27> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, DOE(HHR) Dist. of Northants. Northants. Jan. 1976 1 (Report). SNN112993.

<28> Historic England, Undated, DELAPRE ABBEY, NORTHAMPTON, BF059948 (Archive). SNN115653.

Record last edited

Oct 24 2024 11:51AM