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Monument details

HER Number:TR 04 NE 213
Type of record:Listed Building
Name:UNDERCROFT AT ENTRANCE TO STONEGATE EGG PACKING STATION

Summary

Grade II listed building. Main construction periods 1200 to 1299.


Grid Reference:TR 0534 4666
Map Sheet:TR04NE
Parish:WYE WITH HINXHILL, ASHFORD, KENT

Monument Types

  • UNDERCROFT (Medieval to Modern - 1200 AD to 2050 AD)
Protected Status:Listed Building (II) 1365315: UNDERCROFT AT ENTRANCE TO STONEGATE EGG PACKING STATION; Scheduled Monument 1003604: Medieval undercroft, Bridge Street, Wye

Full description

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Description from record TR 04 NE 34:
TR 05344666, Medieval Undercroft, Bridge Street, Scheduled. A small rectangular vaulted undercroft, stone built and probably 13th century. The chalk block vaulting is carried on six limestone ribs meeting in a central boss. (1) 29/26 The Cellar beneath the premises of Stonegate Farmers Ltd. Egg Packing Station. Bridge Street (South Side), Wye. Grade II. There is no actual building over this. It lies beneath the yard in front of the modern buildings, and the entrance is covered by a woodentrap door. C.15 stone-vaulted undercroft with a centre roof boss. (2)

From the Register of Scheduled Monuments:
Small rectangular vaulted undercroft, stone built with remains of a later vice at its S end. At its N end is a blocked doorway and 2 blocked windows. Halfway up the vice is a small rectangular window overlooking the undercroft. At the bottom of the vice access is through a two-centred archway. The chalk block vaulting is carried on six limestone ribs meeting in a central boss with a later Tudor rose. Date of undercroft probably C13.


From the National Heritage List for England:

List entry Description
Summary of Monument
Medieval undercroft 25m SSW of No.2 Church Street.



Reasons for Designation
A domestic undercroft of the medieval period might comprise three, four or more vaulted bays depending upon the wealth of the owner. They were constructed of stone, fireproof and used for the storage of provisions or items of special value. Placed beneath a house they could thus be kept under close supervision. Although undercrofts are sometimes referred to as cellars, they were not necessarily built entirely below ground level, but, where they are sunken into the ground this can aid their preservation when the house either falls into disuse or is replaced by a later structure. All domestic undercrofts of the medieval period with significant surviving archaeological remains are considered worthy of protection.

The medieval undercroft at the corner of Upper Bridge Street and Stonegate in Wye is a well preserved example of its type. It includes some significant medieval architectural details such as the ribbed vaulting, corbels and roof boss. The site will contain archaeological information and deposits relating to the construction, use and history of the undercroft.

History
See Details.

Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 18 March 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a medieval undercroft surviving as upstanding and buried remains. It is situated at the corner of Upper Bridge Street and Stonegate in Wye.

The undercroft is rectangular in plan and about 5.4m long by 4.5 m wide and 3m high. It has a sexpartite vault with plain chamfered ribs supported on corbels. The corbels are perpendicular in style. At the centre is a roof boss with a floral motif. The corbels, ribs and boss are built of ragstone but the webbing between them is of squared chalk blocks and the walls are of roughly coursed flint. The undercroft is accessed through a brick spiral stairwell and arched doorway in the south wall. Each side of the doorway are square alcoves. The north wall has a low segmental arched doorway with ragstone steps to the street. It is blocked by later brickwork. On either side are two windows, also blocked with later brickwork. The surviving window fixtures include hinge pins, latch plates and sockets, which originally supported iron bars and hinged shutters. The window sills are now 0.5m below modern pavement level, indicating a rise in ground level since the original construction of the undercroft.

The undercroft is thought to have been built in the 13th century. Partial excavation was carried out in the vicinity of the undercroft in 1988 and 1996. A robbed medieval stairwell, tile hearth and cess pit were indentified to the south. A flint wall was uncovered on the street frontage and a 19th century brick floor overlay the undercroft.

The undercroft is Grade II listed.(3)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TR 0446 0546 WYE BRIDGE STREET (south side)
8/183 Undercroft at 27.11.57 entrance to Stonegate Egg Packing Station
GV II
Undercroft. C13. Spiral stair to south leads down to vaulted chamber 17'10" by 14'lO", with sexpartite vault on corbels, with central rose shaped roof boss and chalk webbing. Blocked door and side lights on northern (roadside) end, arched entrance to south. (See Wye Local History Magazine).
Listing NGR: TR0535146674 (4)


<1> DOE(IAM) Record Form & Map (see illus card) undated. (OS Card Reference). SKE41431.

<2> DOE(HHR) East Ashford Rd Kent July 1955 61 (OS Card Reference). SKE41156.

<3> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

<4> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>OS Card Reference: DOE(IAM) Record Form & Map (see illus card) undated..
<2>OS Card Reference: DOE(HHR) East Ashford Rd Kent July 1955 61.
<3>Index: Historic England. National Heritage List for England.
<4>XYMap: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. [Mapped feature: #21825 Undercroft, ]