Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade II listed building. Main construction periods 1180 to 1973. Medieval building - No 11 High Street. A 14th - 15th century hall with a 13th century undercroft; now incorporated into a modern building. Listed.

Monument Types

• BUILDING (Medieval to Modern - 1180 AD to 1973 AD)
• VAULT (VAULT, Medieval to Modern - 1190 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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The following text is from the original listed building designation:
1. 944 HIGH STREET (North East Side)
No 11 (The Guildhall) TR 1457 NE 4/62A 3.12.49.
II GV
2. The exterior of this building is entirely modern but within and beneath are older remains. In the basement is a vault, now much mutilated of about 1200. Above is a hall of 6 bays much modernized inside and fitted up as a courtroom. The 2 bays nearest to the High Street are apparently a later addition, perhaps of the late C17. The main hall with its roof with moulded tie-beams and wall plates is probably of the C14-15. The side facing Guildhall Street was faced with an ornamental brickwork facade in 1700. It was entirely remodelled and covered with a cement rendering in 1904. The main walls appear to be flint and chalk rubble in origin. The 2 additional bays have only a flimsy timber-framed wall on the west. The building is scheduled as an AM.
Nos 11 to 15 (consec) form a group.
Listing NGR: TR1489457869

Description from record TR 15 NW 52 :
(TR 14895786) Medieval Building. (1) TR 150577 Vault, on site of Old Guildhall. (2) In the basement of the Guildhall is a vault, now much mutilated of c1200. Above is a hall of six bays now used as a court-room. (3) No 11 High Street (The Guildhall). (Sited to TR 14885785 from OS 1:2500 1957). The exterior of this building is entirely modern but within and beneath are older remains. In the basement is a vault, now much mutilated of about 1200. The main hall is probably 14th/15thc. (4) Additional bibliography. (5) Remains of 12th century undercroft. (6)

From the Register of Scheduled Monuments:

In the basement is a vault, now much mutilated of c 1200. Basement contains Norman Pillar. There is a stretch of original random stone walling on the E side of the crypt. Section of walling to E of vault contains remains of a pilaster, capital and the springing of an arch, the other side of which would have rested on the central pillar. In a cupboard to S are remains of rubble core.(7)


From the National Heritage List for England:

List entry Summary
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Name: The Guildhall

List entry Number: 1005164

Location


The monument may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County District District Type Parish
Kent Canterbury District Authority

National Park: Not applicable to this List entry.

Grade: Not applicable to this List entry.

Date first scheduled: 25-Mar-1948

Date of most recent amendment: Not applicable to this List entry.

Legacy System Information
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System: RSM - OCN

UID: KE 99

Asset Groupings
This list entry does not comprise part of an Asset Grouping. Asset Groupings are not part of the official record but are added later for information.

List entry Description
Summary of Monument
A medieval undercroft and the remains of a guildhall, 82m east of The County Hotel.

Reasons for Designation
A guildhall is traditionally, the hall of a crafts, trade, or merchants' guild although the term is now often used to describe a town hall. The former guildhall at Canterbury incorporates significant remains of a medieval undercroft. Medieval undercrofts are stone built with vaulted bays and were used for the storage of provisions or items of special value. Placed beneath a building 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 building falls into disuse or is replaced by a later structure.

Despite later damage and alterations, the medieval undercroft and the remains of the guildhall 82m east of The County Hotel survive comparatively well. The site contains some significant architectural details such as a medieval pilaster, capital and the springing of an arch. It retains potential for the recovery of archaeological and environmental information relating to its construction, use and history.

History
See Details.

Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 18 December 2014. The 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 and the remains of a guildhall situated at the corner of High Street and Guildhall Street in Canterbury. The exterior of No.11 High Street is modern but within and beneath are medieval remains. In the basement is a medieval stone undercroft dating from about 1200.

The walling on the east side of the undercroft contains the remains of a pilaster, capital and the springing of an arch, the other side of which would have rested on the central pillar. Above the undercroft are the remains of a medieval guildhall of six bays, dating from about the 14th century. The main walls are of flint and chalk rubble. It has a roof with moulded tie-beams and wall plates. The two bays nearest to the High Street are apparently a later addition, perhaps of the late 17th century. The side facing Guildhall Street was faced with an ornamental brickwork facade in 1700. The guildhall was entirely remodelled and covered with cement rendering in 1904.

The upstanding remains are Grade II listed.(8-9)

<1> F1 CFW 23-FEB-65 (OS Card Reference). SKE42726.

<2> DOE (IAM) AMs Eng 2 1978 113 (OS Card Reference). SKE40690.

<3> DOE (IAM) Record Form (OS Card Reference). SKE40728.

<4> DOE (HHR) City of Canterbury Kent Sept 1973 99 (OS Card Reference). SKE40151.

<5> Norman Domestic Archit 1974 (M Wood) (OS Card Reference). SKE47678.

<6> Hist Bldgs Survey Canterbury City Council/RCHME 57026 2 of 4 (OS Card Reference). SKE43805.

<7> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<8> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

<9> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading