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Monument details

HER Number:TR 15 NW 953
Type of record:Listed Building
Name:POOR PRIESTS HOSPITAL

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1217 to 1799 St Mary's Hospital Founded before 1225, rebuilt in 1373 but since altered and enlarged. It was suppressed as a hospital in 1575. The original portion is L shaped, is mainly 13th-14th century, and consists of the chapel, hall, undercroft and service wing. Constructed of timber, flint and brick. Excavations have found traces of earlier buildings which appear to confirm documentary evidence that the site was cleared in 1175 for the construction of the hospital. The remains of an early 13th century chapel were found to underlie the present 14th century chapel. A 12th century fireplace in a service wing was also discovered. Early in 1939 , the medieval Poor Priests’ Hospital (which then housed the St John’s Ambulance Brigade) entered civil-defence use as storage for Air-Raid Precautions equipment. Perhaps around this time it was adopted as a civil-defence ambulance station. The site and building were adapted, and radually, other nearby buildings were annexed to the depot’s requirements. The building was rendered unusable in the ‘Baedeker’ raid of June 1942, but the service later returned, and remained here until June 1944.


Grid Reference:TR 14725 57768
Map Sheet:TR15NW
Parish:CANTERBURY, CANTERBURY, KENT

Monument Types

  • CHAPEL (Medieval to Modern - 1175 AD to 2050 AD)
  • HOSPITAL (HOSPITAL, Medieval to Modern - 1217 AD to 2050 AD)
  • CIVIL DEFENCE BUILDING (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD?)
Protected Status:Listed Building (I) 1259898: POOR PRIESTS HOSPITAL

Full description

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Description from record TR 15 NW 267:
[TR 14725777] Hospital of St Mary of the Poor Priests [NR]. (Remains of). (1) The Hospital of St Mary, Stour Street, Canterbury, was founded before 1225, for a master, three priests, a clerk and poor, aged or sick priests. It was surrendered in 1575. (2) The 14thc building [see plan GP/F/54/82/7 (3)] is scheduled. Now usedby the City Public Health Dept and the St John's Ambulance Brigade. (3-5) The remains, in good condition, comprise the Chapel, Entrance Hall, Screens and Hall; now used as a museum and a clinic. GP.AO/65/61/6. (6) Excavations took place between 1980 and 1982 at the 'Poor Priest's' Hospital, Stour Street, prior to its conversion into the Canterbury Heritage Museum. The excavations discovered parts of a building which may date back to 1175, predating the foundation of the hospital.Documentary evidence states the site was cleared in 1174 and the archaeological finds would be in agreement with this date. The chapel, hall, undercroft and service wing of the hospital were investigated during the excavations (see illustration card). The remains of an early 13th century chapel, including a S door, the scars of a tiled floor and an altar base were recovered under the floors of the 14th century chapel. The service room contained the remains of a 13th century kitchen with tile hearths, which sealed the floors of a room at the N end of a 12th century building built by Lambin Frese (a manager) in 1175. The remains of a fireplace flanked by engaged columns (of which only the bases survived) were incorporated in the 12th century N wall. A principal door set in a (vaulted?) projecting porch was located under the W end of the 13th century chapel. Engaged column basis were also located in the NW and NE corners of the 12th century room and in the SE corner of the porch. (7-10) Early history of ownership. (11) Hospital in existence by 1224. (12) Nos 20A and 21A Stour Street, Poor Priests Hospital. Grade 1. Founded 1217, rebuilt in 1373 but since altered enlarged. Scheduled as an AM. (For details see list). (13) Drawings were made of the Poor Priests Hospital, a very fine 13th to 14th century, largely stone, building being restored by the City who have owned it since 1575. (14-17) Additional reference. (18) Descheduled 26.2.97 (19)

Description from record TR 15 NW 736:
Prior to the Second World War the medieval Poor Priests’ Hospital on Stour Street housed the St John’s Ambulance Brigade. It entered the civil-defence sphere early in 1939 when two of its rooms were repaired for the storage of Air-Raid Precautions equipment. Perhaps around this time (but probably before the outbreak of the Second World War) it was adopted as a civil-defence ambulance station. By October the front garden wall had been demolished to provide parking; piles of sandbags were heaped-up around the entrance. Gradually, other nearby buildings were annexed to the depot’s requirements. In late September (having considered various other buildings including Philpott’s Garage on Rose Lane; Pinnock’s Yard and Court Brothers’ premises on Watling Street; and a site at Worthgate Place which had been intended for the construction of public baths) additional garage accommodation was provided nearer at hand, in a garage belonging to the County Hotel. All ambulance transport could be stored here except for private cars and the Mobile Unit, which were kept on the Watling Street Car Park. A petrol pump at this garage was reserved for ambulance use. Improvements were made to the stores and sleeping arrangements around the end of the year; these seem to have been nearby, at 7 to 10 Stour Street. By late October 1940 a ‘passageway at the Stour Street Ambulance Depot’ was being used by staff as impromptu air-raid shelter accommodation, and this may subsequently have been adopted formally and strengthened. The building was rendered unusable in the ‘Baedeker’ raid of June 1942, and the service briefly took over adjoining vacant premises at 19 Stour Street and a temporary Casualty Services depot, was established in the Watling Street Car park, but the service later returned to Stour Street, where it remained until June 1944. The building now houses a museum.
Owner : Public
Publicly accessible : Yes
How accessed for survey :
Tourism Potential :
Condition : unknown
Date of visit :

The Canterbury UAD mentions that the Poor Priests Hospital was founded by Simon Langton, the archbishops brother, archdeacon of Canterbury, about 1240 (Hasted 1800). He apparently did not fund the whole establishment but ' chiefly by zand with the Alms and Charity of pious and devout benefactors' (Somner 1800).

Lambin Frese the moneyer had a workshop near Christchurch Cathedral Gate. It was probably here that the fire started resulting in the destruction of the cathedral choir in 1174. The monks induced Lambin to move by giving him ten marks, and offering him two adjacent dwellings, those of Goodwin the Grom and of Gerold the tanner, 'towards Hottemelne, near the ford'. Lambin threw the holdings into one and built himself a stone house thereon. On his flight in 1180, Adam of Charing, Beckets enemy, took over the house. Adam died by 1207 and Roger the clerk, Lambins son, managed to acquire the site. He sold it to Alexander of Gloucester the philanthropist, who set in the building the hospital of St Mary to shelter poor priests, a function it performed into the reign of Elizabeth I (Urry1967 pp199).

In comparison to St Johns hospital founded c.1085 and St Thomas-upon-the-East bridge founded c.1180, Poor priest hospital is comparatively recent, being founded c.1220. However, the surviving buildings are a remarkably complete group of largely C14th buildings (Detsicas 1981).

The earliest levels consisted of a clay floor sealed by demolition deposit. These may well relate to the clearance of the site by Lambin Frese. The north and south walls of the hall cut these levels suggesting that the foundations of the present building may well date to c.1175. The main south wall, and the wall dividing hall and solar were of timber-frame construction set on mortared flint dwarf walls. Flanking both the east and west walls were stone benches with post holes regularly spaced along their length. A raised dais may have existed at the south end of the hall. A number of small stake holes and indentations in the various clay floors may indicate the position of the furniture. In the small service area to the south of the hall, three adjoining rooms were uncovered. They had a mixture of clay and mortar floors and were divided by small mortared flint dwarf walls. These rooms may have been part of an extension added to the hall when the building was converted into the hospital of St. Mary to shelter poor priests in c.1220 (Bennet 1979-80)

This building survived intact until the C14th when the hospital was extensively rebuilt. The east and west walls were partly demolished and rebuilt with large windows. The south dwarf wall was replaced. The timber-framed north wall separating hall and solar were rebuilt as a thick chalk block wall. Old doorways were blocked up. Earlier internal arrangements were all sealed over by a new floor and a new hearth was constructed in the center of the hall. This building still stands.

More recently the central hearth was destroyed and the medieval floor was reduced. A mass of post holes found cutting through the archaeological deposits, represents the extensive partitioning of the hall during its later life. The building was used as a hospital for poor priests until 1575 when it was dissolved and presented to the city by Elizabeth I. Since 1575 it has been used as a Blue Coat school, a bridewell, a clinic and is now Canterbury's Heritage Museum (Bennett 1979-80).

In 1728, it was, by act of parliament, appointed to be the workhouse, for the maintenance and employment of the poor of the city (Gostling 1796).

Associated Findings;
MON2UAD DB no 0786
Excavation 1981 DB no 0684
Excavation 1983 DB no 0680
Excavation PPH77 DB no 0705
Observation 1981 DB no 0411
Building survey DB no 1000

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
1. 944 STOUR STREET (North West Side)
Nos 20A and 21A (Poor Priests Hospital) TR 1457 NE 4/182 3.12.49
II
2. Founded in 1217, rebuilt in 1373 but since altered and enlarged. The original portion is L-shaped with 2 gables to the east. Flint with stone quoins and stone base. One C14 window in the south gable with 2 cinquefoil-headed lights and quatrefoil above. Other windows modern. To the south of this gable is a wing of 2 storeys and 6 windows in which C18 sash windows (with glazing bars intact) have been inserted, but it has a 4 centred arched Mediaeval doorway. The 2 southernmost window bays of this wing are of red brick with gables above. The rest is of flints with stone window dressings. The flint portion appears wholly C18 on the outside except for the pointed doorway. The brick portion is timber-framed with brick infilling and overhanging 1st floor at the back. Scheduled as an AM.
Listing NGR: TR1473057780 (27)


Canterbury City Council Emergency Committee, 01/01/39, Canterbury City Council Emergency Committee Minute Books 1 to 6 (Unpublished document). SKE14763.

Crampton P., 01/01/95, Canterbury in the Late 1940s: The Buddleia Years (Bibliographic reference). SKE14764.

<1> OS 1/2500 1957 (OS Card Reference). SKE48127.

<2> MRH Eng & Wales 1953 261 (D Knowles & RN Hadcock) (OS Card Reference). SKE47435.

<3> Arch J 86 1930 108-10 plan (WH Godfrey) (OS Card Reference). SKE36725.

<4> MHLG (944/11/A Mar 1962) 56 (OS Card Reference). SKE47045.

<5> AM Eng & Wales 1961 59 (OS Card Reference). SKE33010.

<6> F1 FGA 01-FEB-65 (OS Card Reference). SKE42878.

<7> Arch Cant 96 1980 399-402 (P Bennett) (OS Card Reference). SKE36266.

<8> Arch Cant 97 1981 276-279 (P Bennett) (OS Card Reference). SKE36284.

<9> Arch Cant 98 1982 216-220 plan (P Bennett) (OS Card Reference). SKE36310.

<10> Medieval Archaeol 27 1983 188-189 plan (SM Youngs, J Clark and TB Barry) (OS Card Reference). SKE46849.

<11> Arch J 126 1969 237 (WG Urry) (OS Card Reference). SKE36545.

<12> MRH Eng and Wales 1971 317 350 (D Knowles and RN Hadcock) (OS Card Reference). SKE47443.

<13> CAT Ann Rep 3 1978-9 20 (T Tatton-Brown) (OS Card Reference). SKE38669.

<14> CAT Ann Rep 4 1979-80 32 (T Tatton-Brown) (OS Card Reference). SKE38670.

<15> CAT Ann Rep 5 1980-1 15 (T Tatton-Brown) (OS Card Reference). SKE38672.

<16> CAT Ann Rep 6 1981-2 (T Tatton-Brown) (OS Card Reference). SKE38678.

<17> CAT Ann Rep 7 1982-3 30 (T Tatton-Brown) (OS Card Reference). SKE38685.

<18> DOE (HHR) City of Canterbury Kent 1973 265 (OS Card Reference). SKE39973.

<19> Not applicable, SMR Kent uncatalogued index entry, Pers Comm EH to KCC 26.2.97 (Miscellaneous Material). SKE6440.

<20> Gostling, W., 1796, A Walk in and About the Ancient City of Canterbury (Monograph). SKE29741.

<21> Hasted, E, 1799, The History of the Ancient and Metropolitical City of Canterbury. Vol 1. Canterbury (Article in monograph). SKE29735.

<22> Somner, W., 1703, The Antiquities of Canterbury (Article in monograph). SKE29736.

<23> Bennet, P., 1980, The Poor Priests Hospital (Article in serial). SKE29742.

<24> Bennet, P., 1982, The Poor Priests Hospital - The Solar Undercroft (Article in serial). SKE29743.

<25> Detsicas, A. P., 1981, Collectanea Historica. Essays in Memory of Sturt Rigold. Edited by Alec Detsicas (Monograph). SKE29745.

<26> Urry, W., 1967, Canterbury under the Angevin Kings (Monograph). SKE28529.

<27> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
---Unpublished document: Canterbury City Council Emergency Committee. 01/01/39. Canterbury City Council Emergency Committee Minute Books 1 to 6.
---Bibliographic reference: Crampton P.. 01/01/95. Canterbury in the Late 1940s: The Buddleia Years.
<1>OS Card Reference: OS 1/2500 1957.
<2>OS Card Reference: MRH Eng & Wales 1953 261 (D Knowles & RN Hadcock).
<3>OS Card Reference: Arch J 86 1930 108-10 plan (WH Godfrey).
<4>OS Card Reference: MHLG (944/11/A Mar 1962) 56.
<5>OS Card Reference: AM Eng & Wales 1961 59.
<6>OS Card Reference: F1 FGA 01-FEB-65.
<7>OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 96 1980 399-402 (P Bennett).
<8>OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 97 1981 276-279 (P Bennett).
<9>OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 98 1982 216-220 plan (P Bennett).
<10>OS Card Reference: Medieval Archaeol 27 1983 188-189 plan (SM Youngs, J Clark and TB Barry).
<11>OS Card Reference: Arch J 126 1969 237 (WG Urry).
<12>OS Card Reference: MRH Eng and Wales 1971 317 350 (D Knowles and RN Hadcock).
<13>OS Card Reference: CAT Ann Rep 3 1978-9 20 (T Tatton-Brown).
<14>OS Card Reference: CAT Ann Rep 4 1979-80 32 (T Tatton-Brown).
<15>OS Card Reference: CAT Ann Rep 5 1980-1 15 (T Tatton-Brown).
<16>OS Card Reference: CAT Ann Rep 6 1981-2 (T Tatton-Brown).
<17>OS Card Reference: CAT Ann Rep 7 1982-3 30 (T Tatton-Brown).
<18>OS Card Reference: DOE (HHR) City of Canterbury Kent 1973 265.
<19>Miscellaneous Material: Not applicable. SMR Kent uncatalogued index entry. Pers Comm EH to KCC 26.2.97.
<20>Monograph: Gostling, W.. 1796. A Walk in and About the Ancient City of Canterbury.
<21>Article in monograph: Hasted, E. 1799. The History of the Ancient and Metropolitical City of Canterbury. Vol 1. Canterbury.
<22>Article in monograph: Somner, W.. 1703. The Antiquities of Canterbury.
<23>Article in serial: Bennet, P.. 1980. The Poor Priests Hospital.
<24>Article in serial: Bennet, P.. 1982. The Poor Priests Hospital - The Solar Undercroft.
<25>Monograph: Detsicas, A. P.. 1981. Collectanea Historica. Essays in Memory of Sturt Rigold. Edited by Alec Detsicas.
<26>Monograph: Urry, W.. 1967. Canterbury under the Angevin Kings.
<27>XYMap: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. [Mapped feature: #328 listed building, ]