Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The Chequer's Inn, also spelled the Checkers Inn, was built (or re-built according to some authorities) by Prior Chillenden in 1392 as a pilgrim's hostel. It was an extremely large inn, built for visiting Pilgrim's, and took three years to complete (1392-1395).

Monument Types

• INN (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1392 AD to 1567 AD?)
• SHOP (Now, Post Medieval to Unknown - 1567 AD?)

Full description

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The Canterbury UAD states that The Chequer's Inn, also spelled the Checkers Inn, was built (or re-built according to some uthorities) by Prior Chillenden in 1392 as a pilgrim's hostel. It was an extremely large inn, built for visiting Pilgrim's, and took three years to complete (1392-1395) at a cost of £867. 14s. 4d. which was a collossal amount at that time. However, this great outlay was not a good long-term investment when the number of pilgrim's to the Cathedral declined during the latter half of the fifteenth century.

The inn, probably the largest timber-framed building in England, was built in the form of a quadrangle around an extensive coutyard, built over three storeys the upper rooms being reached by an outside staircase leading to an open gallery with another above on the next floor; the first floor being supported on pillars forming a colonnade running from a wide High Street frontage along the full length of Mercery Lane to the Buttermarket in front of the entrance of the Cathedral at Christ Church Gate. The cellars survive and were confined to the High Street frontage only, two gothic cellar lights are visible next to a surviving gothic doorway now used as the entrance to a shop at No.1 High Street. The High Street frontage gave access to the great dormitory known as the 'Hall of a Hundred Beds which was huge open dormitory running the length of the western side (now destoryed), whilst the eastern side was divided into individual rooms, perhaps to cater for more important persons'.

Woodruff states that it was originally called 'The Chequers of the Hoop' Inn. Chaucer in his Pilgrimage describes the inn as the 'Chequers upon the Hope'. He also noted that it had a garden attached to it. Hasted records, amongst many things, details of a dinner and entertainment for the Lord Chief Justice and Mr Poynings at the Mayors house in Canterbury in 1501 noting, '... for Mr Poyning's horsemeat at the Chequers, 5s. 3d. For a bottle of wine at the Chequers, spent on his servants, 5s.'

It is not certain when this building ceased to be an inn, certainly it was in existence in 1546 when the 'Princes Players' performed in it before the Mayor and Corporation. It is believed however, that it fell into disuse and decay soon after the Reformation.

The building was then converted into a series of shops including a draper's shop. Sadly much of the buildings western side was largely destroyed by a serious fire in 1865, however parts still survive at the corner of the High Street and all along the Mercery Lane frontage. Now (2003) No 1 High Street is occupied by H. Samuels the jewellers. The Canterbury Archaeological Trust has for a number of years been carrying out building recording work within parts of the surviving building as and when they become available, mostly during refitting and alteration works.

The exact boundary of the original building is uncertain.

The Checkers inn is now compromised of two listed buildings;
1-8 Mercery Lane (MKE24375)
1-2 High Street (MKE24518)

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

Hasted, E, 1801, The History of the Ancient and Metropolitical City of Canterbury, Hasted, Vol II, 1801 (Serial). SKE30163.

Brent, J., 1879, Canterbury in Olden Time. (Article in monograph). SKE29965.

Anon, 1924, The Royal & Ancient City of Canterbury - Official Guide (Monograph). SKE30128.

Enderby, H. M., 1950, The Inns of Canterbury Parts I & II, Lecture to the Canterbury Archaeological Society (Unpublished document). SKE29964.

Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1991, The Pilgrim Inns of Canterbury (Monograph). SKE30157.

Sources and further reading