Link Building, Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton, West Berkshire Building Recording For Douai Abbey by Clare Challis Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd Site Code DAM05/10 April 2005 Summary Site name: Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton, West Berkshire Grid reference: SU 5775 6810 Site activity: Building Recording Date and duration of project: 2nd March 2005 Project manager: Steve Ford Site code: DAM 05/10 Summary of results: The structure is of 20th century date and provides a link between school and church complex buildings. Location and reference of archive: The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited at West Berkshire Museum in due course. This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder Report edited/checked by: Steve Preston 15.04.05 Steve Ford 15.04.05 i Link Building, Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton, West Berkshire Building Recording by Clare Challis Report 05/10 Introduction This report documents the results of building recording at Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton, West Berkshire (SU 5775 6810) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by Mr G. Rathbone of David Richmond and Partners Ltd, 16 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0BD on behalf of Douai Abbey. Planning permission has been granted by West Berkshire Council for the erection of new buildings at Douai Abbey (App. Nos 01/00966/FUL & 01/00967/LBC). A building linking the former Abbey School with the Abbey complex is being demolished as part of the development proposal. This report was commissioned to provide a full photographic record of the building affected by demolition, with a more detailed written and drawn record of any features of special architectural or historical importance. The structure has been recorded photographically on 35mm format colour print, colour slide and monochrome media. This is in accordance with the Department of the Environment’s Planning Policy Guidance, Planning and the Historic Environment (PPG15 1994), and the Council’s policies on historic buildings. The fieldwork was undertaken by Steve Ford on 2nd March 2005 and the site code is DAM 05/10. The archive is presently held at Thames Valley Archaeological Services, Reading and will be deposited at West Berkshire Museum in due course and a copy of the report will be deposited at the National Monuments Record. A watching brief also required as part of the planning consent will be reported on separately. Location, topography and geology Douai Abbey is located at Upper Woolhampton roughly between Reading and Newbury. The building under observation is located to the west within the complex between reception and the monks refectory (Figs 1 and 2). The site lies at approximately 80m above Ordnance Datum, on London clay (BGS 1946). 1 Archaeological Background Woolhampton was originally known as Ollavintone (‘the homestead of Wulflaf’s people’) at the time of Domesday Book (1086) and arrived at the name Woulhampton in the 16th century after passing through several variations (VCH 1923, 444–6). Catholicism was a strong faith within the Thames Valley region and a census taken in 1767 ‘Return of Papists’ recorded there being 84 Catholics residing in the village of Woolhampton (Trigg nd1, 51). This number included those living at the Woolhampton Park Estate and although this was sold to a non-catholic in 1786 chaplain Father Anstead remained at the site after being endowed seven acres of land. It is on this site that parts of St Mary’s Roman Catholic School, established in 1833, now stand. In 1903 a group of Benedictine monks, expelled from their monastery in France by anti-clerical laws, settled at Woolhampton. They brought with them the name ‘Douai’ after the place in northern France from which they had arrived, having moved there in 1818. They were invited to take over the existing St Mary’s College by the Bishop of Portsmouth and expanded the complex to become the Douai School (which closed in 1999). They also began the building of the Abbey Church in 1928, the east end of which was opened in 1933. Circumstances prevented its completion, however and a new design was not put in place until 1987; the church was finally opened and dedicated in 1993. Listed Building Status Various buildings on the site are Listed. According to the listings documentation: ‘Douai Abbey Church, 1928–33 by J Arnold Crush. Red brick with stone dressings, string course carried up over windows as hoodmould, plinths and parapets of chequered flint and stone; tiled choir roof, others not visible. Free Curvilinear Gothic style. Choir, aisles, north aisle chapel and Lady chapel with polygonal apse. Choir: two bays, that to east short. 4-light aisle windows, those to east 2-lights; 2-light clerestory windows, those to east of one light; clerestory to east with central 3-light window flanked by cusped lancets. Low chapel projecting from western bay to north with two 2- light windows. Newel turret to north-east of choir with parapet and lancet openings. Temporary west end with 3 lancets and circular window above lean-to porch. Lady chapel: 3 bays, 3-light windows; east window of 4 lights. Interior: ashlar faced and stone vaulted throughout. Choir arcades with moulded bases and capitals, and moulded arches. The church remains unfinished. J. Arnold Crush was a pupil of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Douai is a Benedictine Abbey. Grade II*. (IoE 1983, ref 39694) ‘Gatehouse and flanking blocks at Douai School GV II Gatehouse and flanking school buildings. 1893–5 by F A Walters in a neo-Gothic style. Red brick with stone dressings, plinth, corbel table and coped battlemented parapet; roof not visible. Free Perpendicular style. Gatehouse tower: 3 storeys. First and second floor windows with 2 cusped lights, those on the second floor arched with hoodmoulds, flanking 2 canopied niches with figures. Central moulded 4-centered archway with hoodmould and carved coats of arms to each side above. 2 short brick walls projecting to each side with stone coping, square piers and finials with carved coats of arms topped by lamps. Left hand block: red brick with stone dressings and brick sill course; tiled roof with central ridge stack and parapetted gable semi-dormer to left with casement. 2½ storeys. Three 2-light windows on each floor; first floor 2-light 4-centred arched window to left with transom and Y-tracery. Right-hand block: red brick with cill courses; tiled roof and 2 gables with planted timbers and casements. 2 2 storeys and attic. 2 canted bays rising to first floor with coped parapets and mullioned and transom windows. These buildings were originally built for St. Mary’s College. Listed grade II (IoE 1983, ref 39689) Four additional entries on the listed building record are for buildings within the Abbey School complex; Block approximately 15 metres to north of gatehouse, listed grade II (IoE 1983, ref 39690) Hall approximately 25 metres to north of gatehouse, listed grade II (IoE 1983, ref 39691) Block approximately 30 metres to north east of gatehouse, listed grade II (IoE 1983, ref 39692) Range approximately 50 metres to north of gatehouse, listed grade II (IoE 1983, ref 39693) Building Description The link building is red brick with stone dressings and is rectangular in shape, 9m x 6m. The bricks are uniform 9¼” by 2¾” (0.23m by 0.07m) and are in Flemish bond. The building links the former Abbey School with the Abbey complex. The building is single storey and comprises one room and two passages. The building has a flat roof and the room currently used as a print room has a skylight fitted. A parapet decorated with limestone quatrefoils disguises the actual roof line (Pl. 1). A cast iron drainpipe is present on the outside wall against the school building. A double set of arched modern wooden doors opens into an east–west passageway with tiled floor (Pl. 2). The first of these doors has windows placed in the arch above the standard door. A wooden ramp alongside a set of steps provides disabled access into the church buildings to the north. The internal height measures 3.68m to a wood-paneled ceiling with modern fittings including strip lighting (Pl. 3). Windows in this part of the building (the print room) facing to the interior of the complex, are round headed casements (Pl. 4). The windows in the west wall are three-light trefoil headed tracery windows with label (Pl. 5). The centre light is casemented which allows the lower half to be opened for ventilation. A comprehensive photographic record (Appendices 1–3) has been made for archive. Chronology The fittings and materials used in the construction are consistent with the listed building record for this building to be of 20th century date. The elements constituting the case for a 20th century date are: the uniformity of the size and firing of the brickwork; the flat roof and skylight; the internal modifications for disabled access and lighting. 3 With specific regard to the sequence of development; the main Abbey School complex formerly St Mary’s College was founded in 1833 and the foundation stone was laid for the Abbey church and the first phase completed in 1933. Major expansions of the school buildings took place at intervals from 1909 to the 1930s (Trigg nd2, 145). The “link” building formed an integral part of the monastery to the south until the building of the new monastery in 1965 (Fr Oliver Holt, pers. comm.) when it became the access between the former school and the monastery. Conclusion The building is of no great age and contains little of architectural or historical merit in its own right, although it gains group value by association.