Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse –
A Conservation Plan
Prepared by Warwickshire Museum Field Archaeology Projects Group
on behalf of
Polesworth Parochial Church Council
Version 1.0
March 2008
Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan
Version 1.0 by Warwickshire Museum Field Archaeology Projects Group on behalf of
Polesworth Parochial Church Council
Contents
List of figures 1 Acknowledgements 2
Summary 3
1. Introduction and background 5
2. History of the site and building 10
3. Description of existing buildings and site 26
4. Statement of significance 39
5. Overview of main management and conservation issues 44
6. Statement of conservation principles 58
7. Assessment of impact of current proposals 61
8. Conclusions and proposals 67
Bibliography and sources 70
Appendix A: Listed Building citations Appendix B: Scheduled Ancient Monument details Appendix C: Plans for conversion of Gatehouse to flats Appendix D: Plan for landscaping of Gatehouse and Driveway
Warwickshire Museum Report 0808
March 2008 Prepared with support from
Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan
List of figures
Fig 1: Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse, High Street frontage 6 Fig 2: Location plan 7 Fig 3: Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse and surroundings 8 Fig 4: Polesworth, 1886 (1st edition Ordnance Survey 1:2500 map) 11 Fig 5: Rear of Gatehouse, c.1785, drawing by E Stringer (WRO DR(B)44/110) 13 Fig 6: Front of Gatehouse, c.1800 (BCA Aylesford Collection f 572) 16 Fig 7: Rear of Gatehouse, late 19th-century drawing (WRO PV Pol Abb 1) 16 Fig 8: Front of Gatehouse, c.1910 postcard (WRO PH 352/144/53) 18 Fig 9: Rear of Gatehouse, early 20th-century (WRO DR(B)44/110) 18 Fig 10: Rear of Gatehouse with procession, 1910 (Wood 1984, 5) 19 Fig 11: Interior of Gatehouse, early 20th-century, looking east (WRO DR(B)44/110) 21 Fig 12: Rear of Gatehouse, 1920s postcard (WRO PH 767/35) 21 Fig 13: Rear of Gatehouse, 1967 (RCHM B67/2018) 22 Fig 14: Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse, Provisional phasing, ground floor 24 Fig 15: Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse, Provisional phasing, mezzanine and first floor, 25 Fig 16: Gatehouse, from north 27 Fig 17: Gatehouse, from south 27 Fig 18: Gatehouse, from south-east 27 Fig 19: Gatehouse, main archway, from north 27 Fig 20: Gatehouse, main archway, west side, with blocked doorways 27 Fig 21: Gatehouse, pedestrian passage and windows to Porter’s Lodge and mezzanine room 28 Fig 22: Gatehouse, pedestrian passage with window and doorway to Porter’s Lodge 28 Fig 23: Gatehouse, pedestrian passage, from south 28 Fig 24: Gatehouse, south-eastern doorway to stair and upper floors 28 Fig 25: Gatehouse, window to stair, restored 1923 30 Fig 26: Gatehouse, stair to upper floors 30 Fig 27: Gatehouse, mezzanine room, north-west corner 30 Fig 28: Gatehouse, mezzanine room, south doorway 30 Fig 29: Gatehouse, hall, south-west corner 30 Fig 30: Gatehouse, hall, south side 30 Fig 31: Gatehouse, hall, closet with 1920s wainscoting and bench 30 Fig 32: Gatehouse, hall, east wall and fireplace 31 Fig 33: Gatehouse, hall, north-west corner 31 Fig 34: Gatehouse, hall, north-east corner 31 Fig 35: Gatehouse, chamber, north-west doorway to garderobe/stair turret 31 Fig 36: Western range, from north 34 Fig 37: Western range, from south-east 34 Fig 38: Western range, from north-west 34 Fig 39: Western range, ground floor, north east corner, mid 19th-century window and brick floor 34 Fig 40: Western range, ground floor, south-west corner, showing mid 19th-century partition walls 34 Fig 41: Western range, south wing, ground floor store, from east 34 Fig 42: Western range, north-eastern doorway, late 19th-century 35 Fig 43: Western range, first floor, western window in south wall 35 Fig 44: Western range, first floor, eastern window in north wall, lowered in late 19th century 35 Fig 45: West wall of Gatehouse, with scar of turret, plinth, and purlin socket of earlier building 35 Fig 46: Western range, roof, from east 35
1 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan
Fig 47: Gatehouse forecourt, from north-east 37 Fig 48: Driveway, from south towards Gatehouse 37 Fig 49: Driveway, eastern boundary wall 37 Fig 50: Driveway, western boundary railings 37 Fig 51: Driveway and War Memorial towards Gatehouse, from south 37 Fig 52: Driveway, south end, and west end of church 37 Fig 53: Gatehouse garden, from south-west 38 Fig 54: Gatehouse, from Tithe Barn 38
Acknowledgements
Polesworth PCC is grateful to English Heritage who have part funded the preparation of the Conservation Plan, along with an archaeological survey of the Gatehouse by Nat Alcock and Bob and Jean Meeson, tree-ring analysis by A Arnold and R Howard, a structural inspection by Steve Mason of Hancock, Wheeldon and Ascough, and a timber condition survey by Ridout Associates.
The site development work has also been supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Heart of England Community Foundation.
2 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Summary
Summary
Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse lies on High Street, Polesworth, on the north edge of the former precinct of Polesworth Abbey, the Benedictine nunnery around which the town grew up. The Gatehouse currently provides access to St Edith’s Church and Vicarage and to Hall Court, the civic centre of the town in the western part of the former monastic precinct. The Gatehouse is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Listed Building lying within the Polesworth Conservation Area. Over the years the condition of the building has deteriorated so much that parts of the masonry are in danger of collapse; it has been on English Heritage’s Register of Buildings at Risk since 1999.
The building consists of two elements: the Gatehouse itself, a part stone, part timber-framed building of the 14th century, with main and pedestrian archways and a Porter’s Lodge below and a high status lodging above, with a particularly fine crown post roof; and its western range, a two-storey stone building, in its current form dating to the late 16th century, but with probable medieval origins. This may have been a guest house or an almonry or possibly a school (the use favoured by local tradition).
Following the dissolution of the Abbey the gatehouse buildings belonged to the manor house which took over the former precinct. The western range acquired its existing roof in 1583 when it was probably converted to manor house estate offices or accommodation; it was remodelled in the 18th and 19th centuries, by which time its ground floor had become a stable and storage. In the late 19th century the upper floor was converted into a parish reading room. The gatehouse was partly remodelled in the 18th century with further alterations in the 19th century, although many original features survive. In 1912 the manor house estate was sold off and the buildings were purchased by the Vicar and trustees, partly with funds raised by public subscription. A limited restoration of the gatehouse was carried out in 1923 when the first floor became a club room attached to the reading room. The west part of the western range was demolished in 1967 after which the remaining parts of the first floors of both buildings were converted into two flats. Owing to the structural problems these are now vacant.
It is possible that the buried remains of earlier buildings survive below the existing ones, and that traces of other medieval buildings from the former monastic precinct survive in the area, although archaeological excavations to the west in 1976 found little evidence.
To the south of the Gatehouse a tree-lined, but dilapidated, gravel driveway runs southwards to the west end of St Edith’s Church, formerly part of the Abbey church. A driveway on this line will have existed since at least the 14th century, although its current form dates to c.1920 when it was widened and the Polesworth War Memorial constructed on its eastern side. It is currently used for casual car parking but with three designated disabled spaces at its south end.
As the only surviving Abbey building in Polesworth apart from the church the Gatehouse has an iconic status locally. It is a preferred subject of postcards and memorabilia of Polesworth and the building has become the focus of local legends which give Polesworth a place in English history for its inhabitants.
It is proposed that funds be sought from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other suitable sources for a conservation programme to repair the structure of the building and improve the landscaping of its surroundings, including the driveway to the Church. Ownership of the Gatehouse will be transferred to a company with charitable status, the Nunnery Gateway Trust Ltd, while the driveway will remain part of the churchyard.
3 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Summary
A sustainable long term use for the Gatehouse building needs to be found which will produce revenue for its future maintenance. The preferred option is conversion of the building into two flats to be let as self catering holiday accommodation to be marketed and managed in partnership with the Vivat Trust, a charity dedicated to rescuing buildings of architectural and historical interest.
This option would permit public access to the interior of the building between lettings, as well as on a set number of days each year, including Heritage Open Days. The medieval porter’s lodge and mezzanine room will be displayed as medieval rooms. They will be available for visiting at all times by appointment and will be used in the Abbey’s medieval life education programme ‘Monks and Nuns at Polesworth’. Interpretative signage will be provided to the rear of the building for the enjoyment of passing visitors and local people.
Discussions with English Heritage and North Warwickshire Borough Council have indicated that conservation proposals along these lines are acceptable in principle, subject to agreement on details and the carrying out of a programme of archaeological excavation and recording. This will involve some archaeological excavation below the floors of the Porter’s Lodge and western range, and recording of evidence revealed by the stripping out of the building and the ground disturbance involved in the landscaping. The conservation work will also be accompanied by ecological surveys.
The local community will be encouraged to participate in the work of the Nunnery Gateway Trust and a project will be set up for local young people to document the conservation programme. The Abbey’s current volunteer project will be expanded to provide guides to conduct tours of the Gatehouse and deliver ‘Monks and Nuns’ small-group activities in the Gatehouse. A training programme will be devised for the volunteers A guide booklet and publicity leaflets will be produced, and a teachers’ pack to resource school visits. A DVD audio-visual presentation to be shown on site and available for purchase will be prepared, to include a virtual tour of the Gatehouse, an introduction to the history of the Abbey and the Gatehouse and an account of the conservation programme.
The Gateway will continue to serve as the main access to the church and vicarage, but it is planned to reduce the use of the driveway for car parking, except for disabled parking close to the church. Alternative parking for visitors will be provided on the adjacent college site and a separate scheme will be developed to extend the college car park. The restriction of car parking will make it possible to promote the use of the driveway for new community uses.
On completion of the conservation programme a long-term maintenance programme informed by appropriate research will be put in place to ensure that the structure does not deteriorate again.
Version 1.0 of the Conservation Plan was completed in March 2008 and adopted by Polesworth PCC inMarch 2008.
4 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 1. Introduction and Background
1. Introduction and Background
1.1 For over 650 years the Abbey Gatehouse (Fig 1) has stood on Polesworth High Street giving access, originally to the precinct of the medieval Abbey, a house of Benedictine nuns who were responsible for the development of Polesworth as a market town, and then, following the Dissolution of the Abbey, to the Court of the manor house Polesworth Hall and the Parish Church of St Edith which took over the west end of the Abbey Church. The former Hall Court (Fig 2) now contains the civic centre of Polesworth including the Public Library, the Health Centre, Memorial Hall and Parish Council Offices, the last housed in the historic Tithe Barn, and Polesworth residents continue to pass daily through the Gatehouse archway on their way to these amenities and to the Church and Vicarage. Apart from the Church the Gatehouse is the only building surviving from the medieval Abbey. This has given it an iconic status locally as a tangible expression of Polesworth’s place in history and it is regularly featured on postcards and other memorabilia of the town.
1.2 In 1912 the Gatehouse and the adjacent range to the west which was then used as a parish reading/recreation room, were bought by the then vicar and trustees, with funds partly raised by local public subscription. They now belong to the Vicar and Churchwardens of St Edith’s Church.
1.3 The Gatehouse is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (Warwickshire Monument no 119a) and a Grade II* Listed Building (LBS 435600), while its western range is Grade II Listed (LBS 435601). Recent surveys have emphasised their exceptional architectural and historic significance (Alcock, Meeson and Meeson 2007; Arnold & Howard 2007), dating the building of the Gatehouse to the 1340s and that of the western range in its current form to c.1583. However, owing to inadequate maintenance and inappropriate alterations in the past, their structural condition has deteriorated to such an extent that parts of the buildings are in real danger of imminent collapse. Since 1999 the buildings have been on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register and discussions have been continuing as to their future.
1.4 The last significant restoration work was carried out in the 1960/70s when the buildings were converted into two flats for rent. However, as the condition of the buildings has deteriorated their commercial value has declined and the revenue they can generate is insufficient to cover their long term conservation. Both flats are currently vacant.
1.5 In recent years the Abbey Church community has begun to address the conservation of the Abbey site and its historic buildings. In 2000 a programme of restoration was carried out on the Scheduled and Grade II Listed Abbey Cloister wall which was also on the Buildings at Risk Register. The restoration of the wall won a John Betjeman Award from the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings
1.6 In 2004 a Feasibility Study was commissioned by the Parochial Church Council (PCC) to consider the management issues for the Abbey site, in particular the sustainability of the various historic buildings and their appropriate use within the spirit of the Abbey’s ancient foundation (CSR 2005). In 2005 a historic landscape survey and outline restoration management plan for the whole Abbey site was commissioned from CPM Ltd (CPM 2005). The church community has worked with English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund on the development of access to the Abbey cloister. A new church entrance building providing facilities for visitors was opened in September 2005, and in June 2006 a Sensory Garden based on medieval garden design was opened to the west of the former cloister for the enjoyment of both blind and sighted visitors.
1.7 A number of educational, heritage and cultural programmes have been developed which make use of the Abbey site, notably Monks and Nuns at Polesworth, a
5 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 1. Introduction and Background
Fig 1: Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse, High Street frontage medieval monastic life project for primary schools, and historical access programmes for secondary students. The Abbey also has a well set up Volunteer Project providing people to open the site each day, provide tours for groups and deliver the Monks and Nuns small group activities among other things. A guidebook has been researched professionally and produced with the help of the HLF and Advantage West Midlands (Crowe 2006).
1.8 In April 2006 English Heritage agreed to fund preliminary work on the Gatehouse including an archaeological survey (Alcock, Meeson and Meeson 2007), tree-ring analysis (Arnold & Howard 2007), structural surveys of the timber and masonry (Ridout Associates 2007; Hancock Wheeldon & Ascough 2007) and the production of the present Conservation Plan which is designed to ensure that the future development and management of the Gatehouse takes full account of the historic and ecological significance of the building and its surroundings.
Consultations with stakeholders
1.9 The site development proposals have been accompanied by extensive consultation of the local community and other stakeholders. The Feasibility Study included a street survey in Polesworth carried out in February 2004, a focus group of local schoolchildren and a questionnaire survey of educational users and potential users of the Abbey site (CSR 2005).
1.10 In January 2006 the Historic Landscape Survey and Outline Restoration Management Plan (CPM 2005) was presented to the church community and in February to the
6 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 1. Introduction and Background
Fig 2: Location plan 7 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 1. Introduction and Background
Fig 3: Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse and surroundings
8 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 1. Introduction and Background
Polesworth Society, the local amenity society, and in both cases feedback was sought by questionnaire (Wells 2006). A public presentation of the results of the historic building survey of the Gatehouse by Bob Meeson in February 2007 was also followed by a consultation by questionnaire of those attending (Wells 2007a).
1.11 The continuing discussions about the future of the Gatehouse have also involved Ian George, English Heritage Inspector of Ancient Monuments, Nicholas Palmer, Principal Field Archaeologist of Warwickshire Museum, Bryn Patefield, Warwickshire County Council Highways Department, Mike Potter, Polesworth Church Architect, Richard Preston, Conservation Officer of North Warwickshire Borough Council, Anna Stocks, Planning Archaeologist, Glynis Powell, Community Museums Officer for Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire and Edna Jacobson, Access Consultant, as well as Fr Philip Wells, Vicar of Polesworth, the churchwardens and the members of the PCC.
Compilation and adoption of Conservation Plan
1.12 This Conservation Plan has been compiled by the Warwickshire Museum Field Archaeology Projects Group on behalf of Polesworth Parochial Church Council. The text has been written by Nicholas Palmer of the Warwickshire Museum and Fr Philip Wells, Vicar of Polesworth, drawing extensively on previous work by and advice from Nat Alcock, Max Askew, Ian George, Edna Jacobson, Bob and Jean Meeson, Mike Potter, Glynis Powell, Anna Stocks and Peter White. The drawn illustrations are by Andrew Isham.
1.13 This is version 1.0 of the Plan completed in March 2008 and adopted by Polesworth PCC in March 2008. It is anticipated that it will need revision in the light of comments from interested parties and further versions will be produced as necessary.
9 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 2. History of the site and building
2. History of the site and building
The foundation of the Abbey
2.1 St Edith’s Abbey, Polesworth was a house of Benedictine nuns according to tradition founded in the Anglo-Saxon period. There are a number of accounts, more or less legendary, of its foundation (VCH 1908, 62; Knowles and Hadcock 1971, 263; Trotter c.1910). One version has it founded in c.827 by Edith, daughter of King Egbert, and Morwenna, an Irish princess who had cured the King’s son of leprosy. An alternative account, that of John of Tynemouth, ascribes the foundation to Ettenwolf, son of King Edgar in c.980, although this may have been a refounding.
2.2 It is also recorded that at the time of the Norman conquest the nuns were expelled from Polesworth by Robert Marmion and moved to Oldbury. In about c.1130, whether or not as the result of the intervention of St Edith in a dream, the house was reinstated in Polesworth by Robert Marmion II and his wife Millicent. Certainly a charter of this period exists recording the gift by the Marmions to the Abbey of all their land at Polesworth (VCH 1908, 62; 1947, 189). The earliest surviving architectural remains in the church also date to this period. According to Dugdale (1730, 1108) the 16th-century antiquarian Leland regarded Robert and Millicent as founders. They were clearly important patrons and Dugdale’s account (1730, 107) of the return from Oldbury talks of the rights of the Marmion family to burial in the chapter house and of their associates the de Somerville family to burial in the cloister.
The Abbey and the town
2.3 The Abbey flourished through the middle ages, and was instrumental in the development of Polesworth into a market town by the acquisition from Henry III of a market charter in April 1242. This entitled Margery, Abbess of Polesworth and the nuns to hold a weekly market (on Thursday) and an annual three day fair at the feast of St Margaret (20th July) (CChR 1226-57, 269-70). The acquisition of a market charter was a common practice of lords, lay and ecclesiastical, who wished to develop their estates. They could profit from market tolls and by renting plots of land to tradesmen and artisans who would be attracted by the market.
2.4 The extent of the Anglo-Saxon monastery is unknown. No trace survives of any buildings of this date but it is assumed that they lay in much the same area as the later medieval Abbey. Polesworth is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086; it is possible that there was no settlement here at that date, and that it developed later after the refounding of the Abbey. The medieval topography of Polesworth would have hinged on two elements: the Abbey and the river crossing. The existence of a bridge at Polesworth is first recorded in 1221 (Gover et al 1936, 230), but before the bridge there would have been a ford.
2.5 The medieval settlement lay on both sides of the river with Market Street to the south, and to the north, Bridge Street and High Street, running to the west and north of the Abbey precinct. To the west of Bridge Street and the north of High Street, a series of the long narrow properties typical of medieval planning can be seen surviving on early maps (Figs 2 & 4). To the east of Bridge Street the properties appear to have been shorter, but with a continuous rear boundary which will represent the western boundary of the monastic precinct. Its eastern boundary may be represented by the eastern limit of the land belonging to the churchyard and the Polesworth Hall estate, which acquired the precinct at the Dissolution, in 1876 and 1912 (WRO DR(B)16/148; WRO EAC15). The northern limit of the precinct is probably represented by the more ragged continuous boundary to the rear of the properties on the south side of High Street on the early maps. It is also noticeable on
10 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 2. History of the site and building
Fig 4: Polesworth, 1886 (1st edition Ordnance Survey 1:2500 map) 11 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 2. History of the site and building the maps that the Gatehouse and the properties immediately to the west were set back from the main frontage. It is possible that these properties were occupied by the Abbey for their own purposes – they were part of the Polesworth Hall Estate in 1912 and had also probably come to the Estate as part of the former precinct. This would put the Gatehouse in the centre of the northern side of the precinct and a driveway would have led southwards from it to the west end of the Church in the middle ages as it does today, although the original driveway was narrower.
2.6 Apart from a reference in 1535 to a weekly charitable distribution of bread at the monastery gate (VCH 1908, 63), there are no medieval documentary references to the Gatehouse or other buildings in the precinct away from the central area south of the Church so the only evidence for the development of the site in this period is archaeological.
The 14th-century Gatehouse
2.7 Recent survey work (Alcock, Meeson & Meeson 2007) has dated the surviving Gatehouse building to the mid 14th century, dendrochronological analysis suggesting that its timbers were probably felled in the early 1340s (Arnold & Howard 2007). This is unlikely to have been the first gate structure on the site, but whether it was preceded by an earlier gatehouse or a simple gateway cannot be said.
2.8 The 14th-century Gatehouse, much of which survives today, was two storeyed, with a stone ground floor and full height end walls and a timber-framed upper floor and roof structure. At ground level there was a main archway to the west, and a stone-vaulted pedestrian archway with a small porter’s lodge to its east. To the east of the pedestrian archway, within the precinct there was a doorway to a very steep stone stair leading up to a mezzanine room, and then to a first floor apartment. Half the floor of the mezzanine room is taken up by a substantial shelf over the vault of the pedestrian arch. The room may have served as a store or as sleeping accommodation for the porter or possibly for a servant of the occupant of the first floor apartment, although it lacked both a fireplace and a latrine.
2.9 The stair which was in an aisle along the south side of the building originally opened onto the first floor into a two bay hall with a stone fireplace to the east. In the south-east corner off the hall there was a closet over the stair which may have contained a garderobe. To the west of the hall there was a chamber spanning the full width of the building. This may have been divided originally although no evidence now survives. In the north-west corner of the chamber the west wall was cut by a pointed-arched doorway into a former turret which may have contained another stair or a garderobe. The upper storey was surmounted by a fine crown post roof. The accommodation offered on the first floor was quite commodious and would have been suitable for a relatively high status occupant. This might have been an important member of the permanent Abbey establishment, a priest or lay official, or the rooms may have used to provide hospitality to important guests or patrons of the Abbey.
Possible medieval western range
2.10 In its surviving form the building range to the west of the gatehouse is largely post-medieval. However there are some indications that there was a previous, later medieval, building on the site. The west wall of the Gatehouse is cut by sockets for the purlins of the roof of an earlier, lower building of a similar width to the existing one (Alcock, Meeson & Meeson 2007, 26). The earliest illustration of the building, which dates to 1785 (Fig 5) shows the west range as a T-shaped building, with a west wing now demolished. The southern wing has a large pointed-arched ground floor doorway with a hood mould to the west and a blocked window opening, apparently
12 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 2. History of the site and building
Fig 5: Rear of Gatehouse, c.1785, drawing by E Stringer (WRO DR(B)44/110) also pointed-arched above. The west wing also has a small pointed-arched window at ground floor level. These features are of medieval appearance which may mean that the footprint and the masonry of the building was of medieval date and that the later work was only a remodelling which involved heightening and re-roofing (Alcock, Meeson & Meeson 2007, 30). Unfortunately none of the possible medieval features now survive, and their dating cannot be verified.
2.11 If the range did have a medieval origin, its imposing entrance suggests another building of some status. It might have been a guest house, as suggested by the 1886 Ordnance Survey (Fig 4). A local, medieval parallel for this arrangement might be the mid 14th-century guest wing with a two storey porch on the eastern side of the gatehouse at Stoneleigh Abbey. Alternatively it might have been used for the school for 30-40 children of the gentry maintained by the Abbey recorded in 1536, as suggested by Wood (1983), or as an almonry for dispensing charity (Morant 1995, 160), or as lodgings for Abbey staff or officials - in 1535 the Abbey had fifteen nuns, including the abbess, supported by an establishment of 38, comprising three priests, eight yeomen, seventeen servants, nine women servants and a retired cook (VCH 1908, 64). However, there is no documentary confirmation for any of these suggested uses.
Other possible medieval buildings in northern part of precinct
2.12 Apart from the church and main claustral buildings (chapter house, dorter, frater, reredorter, infirmary, abbess’ lodging etc) the Abbey precinct would have contained barns and stabling as well as accommodation for Abbey servants and guests. The location of these buildings is uncertain, but some could have lain in the northern part of the precinct.
13 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 2. History of the site and building
2.13 However, archaeological excavations undertaken in 1976 west of the Gatehouse (Mytum 1980, 83-5) on the High Street frontage (Site A), and over Hall Croft to the south (Site B) found little relatively trace of medieval activity (Fig 3). In Site A two areas excavated on the frontage found 18th- and 19th-century house foundations. In the western area (Area 1) these overlaid only an undated, east-west, stone-lined culvert, and in the eastern area (Area 2), 11m to the west of the surviving western range and just beyond the end of the demolished west wing, the 18th-century house was sitting on a wide stone foundation on a line with the front wall of the gatehouse which may originally have supported the precinct boundary wall. North of this wall was a cobbled surface running down into the street. Two further areas behind the frontage also failed to locate medieval remains. In Area 3, 7m west of the Gatehouse garden there was only undisturbed natural clay beneath c.1m of black loamy garden soil.
2.14 A series of trial trenches across Hall Croft (Site B) found only a possible medieval boundary ditch to the south of the Memorial Hall and a thin spread of 13th-century material to its east. Of the three trenches closest to the Gatehouse, one to the south contained evidence of small scale, open cast coal pitting while the others contained nothing. The excavations concluded that Hall Croft was a largely open area within the monastic precinct and was not occupied after the Dissolution.
2.15 More recent trial trenching to the west of the Vicarage (Gethin and Palmer 2007) has identified two building ranges, which may mean that the ancillary buildings of the Abbey (apart from the Gatehouse and the possible medieval western range) lay closer to the claustral buildings in the south part of the precinct. However no archaeological work has taken place in the north-east part of the precinct and it remains possible that there were Abbey buildings in that area.
Dissolution of the Abbey, 1539
2.16 The Dissolution of the Abbey took place in January 1539 despite pleas that the nuns were virtuous and of good repute in the county and the house should escape suppression. The abbey church and claustral buildings were demolished, except for the tower, nave and north aisle of the church which became the parish church and had probably always served this function. In 1544 the site of the Abbey was sold to Francis Goodere whose son Sir Henry built a manor house, Polesworth Hall on the site of the current vicarage which had previously reputedly been that of the Abbess’s Lodgings (VCH 1947, 186). The area of the cloister and the east end of the abbey church became part of the gardens of the manor house while the rest of the former precinct to the north and west, presumably including the Gatehouse and western range, was incorporated into the Hall Court.
Rebuilding/remodelling of western range, 1580s
2.17 The 1785 Stringer view (Fig 5) of the Gatehouse records a date stone of 1583 on the western range and the recent building survey (Alcock, Meeson and Meeson 2007) has confirmed that the western range was built or rebuilt at this time, acquiring or retaining the T-shaped plan shown by Stringer. A new roof structure, using timber felled in 1582 according to the dendrochronology (Arnold and Howard 2007), was certainly built over the whole building, including the south wing. The square-headed mullioned windows shown on both floors of the east and west wings on the Stringer view will also belong to this phase – the two first floor ones in the east wing which survive are perhaps original. It is likely that there were similar windows along the north wall at first floor level, although the existing ones here are all later replacements (and at a lower level). The small, blocked, square, first floor window in the east wall of the south wing may also belong to this phase. It is probable that the large, pointed-arched doorway into the south wing was the entrance to the building and that the wing contained a stair to the first floor. Little else survives however of
14 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 2. History of the site and building its internal arrangements except for the doorways from the south wing into the main range, a single on the ground floor and two side by side on the first floor. The two doorways suggest that there were two apartments on the first floor, but the original floor has been replaced at a lower level and no trace survives of partitions of this phase.
2.18 The rebuilding can be attributed to Sir Henry Goodere who died in 1595. The character of the new windows suggests that the building was (still) intended for use as accommodation rather than for an agricultural purpose: offices for estate officials or living accommodation for servants would be possible in the context of the post- medieval manor house.
2.19 In the 17th/early 18th century the timber-framed Tithe Barn (LBS 435602) and in the late 17th/early 18th century the Dovecote (LBS 435603), in brick on stone foundations, were added to the complex of manorial buildings in the north-west corner of Hall Croft.
18th-century alterations to Gatehouse and western range
2.20 At some point, probably in the 18th-century (Alcock, Meeson & Meeson 2007, 19), the first floor framing of the north wall of the Gatehouse was repaired with new studding infilled with brickwork and possibly two new windows, as shown on an Aylesford collection drawing of c.1800 (Fig 6). The drawing shows the Gatehouse in a state of dilapidation with holes in the roof and bricked up windows, suggesting that the repairs had taken place some time well before the date of the drawing. Much of the upper part of the rear of the Gatehouse including the south-east and south-west corners has also been rebuilt in brick, possibly at the same time. The repairs to the rear of the Gatehouse are not obvious on the Stringer view but a change in the masonry is visible along this line, which would allow the suggestion that the work may have taken place before 1785, although the change may just reflect the original variation in the construction.
2.21 The Stringer view also suggests a decline in the condition and status of the western range by 1785. The main doorway into the south wing and the window above are blocked up, as is the ground floor window in the east wing. This must mean that the building was entered at this time by one or other of the two blocked doorways visible in the west side of the main archway. It is possible that one gave access to the first floor, the other to the ground floor. The blocking of the ground floor window suggests that this part of the building was no longer used for accommodation.
Early to mid 19th-century alterations to the western range
2.22 The next view of the rear of the building is a rather crude drawing dating to the later 19th century (Fig 7; WRO PV Pol Abb 1). How reliable this is is uncertain but it does show a number of further changes to the western range since 1785. The gable of the south wing has been refaced, removing all trace of the former ‘medieval’ doorway, and a three light, mullioned window has replaced the blocked pointed- arched window above; there is a opening in the ground floor of the east wall of the south wing, possibly a window, but more likely the existing doorway. The first floor window above is also visible, but it may have been blocked – the existing ashlar blocking is similar to the masonry of the refaced gable. The west wing of the building appears to be roofless. At some point in the 19th century it was divided off from the rest of the western range and attached to the property to the west, which by now was built up - the 1840 Tithe Map and the 1886 Ordnance Survey 1:2500 map show the whole frontage west from the Gatehouse built up. The drawing shows a new double chimney, which will be the one formerly supported by the surviving brick partition wall at the west end of the existing building. As can be seen on later
15 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 2. History of the site and building
Fig 6: Front of Gatehouse, c.1800 (BCA Aylesford Collection f 572)
Fig 7: Rear of Gatehouse, late 19th-century drawing (WRO PV Pol Abb 1)
16 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 2. History of the site and building photographs (Figs 9, 13), at some point in the 19th century the rear of the former west wing was rebuilt in brick and it may be that this rebuilding was in train when the drawing was made. Its front wall was not rebuilt; this was still of stone in c.1910 and 1967.
2.23 The drawing also suggests alterations had taken place to the east wing - the existing wide doorway with a timber lintel in the south wall had been cut through the former window on the ground floor, and, at least the southern of the two doorways on the west side of the main archway had been blocked. This suggests that the ground floor of the range had been rearranged. The need for an external doorway into the south wing might suggest that the blocking of the original internal doorway had taken place and the ground floor of the south wing had become a self- contained store. It is also possible that a second partition wall towards the west end, of which a stub only survives, was built at this time – it is of similar brickwork to the western wall. This divided off a second self-contained store which was reached by a crude, straight sided doorway in the north wall, which can perhaps thus also be attributed to this phase. The larger part of the ground floor, entered through the wide doorway, and possibly lit by a new, straight-sided window with a timber lintel in its north-east corner, may have become a stable at this time. The surviving, partial brick floor with a drainage gully across the middle will go with this use.
2.24 The first documentary evidence which definitely identifies the Gatehouse as belonging to the Polesworth Hall estate dates to 1876 when the site of the Hall was exchanged for the site of the then Vicarage on High Street. The exchange was accompanied by the granting of a right of way through the Gateway and along the Driveway to the Hall on whose site a new Vicarage was to be built.
Late 19th-century alterations
2.25 Further alterations to the western range took place in the late 19th century when its upper floor, east of the west wing was converted into a parish reading room, presumably by courtesy of the then owner of the Polesworth Hall Estate Sir George Chetwynd. The conversion is dated to c.1882 by Wood (1993, 57), which is plausible, although no source is given. The work involved the insertion of a new doorway from the street at the east end of the north wall which opened onto a new stone stair along the eastern wall up to the first floor. The first floor itself appears to have been replaced at this time, at a lower level than before, leaving the threshold of the original doorways into the south wing c.0.68m above the new level. Some steps up set at right angles to the eastern doorway into the room in the south wing, indicated on a survey of 1967, were presumably added at this time; the redundant western doorway was presumably blocked. The three two-light mullioned windows in splay-sided openings in the north wall were lowered at this time. A drawing of the north side of the Gatehouse of 1855 (by P Gresley; Alcock, Meeson & Meeson 2007, fig 7) shows the easternmost of these with its top flush with the eaves of the building while a postcard of c.1910 (Fig 8, WRO PH352/144/53) shows all three at their current lowered level. The postcard also shows the former west wing reroofed up to the new boundary.
2.26 This period also saw alterations to the rear of the gatehouse. The framing of the south wall over the main archway was replaced and infilled with diagonal boarding. The original stairway seems to have been remodelled so that it ran straight up into the south-east corner of the former western chamber, rather than into the former hall. This would have made it less steep. The stone treads were replaced by treads of 19th-century blue brick. The timber head of the new doorway at the top of the stair has a low-pointed top, similar to the head of the new doorway into the western range, suggesting that they may have been contemporary.
17 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 2. History of the site and building
Fig 8: Front of Gatehouse, c.1910 postcard (WRO PH 352/144/53)
Fig 9: Rear of Gatehouse, early 20th-century (WRO DR(B)44/110)
18 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 2. History of the site and building
Fig 10: Rear of Gatehouse with procession, 1910 (Wood 1984, 5)
Sale of Polesworth Hall Estate and acquisition of Gatehouse by Church, 1912-13
2.27 In 1912 the Polesworth Hall Estate which had become increasingly encumbered with debt was offered for sale by the Chetwynd family in a series of lots, which included (17) the Hall Croft, (18) the property to the west of the Gatehouse including the west wing of the western range and (19) the Gatehouse. The Gatehouse was described in the auction catalogue as ‘the stone-built building used as a Reading or Recreation Room, with Stable etc underneath, and Garden appurtenant thereto: also the Archway known as the Dungeon Entry’.
2.28 Presumably because the Reading Room was a benefit for the whole town efforts were made to purchase it by public subscription and a number of fund-raising events were held locally, including the pageant procession photographed under the Gateway (Fig 10, Wood 1984, 5). Lot 19 was purchased by the Church, in advance of the sale, and Lot 18 acquired at the sale. Both were conveyed to Canon Trotter and two other trustees in March 1913. The land of the driveway was not included in the sale. It is likely that it already been added to the churchyard; the existence of the right of way to the vicarage granted to the church in 1876 would have precluded its use for anything other than a driveway.
19 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 2. History of the site and building
Landscaping of driveway and restoration of Gatehouse, 1920s
2.29 In November 1920 the vicar and churchwardens purchased a strip of land along the west side of the driveway and the eastern edge of Hall Croft ‘for the purpose of enlarging the churchyard’. The strip is described as 560 sq yards ‘more or less adjoining or near to the churchyard… forming part of…the Hall Court. This purchase seems to have been made to enable the construction of the War Memorial on the eastern side of the driveway towards its southern end. As part of the scheme the widened driveway was gravelled, fenced to the west with metal estate fencing and lined by the current avenue of lime trees.
2.30 Around the same time, in 1922-3 proposals were produced for the restoration of the room over the Gatehouse as a Club Room. Plans were drawn up by the architect, J H Beckett of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent (WRO CR369/16). The restoration was to be limited as the funds available were insufficient ‘to put the building in a thorough state of structural soundness’; it was also conservative, ‘strictly abstaining from any interference with the architectural features of the building’. The work involved supporting the ends of the joists over the gateway, removing the concrete (?lime-ash) floor, opening the blocked windows in the north wall, creating a new central window, putting a dog grate in the fireplace, closing off the stair up from the south- east doorway and creating a new entrance from the western range through the 14th- century, north-west doorway. This last involved the lowering of the original threshold and the insertion of six steps up along the north wall of the upper floor of the western range. The existing wainscoting and bench in the south-east corner of the room also probably date to this period, as do the SPAB-type tile masonry repairs on the rear of the building. A postcard of the rear of the Gatehouse dated to the 1920s shows the building looking neat and newly pointed – the tile masonry repairs seem to be rendered over and are not visible (Fig 12, WRO PH 767/35).
2.32 Various photographs and postcards of Polesworth chart the use of the building through the 20th century. One has the north-east doorway labelled ‘Headquarters CLB’ identifying the club room in the western range as the home of the Polesworth Church Lads Brigade. Another of 1940 (WRO PH 108/9) shows the doorway protected by sandbags, an indication perhaps of its use as an ARP post during World War II. Older Polesworth residents also remember its use by the Church of England Mens’ Society, and that of the downstairs store for occasional jumble sales when other accommodation in the village was not available.
Demolition of west wing of western range and conversion to flats, 1967-72
2.33 In 1967 the property to the west together with the former west wing of the western range were demolished to make way for a new health centre, although the site subsequently remained vacant until after 1976. The buildings were photographed before demolition in March 1967 by the Royal Commission for Historical Monuments (Fig 13; RCHM BB67/2012, 2018, 2023 and 2134) and the photographs show the stone front and 19th-century, brick rear of the west wing of the western range.
2.34 The surviving part of the western range and the Gatehouse were surveyed in August 1967 by the architect, A L Linford of Tamworth, and his north elevation drawing shows the extent of the demolition (Drg P49/2a). In 1968 a scheme was approved for the conversion of the Gatehouse and the remaining part of the western range into two flats (Atherstone RDC Application 68/164). The plans for the Gatehouse were not carried out, but although the first floor plan of the western range is marked ‘see separate application’ the arrangements shown are largely identical to those that exist today.
20 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 2. History of the site and building
Fig 11: Interior of Gatehouse, early 20th-century, looking east (WRO DR(B)44/110)
Fig 12: Rear of Gatehouse, 1920s postcard (WRO PH 767/35)
21 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 2. History of the site and building
Fig 13: Rear of Gatehouse, 1967 (RCHM B67/2018)
2.35 A new west end to the building was constructed. The ends of the north and south walls were finished as ashlar buttresses. The surviving western wall was an internal wall of 9in brick with a timber framed gable above. The ground storey was faced with reclaimed stone while the gable was infilled with brickwork and it and the first floor were hung with tiles. The late 19th-century stair at the east end of the range was widened and rearranged into two flights to provide a better access to the upper floor of the Gatehouse. To the west of the stair new partitions were inserted to make a passage along the rear of the range with three rooms to the south, a kitchen, living room and bedroom. A new window was inserted in the north wall of the kitchen – the plan shows the reopening of an old single-light window at a lower level, but in the event a two-light, concrete mullioned window on the same level as the others was preferred. At the western end of the passage new stairs were inserted up to the re-opened western door into the south range which became a bathroom. The ground floor was untouched, the stores to the west remaining, the larger space to the east becoming a garage.
2.36 In September 1972 a revised scheme was approved for the existing single-bed flat on the first floor of the Gatehouse (A L Linford Drg 49/5). Two dormer windows were inserted into the rear of the roof at the back. The medieval hall became a bed- sitting room with a bed bay extending into the former chamber while the rest of the former chamber was divided up into a hall, bathroom and kitchen. The main entrance to the flat was from the western range. The threshold of the 14th-century door was further lowered, and a small well protruding below the soffit of the main archway was inserted.
Collapse of gable of south wing of western range, 1995
2.37 The upper floors of the building remained in occupation as rented flats from 1972 until 2006. However over this time the increasingly parlous state of the
22 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 2. History of the site and building masonry structure has become evident. An early indication came in 1995 when the upper part of the southern gable of the south wing of the western range collapsed causing a structural crack running c.1.5m down the wall below the first floor window. The gable was temporarily shored with scaffolding until repairs, which included the replacement of the window were completed in October 1996 under the direction of the church architect, Michael Potter (Drawing 247/02B).
23 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site
Fig 14: Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse, Provisional phasing, ground floor
24 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site
Fig 15: Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse, Provisional phasing, mezzanine and first floor 25 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site
3. Description of existing buildings and site
3.1 The existing Gatehouse building consists of two elements: to the east is the medieval Gatehouse proper, a two storey building dating back to the mid 14th century, with a stone ground floor and timber-framed upper floor under a tiled roof; to the west adjoining is an L-shaped two storey range, mostly stone-built under a tiled roof, in its current form dating to the late 16th century, but with possible medieval origins (Figs 1, 14, 15). The first floors of the buildings are currently divided into two flats: Flat 1 to the west in the western range created in 1968, Flat 2 to the east in the Gatehouse created in 1973. The rooms on the ground and mezzanine floors of the Gatehouse are currently derelict, while the ground floor of the western range is semi-derelict storage space. The Gatehouse is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (Warwickshire Monument no 119a) and a Grade II* Listed Building (LBS 435600), while the western range is Grade II Listed (LBS 435601). For the Listed Building citations see Appendix A, and for a more detailed archaeological description, see Alcock, Meeson and Meeson (2006, 17-31, figs 16-34).
Gatehouse
Exterior (Figs 16-18, 21)
3.2 The north side of the Gatehouse fronts onto High Street (Fig 16). To the west is the main archway which is flat-topped and roofed with large joists To the east is the stone pedestrian arch with a flat curved head, originally of two orders although the lower order is now largely missing (Fig 21). To the east of the arch is an original small, square-headed window with a vertical bar which opens into the Porter’s Lodge. Above, opening into the mezzanine room, are two windows: another original small, square-headed window, now glazed, over the pedestrian arch, and a larger, round-headed window with a vertical bar, probably originally with a pointed arch, but rounded and widened at some later date, probably when glazing was inserted.
3.3 The first floor, timber-framing, of probably 18th-century close studding with a middle rail, infilled with brickwork, currently contains three three-light windows, the openings of the outer ones dating to the 18th century, the middle one added in 1923. At either end of the tiled roof there are coped stone parapets, with a chimney on the apex to the east and a finial to the west. The gablets at the end of these parapets have decorative cusped niches.
3.4 To the rear the main archway lies to the west surmounted by a large joist with four 19th-century framed panels filled with diagonal boarding above. To the east is the pedestrian arch with another, original, low, segemental arch of two orders, and on the south east corner of the building a 14th-century pointed-arched doorway with a hood mould giving onto a stair to the first floor. Between the doorways is a small eroded, window giving onto the stair. The masonry of the ground storey has been repaired with SPAB-type tilework The first floor contains some elements of timber– framing infilled with 18th-century brickwork. The rear and part of the top of the eastern gable are in 18th-century brickwork while the top of the gable has been rebuilt in bluer brickwork. The rear coped stone parapet to the gable was removed in 1972. The roof is tiled and contains two dormer windows inserted in 1972.
Main archway (Figs 19-20)
3.5 The main archway is c.3.5m wide although its rear (southern) half splays outwards (to c.4m) . The archway was flat-headed, but across its centre there was a stone archway with projecting jambs, probably with a low curved, segmental top like those on the pedestrian archway. The top of the arch is now gone and its jambs have been cut back, but behind it there would have been a pair of gates, for which the iron
26 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site
Fig 16: Gatehouse, from north
Fig 19: Gatehouse, main archway, from north Fig 17: Gatehouse, from south
Fig 20: Gatehouse, main archway, west side, with blocked doorways
Fig 18: Gatehouse, from south-east
27 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site
Fig 21: Gatehouse, pedestrian passage and windows Fig 23: Gatehouse, pedestrian passage, from south to Porter’s Lodge and mezzanine room
Fig 22: Gatehouse, pedestrian passage with window Fig 24: Gatehouse, south-eastern doorway to stair and doorway to Porter’s Lodge and upper floor
28 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site hinge pivots still survive. The archway is topped by a row of large joists, from which an ‘asbestolux’ cladding added in 1972 has recently been removed exposing the battens to which it was attached. In the north–west corner a crudely made well for steps on the floor above protrudes downwards.
3.6 On the western side of the archway, there are two square-headed, former doorways, one with a timber lintel, both blocked with masonry. The date of these is uncertain, but they are most likely to have been in use in the 18th to early 19th century.
Pedestrian archway (Figs 21-23)
3.7 The pedestrian passage is vaulted partly in stone, to the south, and partly repaired in brick, to the north. At the north end is a flat, curved arch of two orders, although the lower order is partly missing. On the east side of the passage is an original, very small squint window which would have provided the Abbey Porter with a limited view of pedestrian visitors. Beyond this half way along the passage are the projecting, chamfered jambs of an arch whose top is missing and behind which there would have been a door, some of whose original ironmongery survives. To the east beyond the arch is an original low, pointed-arched doorway into the Porter’s Lodge. At the south end of the passage is a flat curved arch of two orders, similar to that at the northern end but with both orders complete.
Porter’s Lodge (Fig 22)
3.8 On the east side of the pedestrian passage entered by a low pointed-arched doorway is the Porter’s Lodge, also known as the Dungeon. This is an original 14th- century room in a substantially unaltered state although it is small (3.5m x 2.25m) and very cramped. There is a step down into the room. The existing floor is of earth and has been made up by an uncertain amount of debris. The original floor may also have been of earth. This could be investigated archaeologically and the removal of the debris might make some extra headroom. A surviving earth floor would be fragile and would require protection if the room is to be used.
3.9 The room is lit by the window in the north wall. In the west wall there is a splayed opening to the tiny squint window which enabled the porter to inspect arrivals to the pedestrian doorway. This admits no real light. In the south wall there is an original small cupboard with a rebate for a wooden door, while in the east wall there is an alcove of uncertain date and function. The room is an atmospheric space although it has severe access problems. The original medieval doorway is low and narrow. There is no possibility of any free flow of visitors and only one or two can be in the room at one time
Stair (Fig 24-26)
3.10 The south-eastern doorway, an original 14th-century feature, opens onto a stair way leading to a mezzanine room and the first floor. The lower part of the stair has its original stone treads, the upper part has been replaced in blue brickwork. The stair seems originally to have been even steeper than it is today and to have curved round to a doorway in the central bay of the first floor. However, probably in the later 19th-century, this doorway was blocked and a new doorway was made into the western bay at the west end of the stair. The timber head of the new doorway has a shallow, straight-sided, pointed top, similar to that of the ground floor doorway inserted at the north-east corner of the western range at the same time. Even the remodelled stair is steep and awkward.
3.11 On the southern side of the stair is a small eroded 14th-century window, probably originally square-headed. This shown blocked in early 20th-century
29 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site
Fig 28: Gatehouse, mezzanine room, south doorway
Fig 25: Gatehouse, window to stair, restored 1923
Fig 29: Gatehouse, hall, south-west corner
Fig 26: Gatehouse, stair to upper floor
Fig 27: Gatehouse, mezzanine room, north-west Fig 30: Gatehouse, hall, south side corner
30 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site
Fig 31: Gatehouse, hall, closet with 1920s wainscoting and bench
Fig 34: Gatehouse, hall, north-east corner
Fig 32: Gatehouse, hall, east wall and fireplace
Fig 35: Gatehouse, chamber, north-west doorway to Fig 33: Gatehouse, hall, north-west corner garderobe/stair turret
31 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site photographs, but seems to have been reopened and repaired with tiling in 1923. On the north side of the stair there is an original 14th-century, pointed-arched doorway into a mezzanine room, although the stair has no landing or proper step into the doorway.
Mezzanine room (Figs 27-28)
3.12 The mezzanine room which is in its original form is strangely laid out with a shelf made by the top of the pedestrian access vault taking over a third of the floor space on the western side. The floor of the eastern side is made of medieval timbers, some reused, and some now broken. In the north wall there are two original window openings with shouldered tops. The ceiling of the room is formed by the joists supporting the first floor whose ends are set on corbel tables to north and south.
3.13 The space over the shelf might have been be used for storage or possibly for a box bed. This room may have been sleeping quarters, either for the porter, or possibly for a servant attending a guest in the apartment above, or possibly just storage.
First floor Gatehouse flat (Flat 2)
3.14 The first floor of the gatehouse is currently occupied by a flat whose main entrance is to the north-west from the top of the stair in the western range through the 14th-century doorway which formerly led to a turret (Fig 35). The threshold of the dooway has been lowered twice, reaching its current form in 1973 when a well was introduced down below the roof of the main archway below. The original south-western stair, as remodelled in the late 19th century, now leads to a rear doorway in the kitchen of the flat.
Former western chamber
3.15 The current main entrance opens into the former western chamber which was divided with modern partitions in 1973 into a lobby, bathroom and kitchen. The lobby has a probably 18th-century, three-light timber window, with 1923 wainscoting below (Fig 35), to the north, and modern doors opening into the bathroom to the south and the former hall to the east. The kitchen opens to the south-west off the hall, and it and the bathroom are lit by the 1973 western, rear dormer. The doorway from the kitchen eastwards to the stair is a late 19th-century insertion, added when the stair was remodelled. There is also a bed bay in the north- east corner of the former chamber now open to the former hall.
Former hall (Figs 29-34)
3.16 The former two-bay hall is the main living room of the flat. This is open to the eaves, showing off the three medieval roof trusses and the fine crown post roof. The southern end of the western truss contains the remains of the surround of the original doorway from the hall into the western chamber. Along the south wall there is the framing of an aisle with modern partitioning behind around the stair. The framing contains containing the surround of the former, original doorway to the stair, and to the east part of a smaller doorway to the original closet in the south-east corner, now open to the room and lit by the eastern 1973 dormer. The bench and wainscoting are probably 1923 work remodelled in 1973. The stone east wall contains an original, shouldered-arched fireplace, now narrowed with ?1923 brickwork. It has the eastern roof truss set against it. The timber-framed north wall contains two three light windows, one 18th-century in origin, the other of 1923, and, below there is 1923 wainscoting.
32 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site
Western range
Exterior (Figs 36-38, 42)
3.17 The western range was originally a T-shaped building, but its west wing, which had been divided off and attached to the neighbouring property by the later 19th century was demolished with that property in 1967. The existing two-storey stone building presents a four bay frontage to High Street with a tiled roof. At the eastern end there is a later 19th-century doorway (c.1882) with a low pointed head and stone surround (Fig 42). To the west of this is a probably mid-19th century window, and at the west end a low doorway, also probably mid-19th century. At first floor level there are four two-light mullioned windows, three of which, all of stone, were lowered to this position in c.1882. The fourth, second from the east, with a concrete surround was added in 1968.
3.18 The south side of the building has a projecting south wing to the west, refaced in the mid 19th century, with a first-floor three-light stone mullioned window replaced in 1995. It east wall contains a low mid 19th-century, ground floor doorway and a blocked probably late 16th-century window above. The main range has a mid 19th-century double doorway with a timber lintel below, and two eroded, but probably late 16th-century two-light mullioned windows above. The masonry here, which is very eroded and bulging, has been shored up. The west wall of the building, an internal brick wall exposed by the demolition of the west wing, has a stonework facing below and the first floor and gable hung with tiles in 1968.
Main ground floor store (Figs 39-40)
3.19 The ground floor of the main range forms one semi-derelict storage space, entered by the wide, flat-headed double-doorway in the south wall. In the north wall there is a straight-sided window opening currently blocked by a metal sheet. The store has a mid 19th-century brick floor with a north-south central drain reflecting its original use as a stable. This floor is overlaid by the late 19th-century stair at the eastern end of the room. In the north-east corner there is a recent brick platform, one course thick, which may have supported a forge. To the west the floor stops against a former (mid 19th-century) brick partition wall of which only a stub remains to the south. This divided off a separate store to the west end which was accessed from the street by the low doorway at the west end of the frontage. The west wall is of brick and incorporates supports for a chimney serving a former fireplace on the first floor added in the mid 19th century and removed in 1968.
Store in south wing (Fig 41)
3.20 The ground floor of the south wing contains another self-contained store, now derelict, entered by the external doorway in the east wall. In the north wall, there is a wide blocked doorway into the main range with a timber lintel, which is probably an original or early feature, blocked in the mid 19th century. There is no trace of the pointed arched doorway illustrated by Stringer; this was presumably removed when the gable was refaced in the mid 19th century, although below ground traces may remain.
Stair to Flats 1 and 2
3.21 At the east end of the range the late 19th-century stairs, remodelled in 1968 lead up to to the two first floor flats. At the first landing there is an entrance lobby to the western flat (Flat 1). A further stair runs up to another landing with a doorway to the east with steps up into the (eastern) flat over the Gatehouse (Flat 2). This doorway was first cut through in 1923 when it was reached by a stair up along the
33 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site
Fig 39: Western range, ground floor, north-east Fig 36: Western range, from north corner, mid 19th-century window and brick floor
Fig 40: Western range, ground floor, south-west Fig 37: Western range, from south-east corner, showing mid 19th-century partition walls
Fig 38: Western range, from north-west Fig 41: Western range, south wing, ground floor store, from east
34 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site
Fig 42: Western range, north-eastern doorway, late Fig 44: Western range, first floor, eastern window, 19th-century lowered in late 19th century
Fig 45: West wall of Gatehouse with scar of turret, plinth, and purlin socket of earlier building
Fig 43: Western range, first floor, western window in south wall
Fig 46: Western range, roof, from east
35 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site north wall of the then reading room. In 1968 the threshold of the doorway was further lowered and a well cut down on the east side of the wall.
Western flat (Flat 1) – passage, sitting room, kitchen and bedroom (Figs 43-44)
3.22 In the western flat there are steps up from the entrance lobby to a passage along the south side of the building with two doorways opening northwards, one into a living room in the centre of the range, leading into a kitchen to the east, the second into a bedroom to the west. At the west end of the passage are steps up to a doorway opening into a bathroom in the south wing. All the internal walls are modern partitions dating to 1968 and hardly any early features survive along the main range. The two very eroded, mullioned windows along the south wall may be original features in their original openings (Fig 43). Three of those along the north wall, but not that in the kitchen which was added in 1968, were lowered in c.1882. The full depth of the opening to the easternmost window remains visible (Fig 44), but the tops of those in the sitting room and bedreem have been filled. Below the 1968 window in the kitchen there are the probable remains of an earlier, smaller, slightly offset window opening.
Bathroom in south wing
3.23 The first floor room of the south wing is the bathroom to the flat. It is reached through the western of the two original doorways; the eastern one is blocked. The bathroom is lit by the three-light mullioned window in the south wall which was replaced in 1995 after the collapse of the gable. An original small square window in the east wall is now blocked.
Roof (Figs 45-46)
3.24 The roof space over the western range is reached by a hatch above the upper landing. At the east end of the roof space the west gable wall of the Gatehouse is visible with the scar of the former turret on the north-west corner and the purlin sockets of the pre c.1583 range (Fig 45). The gable is cut by a small rectangular doorway, probably an access hatch – it doesn’t seem to work as a hayloft door as there was no opening downwards from the gatehouse chamber to the stable below.
3.25 The western range roof, which is dated to c.1583, is of three bays supported by four sturdy trusses and double side purlins with straight wind braces from the principals to the upper purlins (Fig 46). The trusses were all originally closed but whether these partitions continued downwards is unknown.
Forecourt, garden and driveway (Figs 47-54)
3.26 The Gatehouse is set back from the High Street. A tarmaced entry leads through the main archway, the condition of the surface deteriorating under the arch. The entry way is flanked by tarmac pavements leading to the pedestrian archway on the east and the north-east door of the western range to the west (Fig 47). The rest of the western range is fronted by a rough grassed forecourt, surrounded to the west and north by a low, ragged stone wall.
3.27 To the south of the western range there is a garden area (24m x 13m) which is currently derelict waste ground. Its western boundary is a chain link fence supported on concrete poles; to the south and east there is a ragged hedge, with a section of timber post-and-rail fencing and a gate to the north.
3.28 To the south of the archway a driveway c.8-9m wide of compacted hardcore and gravel runs southwards to the Church and vicarage (Fig 48). The driveway is
36 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site
Fig 47: Gatehouse forecourt, from north-east Fig 50: Driveway, western boundary railings
Fig 48: Driveway, from south towards Gatehouse Fig 51: Driveway and War Memorial towards Gatehouse, from south
Fig 49: Driveway, eastern boundary wall Fig 52: Driveway, south end and west end of Church
37 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 3. Description of existing buildings and site
Fig 53: Gatehouse garden, from south-west Fig 54: Gatehouse, from Tithe Barn much potholed and rutted. It is flanked by an avenue of lime trees at c.20m intervals. On the eastern side the surface extends between the trees and is used as casual parking. Immediately south of the gatehouse there is a gated vehicle access to the east into the rear of the 28-30 High Street property, and to the south of this the driveway is bounded to the east by a stone wall, partly capped by blue, triangular coping bricks. To the south the coping is missing and part of the wall is ruinous (Fig 49). To the west the driveway is bounded by iron railings, damaged in places, and ragged hedges (Fig 50). Some of the trees at the south end contain nesting boxes.
3.29 Towards the south end of the driveway the War Memorial stands on the eastern side (Fig 51). The Memorial is in the form of a celtic cross, set with a vertical sword, on a tapering square plinth, with panels for the inscription and the names of those commemorated, in white rusticated limestone. The plinth is set on a stepped pyramid of olive sandstone, five courses high, this with an additional sloping white limestone block set into the two upper courses on its west side, commemorating casualties of 1939-45. The concrete foundation of the steps are visible around the base.
3.30 To the south of the War Memorial are three disabled car parking spaces on the eastern side of the driveway marked with metal signs (Fig 52). The driveway finishes against the west end of the church, the path to the new entrance building, the gateway to the vicarage and the entrance to Church Walk.
38 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 4. Statement of significance
4. Statement of significance
The mid 14th-century Gatehouse
4.1 The national importance of the Gatehouse as an archaeological monument is recognised by its designation as a Scheduled Ancient Monument (Warwickshire Monument 119a) under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. Similarly the Grade II* Listed status of the Gatehouse (LBS 435600) under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 identifies it as a ‘particularly important building of more than special interest’.
4.2 The building is one of the better preserved monastic gatehouses in Warwickshire. Of the other houses where upstanding remains survive those of Kenilworth Abbey and the outer gatehouse at Maxstoke Priory are ruinous, while the inner gatehouse of Maxstoke is largely concealed within the existing farmhouse. The 14th-century gatehouse at Stoneleigh Abbey is the best preserved, but, with its adjoining guest range to the east, it is built on a much larger scale than Polesworth. The surviving gatehouse at Whitefriars, Coventry is also still roofed, but is much more remodelled, and is on a rather smaller scale than Polesworth, not being the main gate to the friary. The Polesworth Gatehouse is interesting and unusual in the dual nature of its construction, comprising a stone ground storey and a timber framed upper storey and roof.
4.3 The most significant element of the Polesworth Gatehouse is the high-quality timberwork of the upper storey which is a remarkable survival from the mid-14th century (Alcock, Meeson & Meeson 2006, 24) forming part of a small but significant group of medieval crown-post roofed buildings in the Midlands, also including Mancetter Manor House. A local parallel for this type of structure in a gatehouse can be found in the manorial gatehouse at Mavesyn Ridware, Staffordshire which is dated to 1391/2 (Meeson 2002, 114-5).
4.4 In some ways the masonry of the building is inferior to the timberwork. It does contain some architectural flourishes: the hood mould over the south-east doorway (Fig 24) and the decorative cusped-headed niches in the gablets on the roof parapets; but the low pedestrian archway and the cramped and unimpressive Porter’s Lodge, the excessive steepness of the stair and the strange shelf in the mezzanine room caused by the vault of the pedestrian arch do not suggest the work of a mason of much design skill. This does not diminish the archaeological significance of the remains, but does provide evidence of the status of Polesworth Abbey in the middle rather than the first rank of English monastic houses.
4.5 The Gatehouse does contain quite a large number of preserved original medieval features: the windows and cupboard in the lodge, the lodge doorway, the iron hinge pivots on the main archway, the south-east doorway, the mezzanine room doorway, corbel tables and windows, the fireplace and original timber doorways in the first floor hall, and the north-west doorway in the chamber. All these should be carefully preserved.
4.6 The original functions of the various parts of the building are reasonably clear: the gateways and the Porter’s Lodge on the ground floor; and the first floor apartment is a high status lodging, although one can debate whether it was a single suite or divided up, and who might have occupied it. The function of the mezzanine room is less certain – despite its doorway it is not a high status space. It would have been convenient as sleeping quarters for the porter (and possibly his wife, although not really for his family as well), or for a servant to the occupant of the first floor lodging – but in the absence of any fireplace or lavatory facilities might just have been a store room.
39 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 4. Statement of significance
Later alterations to Gatehouse
4.7 Later alterations to the gatehouse dating to the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries have left some mark on the building and provide significant evidence of its later history (Figs 14, 15). Although its main timbers are 14th-century, the framing and the outer windows on the front of the Gatehouse with its brick infill date to the 18th century, as probably does the brickwork in the rear of the building and over the vault of the pedestrian archway. The remodelling of the stair and the replacement of its treads in brick and the diagonal boarding on the framing over the rear of the main archway date to the late 19th century. The central first floor window, the reduction of the fireplace and the first floor wainscoting and bench survive from the 1923 restoration. The south-western, 14th-century doorway into the western range was also lowered and reopened at this time. Most of these features could be retained relatively easily, although removing the 1923 brickwork to reopen the fireplace to its original extent might be seen as an acceptable intervention. The rear dormer windows, all the existing partition walls and the unfortunate stair well cut down into the top of the main archway belong to the 1972 flat conversion. Some or most of these will probably need to be removed in an appropriate conversion of the building.
4.8 The post-medieval use of the Gatehouse is more uncertain. The ‘Dungeon entry’ appellation was current by 1785, but there is no documentary evidence of the use of the porter’s lodge as a lock up, although it would have been suitable for this purpose. The first floor, remodelled with new windows in the 18th century was presumably still used as accommodation, although apparently empty with its windows blocked in c.1800 when illustrated for Lord Aylesford (Fig 6). It was disused, still or again, in the early 20th century. In 1923 it became a club room, an adjunct to the reading room over the western range, and in 1972 it was converted into a flat..
The Western Range
4.9 The western range is Grade II Listed (LBS 435601), making it ‘a building of special interest’ under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act. The greater uncertainty about the original date and function of this part of the building make its significance more difficult to assess.
4.10 The purlin sockets observed in the west wall of the gatehouse suggest that there was an earlier, probably late medieval building built onto the gatehouse probably with a similar footprint to the standing western range – and the 1785 Stringer view shows an apparently medieval doorway and windows in the west and south wings of the existing building. Although all these medieval features have been destroyed, it is possible that the existing building had a lower, medieval phase, which would add to its significance. It would make possible the identification of the building as a monastic guesthouse or even as the monastic school building, although there is no corroborative documentary evidence.
4.11 There is no doubt that the existing form of the building dates to c.1583, and if it was not totally rebuilt at this time, conceivably with a medieval-style door and windows in recognition of the previous use of the site, it was certainly heightened and re-roofed and most of its windows were replaced with the square headed, mullioned windows shown by Stringer. The most significant surviving feature in the building is the roof structure which all dates to c.1583. This work would have been carried out by Sir Henry Goodere and would have been designed to create accommodation, perhaps offices for the estate administration or living quarters for estate servants, within the Hall Court. Apart from the roof structure, the ground floor and two first floor doorways into the south wing, the blocked window in the east wall of the south wing and the two, very eroded, first floor, mullioned windows in the south wall, few architectural features survive from this phase.
40 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 4. Statement of significance
4.12 The western range does contains considerable evidence of later alterations, of the 18th, early/mid 19th, late 19th, and late 20th centuries (Figs 14, 15). By 1785 the building had been rearranged, some of its doorway and windows blocked, and it was probably entered by ?18th-century doorways in the west side of the gatehouse arch. Further alterations in the early/mid 19th century saw the rebuilding of the gable of the south wing, and the insertion of brick partitions to make the existing two stores and a stable on the ground floor. A brick chimney, now removed, was also inserted. The 18th-century doorways were blocked and the three existing doors to the ground floor and a window were created at this time. In the late 19th century the creation of the parish reading room on the first floor involved a new doorway to High Street on the south-east corner of the building and a new stair up to a new first floor at a lower level. The three existing first floor mullioned windows were replaced also at a lower level. The final reorganisation of the building came in 1968, following the demolition of the original west wing. This involved the remodelling of the stair at the east end, the insertion of the existing internal partitions and a new concrete, mullioned window in the south wall.
Potential remains of earlier, medieval structures on the site of the Gatehouse and Western Range
4.13 The Abbey precinct is likely to have been laid out around the time of the granting of the market charter in the 13th century, if not before. The 14th-century Gatehouse is therefore unlikely to have been the first gateway structure on the site. It is likely to have been preceded either by an earlier gatehouse or by a simple gateway, and buried remains of one or the other may survive. Similarly, earlier remains may survive beneath the western range – either of the post 1430s/pre c.1583 building range, or of pre-1430s activity.
Archaeological significance of Driveway and Gatehouse garden areas
4.14 The area to the south of the Gateway also lay within the monastic precinct. It is likely that there was always a driveway running southwards from the Gatehouse to the west end of the monastic church and traces of earlier surfaces may survive along it. The excavation of a posthole for the security gate installed in 2007 just to the south of the Gatehouse revealed only a sequence of 0.1m (4in) of hardcore and an earlier gravel surface over 0.75m (2ft 6in) of topsoil over sand (information from Fr P Wells), but preservation of earlier surfaces may be better to the south.
4.15 The 1976 archaeological trial trenching across Hall Croft failed to find any remains of the ancillary monastic buildings such as stables and barns and concluded that this part of the site was largely open during the medieval and post-medieval periods. Site A, Area 3, only 7m west of the Gatehouse garden, contained no significant features. However trenches to the east of the Memorial Hall did detect a spread of 13th-century material and the possibility that there was some building or activity in the area cannot be ruled out. The widening of the driveway in the 1920s might mean that the buried remains of the frontages of buildings along the narrower driveway will lie within the existing driveway.
4.16 The 1840 Polesworth Tithe Map shows a boundary along the east side of the Driveway, but to the west the Hall Court remained an open space, except for a boundary around the Tithe Barn. The Gatehouse garden area is first shown divided off on the 1886 1st edition Ordnance Survey 1:2500 map, and there is no reason to think its boundary has any particular significance.
Contribution of Gatehouse to the Conservation Area and streetscape of Polesworth
4.17 Within the Polesworth Conservation Area the Gatehouse is one of a small number of surviving medieval buildings, along with nos 24-30 Bridge Street (LBS
41 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 4. Statement of significance
435562) and 64 High Street (LBS 435565), which show the origins of the settlement as a medieval market town. The presence of the Gatehouse also emphasises the historical dependence of the town on the Abbey. Its continuing function as a gateway marks and enhances the boundary between the busy commercial streets of the town and the more peaceful area around the Abbey Church.
4.18 The Gatehouse also makes a significant contribution to the immediately adjacent streetscape of High Street, forming a picturesque group with the Listed timber-framed houses 28 and 34 High Street (LBS 435599) which together express the medieval origins of the street and its subsequent early post-medieval history.
4.19 To the south the Gatehouse forms another group with the 17th/early 18th- century Listed Tithe Barn (LBS 435602) and Dovecote (LBS 435603), together emphasising the character of Hall Croft as a historic open space behind the street frontages, belonging originally to the Abbey Precinct and subsequently to the Court of the manor house, Polesworth Hall. It has to be said that this ambience is currently marred by the dilapidated state of the Gatehouse and the unsympathetic landscaping of its garden (Fig 51).
4.20 Although it was widened in 1920 and its current landscaping dates to this period, the Driveway is likely to have existed since the middle ages and provides another topographical element of continuity with the past. It also provides a suitable setting for the town’s War Memorial, albeit one that is susceptible of improvement.
Community Significance
4.21 The Abbey Gatehouse has considerable significance to the local community at Polesworth and can truly be described as iconic. Other than the Church, it is the only surviving medieval building from the Abbey on which the development of the town depended. As such, it is a tangible and verifiable connection with the intangible (and, indeed, the fantastic) aspects of Polesworth’s past. Whereas the survival of the medieval church building is not unusual, the survival of the Gateway is a more distinctive manifestation of the historical sense of place for local people.
4.22 Descriptions of Polesworth regularly single out the Abbey and the Gateway as defining features of the town. So the Market Towns Healthcheck (Tellus42 2002, 6) describes ‘The core of Polesworth around St Editha, the Abbey Church, with its historic Gateway…’ and the Village Design Statement (Polesworth Society 2004, 38) draws particular attention to the Abbey as the safe haven for people persecuted by the Viking invaders and the place where the legends of St Edith took place.
4.23 The Gateway has also become a focus for local traditions which give Polesworth a place within the broad sweep of English history for its inhabitants. The 1536 commissioners report on the Abbey refers to thirty or forty gentlemen’s children brought up in the house (VCH 1908, 64). In local tradition this has become a school where children of noble houses were educated by the sisters …known throughout England and on the Continent as the ‘English School’, where children were taught to read and write, and to sew fine needlework, learning from the nuns well known for ecclesiastical and other needlework’ (Wood 1993, 13). The western range of the Gateway has become identified with this school – certainly a possible use for the building, assuming it was actually built before the Dissolution, but not one for which there is any contemporary evidence.
4.24 The traditions go further: It can, therefore be safely concluded that when Francis Goodier bought Polesworth Abbey and its lands in 1544, he continued the nuns’ school …It was at this school held in the gate-house upper chamber, that Michael Drayton continued his education under John Atkins and then John Savage, and possibly Richard Latimer in later
42 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 4. Statement of significance years. .... Shakespeare, too, was in all probability, a scholar here and as a page slept in the porter’s lodge..’ (Midland Counties Tribune 1933, 139). Atherstone Grammar School also claims to have educated Michael Drayton, but according to the Dictionary of National Biography he served as a page in the household of Henry Goodere, lord of the manor of Polesworth, and is recorded as a party to a transaction relating to the manor in 1618 (VCH 1947, 189 n 20, 24). The Shakespeare connection however, albeit deeply rooted locally (Gray 1926, Wells 1998), is not backed by definite documentary evidence and is probably apocryphal.
4.25 Since at least the late 18th century the Gateway has been known as ‘the Dungeon Entry’, presumably because of the resemblance of the Porter’s Lodge to a cell. It could have been used as a ‘lock-up’ for local malefactors during the post- medieval period, although there are no records to confirm this. This tradition however is also deeply rooted and adds an aura of historical mystery to the building.
4.26 The stories about the gatehouse are a powerful expression of local pride, and they should clearly have a place in the interpretation of the building to visitors.
4.27 It remains possible for local people to use the archways through the Gatehouse at all times for access to the Hall Court, formerly the Abbey Precinct, which remains the civic centre of the town containing the Memorial Hall, Library, Health Centre and Parish Council offices (in the restored Tithe Barn). The Gateway both defines this historic area and by continuing to offer access to it expresses a special sense of historic continuity.
4.28 The sense of place embodied by the Gateway continues to inspire local people. Drawings and photographs showing the building abound and pictures of it have been used as a design for decorative china. The Gateway is among the preferred designs for postcards of Polesworth. These images are copied, framed, and displayed proudly in the homes of established families and newcomers to the village. The value of this building as a defining icon of the town’s heritage can hardly be overstated.
4.29 The driveway also represents a historic space in the centre of the town, and the presence of the War Memorial and its use for Remembrance Day parades gives it a special significance to the community.
43 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues
Ownership of the Gatehouse
5.1 The Gatehouse is currently owned by the vicar and churchwardens of St Edith’s Church. For reasons of financial efficiency, notably the tax free environment provided by charitable status and because this status opens extra funding opportunities, it is proposed that the ownership of the gatehouse (including its forecourt and garden) and other non-religious buildings and land owned by the Church should be transferred to a company with charitable status, called the Nunnery Gateway Trust Ltd, whose purpose will be to preserve the historic buildings of Polesworth Abbey and support the work of the Church in Polesworth. The Nunnery Gateway Trust will have a board made up of the five PCC office holders ex officio, two members nominated by the PCC and up to three co-optees.
Ownership of the Driveway
5.2 Although it has been treated as part of the churchyard certainly since the 1920s, there is some doubt about the ownership of the original, eastern part of the driveway to the south of the Gateway (Fig 3). The ownership of this land by the church cannot be conclusively demonstrated, although a right of way across it for vehicles to the vicarage is held.
5.3 From the dissolution of the Abbey the driveway will have been the access for parishioners to the church and churchyard although the land presumably belonged to the Polesworth Hall Estate. The original churchyard seems to have been a triangular area bounded to the west by the path north from the north doorway of the church and to the south by a line running on the line of the north side of the church as far as the north edge of the mound. The strip of churchyard to the west of the path from the north doorway up to the eastern edge of the driveway was acquired in 1801 by the then vicar from Sir George Chetwynd.
5.4 When the former Vicarage on High Street was exchanged by a later Sir George Chetwynd for the site of Polesworth Hall (the existing Vicarage) in May 1876 the deed of exchange included ‘a right of carriage’ through the Abbey Gatehouse along the driveway from the High Street up to the Hall, shown on the plan as a ‘right of road’. No mention is, however, made in the deed of exchange of the ownership of the land or of responsibility for maintenance. It is possible either that at this time Sir George owned the land or merely held a right of way which he was passing on.
5.5 When the Polesworth Hall Estate was sold off in 1912 the driveway was not offered for sale with the other parts of Hall Croft (WRO EAC 15). This suggests that the driveway was by this time regarded as part of the Churchyard. The existence of the right of way would prevent the use of the land for any purpose other than a driveway, removing any commercial value.
5.6 In November 1920 the vicar and churchwardens purchased a strip of land along the eastern edge of Hall Croft and west of the driveway ‘for the purpose of enlarging the churchyard’. The strip is described as 560 sq yards ‘more or less adjoining or near to the churchyard … forming part of …the Hall Court. The purchase seems to have been in connection with the construction of the War Memorial which took place shortly thereafter. The Memorial itself was placed across part of the original driveway, and the whole wider Driveway was landscaped with the existing avenue of lime trees fenced to the west with metal estate fencing. It seems that the driveway was being treated as part of the churchyard in 1920, but that some slight legal doubt remained to require the addition of the words ‘more or less adjoining or near to’ in the conveyance.
44 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues
5.7 Some time after 1975 the then vicar, moved the iron railings which previously ran along the west side of the churchyard to the western side of the driveway replacing the existing 1920s metal estate fencing. The Diocesan Registrar (in a letter to Fr Philip Wells of August 2007) has expressed himself in ‘no doubt but that the driveway belongs to the church. I know we investigated the position fairly thoroughly in years gone by and certainly in 2001 we came to the conclusion that [the church] had ownership of the driveway’.
5.8 It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the Driveway is part of the churchyard. It is proposed that this position should continue to take advantage of the particular funding that is available for the upkeep of churchyards.
5.9 Despite its long usage the Driveway is not a public right of way, although it is crossed by a public footpath (AE19) which runs from Grendon Road to High Street diagonally across Hall Croft and then along the north side of the Churchyard (Fig 3).
5.10 Although there is an access to the rear of No 28 High Street which can only be reached through the Gatehouse, no right of way exists for this. Successive owners of No 28 have been notified of this and told that the church cannot allow any rights of access through the Gatehouse and that any negotiation on the matter must be refused.
Structural repairs to Gatehouse buildings
5.11 The main issue for the Gatehouse is the state of its structure, particularly the masonry, parts of which are in imminent danger of collapse. Various surveys of the building have been carried out: an outline condition assessment and proposals for repair by Michael Potter, Architect in June 2005 (Potter 2005), a survey of the timberwork by Ridout Associates in February 2007 (Ridout 2007) and a structural inspection by Hancock Wheeldon and Ascough in May 2007 (Hancock Wheeldon and Ascough 2007).
5.12 These surveys reveal that the buildings have suffered from insufficient structural maintenance for many years and inappropriate alterations have seriously affected the stability of the historic fabric. However, where problems exist they are generally localised. The building does not appear to suffer from foundation instability or from overall lateral or longitudinal instability, the identified defects can be attributed to deficiencies in the superstructure.
5.13 The main structural aspect requiring attention are the masonry walls, in particular the rear walls of both parts of the building where the wall facings are coming away from the wall cores. The most dangerous section on the rear of the western range where the wall has been shored up to avoid a collapse which could precipitate a localised full collapse. This situation is exacerbated by the very eroded state of much of the stonework. The stone mullioned window surrounds in the north and south walls of the western range are in poor condition and require either complete or partial replacement.
5.14 Generally the brickwork is in a fair condition and requires little attention other than repointing, except for the infill to the timber framing on the north wall of the Gatehouse which is insecure, one panel already having fallen out. The 1968 tile cladding on the west gable of the western range is also inappropriate and requires replacement.
5.15 The timber roof structures generally can be described as in good structural condition and no active insect damage in the roofs was noted. Only localised and
45 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues relatively and limited timber repairs appear to be necessary, the condition of the oak beams over the main archway and of those supporting the floor of the mezzanine room giving the most cause for concern.
5.16 The tiled roofs are in poor condition containing a mixture of inappropriate machine-made and hand made plain tiles, some of which have suffered extensive frost damage. The rainwater goods are an inappropriate mixture of cast iron in poor condition and uPVC. The flat roof dormer windows inserted on the rear of the Gatehouse in 1972 are inappropriate and require replacement.
5.17 In summary the recommended structural repairs to the building will involve the following measures:
• Consolidation of the masonry walling, including tying and grouting of all walls and replacement of defective stonework on both buildings. • Removal of the existing cement mortar pointing and repointing with lime mortar. • Stripping the roofs to expose the timber framing. • Repairing the rafters and wall plate in the western range roof and improving ventilation to the roof. • Improving its timber to timber connections with hidden stainless steel screws. • Applying insulation and underlay membrane, rebattening and retiling of both roofs with appropriate hand made plain clay tiles. • Replacing all rainwater goods in appropriate cast iron. • Narrowing the western dormer on the Gatehouse and providing both dormers with pitched roofs • Remodelling the structure of the floor over the main archway with a view to designing out the poor alterations while conserving its history. • Improving the lower ends of the posts of the trusses in the Gatehouse. • Repairing the Gatehouse mezzanine room floor with a view to retaining all sound timbers ensuring their integrity. Some timbers will have to be replaced • Remove brick infill to timber framing on the north of the Gatehouse and refixing incorporating suitable anchoring • Replacing The west gable of the western range should have a more appropriate wall covering
5.18 It is intended that the repair programme will be carried out generally according to SPAB principles. Where it is necessary to take down existing masonry the stones will be individually numbered so that they can be replaced in situ. Decayed stonework will be replaced on as conservative a basis as possible, although its general condition is so poor that extensive replacements are likely to be unavoidable. Care will be taken that replacement stones match the size and coursing of the existing masonry. As much of the original stone as possible will be reused. Where they remain sound the tile repairs carried out in 1923 will be retained but where they require replacement this will be done with new stonework. Replacement stone will be Grinshill Sandstone from Shropshire carefully chosen to match the colour and texture of the existing stonework. Repointing will be carried out in a suitable lime mortar
5.19 The repair work to the building will expose large areas of its structure which are not currently accessible and is likely to reveal new evidence about the history of the buildings. There will therefore be a need for archaeological recording during the work. In the Gatehouse evidence for the garderobe suggested by Bob Meeson in the south-eastern corner may be revealed, along with further information about the original framing of the north wall. Any floor timbers replaced in the mezzanine room should be examined for evidence of earlier use. In the western range the blocked openings into the main archway should be investigated and the masonry of the south wing should be examined for any evidence of the probably medieval
46 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues doorway shown on the 1785 view. Further evidence may also emerge of the stair/garderobe turret on the north-west corner of the gatehouse; of further timber sockets in the east wall relating to the pre-c.1583 building; of original or early window openings and internal partitions in the north and south walls; or of first- floor partitions in the underside of the tie beams of the roof trusses.
Need for a sustainable, economically viable future use of the building
5.20 Any scheme for the conservation of the Gatehouse needs to identify a future use for the building that is sustainable and at least able to generate sufficient income to cover its future long term maintenance. It is unlikely that any use could also generate sufficient sums to cover the full cost of repairs and conversion of the building.
5.21 The 2005 Feasibility Study considered proposals including upgrading the Gatehouse buildings into three flats, including the currently unused ground floor, or the use of the ground floor room as a visitor/recreational facility (CSR 2005, 25). It also felt that conversion of the Gatehouse to visitor/holiday accommodation would be a fruitful option for the building (CSR 2005, 27), although all three of the Options finally produced suggested that the Gatehouse be rented out as long-term residential accommodation (CSR 2005, 44-6).
5.22 Although medium-long term letting would produce a steady income with the minimum of administration, its major drawback would be the difficulty of providing public access to the building on more than an occasional basis, eg for an annual open day. It would be unreasonable to expect a tenant, unless paying a substantially reduced rent, to allow regular access for visitors.
Business or holiday letting
5.23 An alternative to medium-long term letting would be short term business or holiday letting. This might allow more opportunity for public access to the building between lettings. It was felt that this might produce a higher income, but at the cost of substantially more administration. It would involve a different and probably higher specification for the conversion of the building. For the holiday letting market the historic interest of the building would be one of its main attractions and any conversion would therefore want to retain as many significant features as possible.
5.24 It was felt that the issue of the administration of the letting of the building as holiday accommodation could be solved by involving another organisation with experience in this area. Accordingly during 2006-7 discussions were held with two charitable organisations specialising in the restoration of historic buildings and their letting out as holiday accommodation: The Landmark Trust and the Vivat Trust. Visits were arranged and generous advice was provided by both organisations. The Landmark Trust however expressed a rather less flexible attitude to allowing visitor access between lettings so further discussions have been with Vivat alone.
The Vivat Trust
5.25 The Vivat Trust was established in 1981 as a charitable, non-profit making building preservation trust dedicated to rescuing neglected and dilapidated listed historic buildings of architectural, industrial and historical interest.
5.26 Vivat has no endowment, so its repair and renovation funds are raised on a project by project basis. Its funding bodies include the Architectural Heritage Fund, English Heritage, the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic Scotland as well as grant- making trusts and public companies. Once its buildings have been repaired and
47 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues improved they must be self-financing, which is why all of Vivat’s properties are currently let out as distinctive and luxurious holiday accommodation. This guarantees income for their maintenance and also allows them to be more sensitively repaired, as the structural changes required need not be as radical as for residential homes. The letting not only ensures that the buildings will be preserved for posterity but also serves to heighten people’s awareness of Britain’s built heritage.
5.27 Vivat properties are managed and marketed through Vivat Trust Management Services Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary set up in 1992 trading as ‘Vivat Trust Holidays’. Vivat currently lets 22 properties, which can be enjoyed all year round and are promoted through the national press, magazines, an annual brochure and Vivat’s website. The annual occupancy of Vivat properties for the last 5 years has consistently been over 75%, with many properties enjoying over 90%. This provides for the maintenance of the properties and allows for a small contribution to the work of the Trust.
5.28 Each Vivat project is thought out in an imaginative and flexible manner, with the help of the Trust’s voluntary Council of Management whose varied skills and breadth of experience provide a solid foundation of professional knowledge and expertise.
Vivat Trust marketing study
5.29 In September 2007 the Vivat Trust completed a marketing study to examine how two proposed self catering properties in the Gatehouse might fit into the local holiday letting market, and to develop a robust and viable marketing strategy (Vivat Trust 2007). The study considered trends in UK tourism, the particular attractions of Warwickshire, the Birmingham area and Polesworth itself, transport links to Polesworth, and the availability, occupancy levels and pricing of visitor accommodation in the area. It concluded that there are few luxury self-catering holiday properties in the area and very few in historically interesting buildings.
5.30 The proposed accommodation at Polesworth would therefore fill a gap in the market, although it was felt the that higher end of the holiday market should be targeted. Reliance on the business market was not felt to be viable as this is already catered for in the city of Birmingham and large country house hotels. The strengths of the proposed scheme lie in the interest of the historic building, its good transport links, easy access to good golf courses, the surrounding historic towns and cities and facilities of Birmingham. Weaknesses include a perceived proximity to Birmingham, a lack of restaurants in walking distance and the location of the building close to a road in a currently declining market town.
5.31 The study suggested that two holiday lets be created – the ‘Abbey Gatehouse’ sleeping two, to target the affluent couples market, to be priced at the top end of local accommodation - and the ‘Nuns’ School House’, to sleep six, to be priced in the mid range of local accommodation. They should be marketed through Visit Britain, Enjoy England, local tourist information centres and the Vivat Trust brochure, targeting the couples and family markets, focussing on the attractions of Birmingham and rural Warwickshire, in particular its golf courses, country parks and historic towns. On this basis the proposed accommodation would be a positive and viable business.
Partnership Arrangements
5.32 A number of possible forms for a partnership to manage the building with Vivat have been discussed. These include a lease arrangement, a joint-venture agreement and a service level agreement. Vivat have provided a number of specimen agreements. It is felt that the lease arrangement would not be suitable; a joint- venture agreement would be possible but is likely to be too complicated. Vivat’s
48 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues preferred option would be a marketing agreement where they take responsibility for the housekeeping etc.
5.33 It is therefore concluded that the best arrangment would be a management agreement, under which the Nunnery Gateway Trust was responsible for the maintenance of the structure, services and external decoration and the Vivat Trust was responsible for the maintenance of the interior and garden, marketing, bookings and rent collection. Following the deduction of allowable expenditure, the rents would be divided equally between the Nunnery Gateway Trust and the Vivat Trust.
5.34 Following further discussions with Vivat, Michael Potter, the church architect has drawn up plans to create two holiday flats in the Gatehouse buildings on the lines proposed (Appendix C; MPA Drg 247/14E, 15F, 16, 17, 18A, 19, 20, 21, 22A, 23A). These are discussed in Section 7, below.
Environmental improvements to forecourt, driveway and garden
5.35 Along with the restoration of the Gatehouse building there is also a definite need to improve its immediate surroundings: the forecourt onto High Street, and the garden and driveway to the south. The area of Hall Croft to the west between the Tithe Barn and Dovecote has been relatively recently landscaped making the Gatehouse garden and driveway stand out as an eyesore (Fig 51).
5.36 In the 2004 Street Survey, asked what they most disliked about the Abbey site 52.2% of respondents identified the bad condition of the driveway and footpath (CSR 2005, 82-3). Asked for suggestions for improving the Abbey site 90.6% of regular visitors felt that the entrance to the site could be improved, 44.8% highlighting the condition of the driveway and 31% mentioning the reinstatement of railings. 87.5% of regular users also felt that the lighting along the paths could be improved (CSR 2005, 83-4). Respondents to the Abbey Site questionnaire, both those from the Abbey Community and those from the Polesworth Society, also identified repairs to the driveway as the most needed improvement to the site (Wells 2006).
5.37 All the respondents to the Gatehouse presentation questionnaire (Wells 2007a) agreed that the frontage and driveway needed to be improved at the same time as the Gatehouse building.
Previous proposals for improvement
5.38 In 1999 proposals were prepared for improvements to the driveway (Michael Potter Drg 196/17). The existing drive would have been replaced by a narrower drive surfaced with Breedon Gravel between granite sett kerbs, with a french drain to the west and a grass parking strip to the east surfaced with Ritter honeycomb matting. The Gateway archway was to be paved with york stone setts and the pedestrian archway with york stone paving; the boundary wall to the east of the drive would have been repaired and repointed. The work would have been accompanied by a programme of archaeological recording of the ground disturbance. The proposals were agreed with the Diocesan Authorities, English Heritage, North Warwickshire Borough Council and Warwickshire County Council and Scheduled Monument Consent (HSD 9/2/4178 pt 2) was obtained. However the expected funding was not forthcoming and the proposals lapsed.
5.39 The 2005 Landscape restoration proposals (CPM 2005, 27-8) included a similar scheme to: resurface the drive with self-binding gravel/hoggin (or bonded gravel over bitmac) with timber edging and appropriate drainage; repair the wall to the east and the railings to the west and infill gaps in the existing native hedge; clean the War Memorial and add a stone paving surround; clear unwanted vegetation; restore the
49 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues existing lamp columns if feasible or replace with new. It notes that depending on the depth of excavation archaeological investigation may be required as part of the scheme.
Design Principles
5.40 In February and March 2005 a set of general design principles was formulated for the Driveway taking into account the HLF’s expressed desire to see improvements in access and enjoyment of the site, the Health and Safety Risk Assessment and Access Audit:
• That the general feeling of the Driveway should be that of a country lane bounded by the avenue of lime trees, wall and other features, including the war memorial, entrances to the Churchyard and other footpaths
• That there should be disabled parking close to the Church (as per the Access Audit) and a passing place for vehicles.
• That access to the Gatehouse should be improved by the proposal, viz. that external viewing of the Gateway should be possible for visitors and the views of the Gatehouse should be enhanced. This would be done by a new footpath leading into the Hall Court and by interpretative signage.
• That parking issues identified in the Feasibility Study and questionnaire should begin to be addressed. These include restricting access to the driveway, while providing adequate alternative parking, including disabled parking, and maintaining access for services and for the disabled.
• That a safe pedestrian route, with lighting, should be provided away from vehicular traffic and parking
5.41 These principles, along with further advice on disabled access issues from Edna Jacobson (Wells 2007b), have been taken into account in a new proposed landscaping plan for the Gatehouse and its surroundings by Max Askew (Appendix D; Askew Nelson’s Plan AN/004/01B) which develops the 2005 proposals.
Car Parking and access to the Church and Vicarage
5.42 The Gatehouse archway currently provides the only vehicular access to the Church and Vicarage. While this continues a tradition of over 650 years duration and gives a positive feeling of continuity with the past, it does have drawbacks. The archway is vulnerable to collision damage from large or high sided vehicles – and has been struck on occasions. Also, because the view eastwards along High Street is blocked by the projecting frontage of No 28 the junction of the driveway with High Street is quite hazardous for traffic emerging from the driveway.
5.43 The current use of the Driveway for casual car parking is also felt to be unsatisfactory and the PCC recognises a need for radical proposals to control parking by the church and ensure the safety of pedestrians, while allowing access to the church and vicarage for the disabled and for service and emergency vehicles.
5.44 In January and February 2007 options for the Driveway were considered by a working party of the PCC. The access needs of the site and the general design principles for the Driveway were discussed. A major factor is the need to provide access to the Abbey site for high-sided vehicles. The summer Arts Festival in the Vicarage garden sees delivery of staging, lighting equipment and hired toilets. Deliveries of food for the proposed Guest Hall restaurant will also involve lorries.
50 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues
There is also an aesthetic dimension. Cars parked along the Driveway obscure the beauty of the Abbey for both worshippers and general visitors. On the other hand adequate car parking is essential. It was felt that access through the Gatehouse should be restricted, although its continued use for special occasions such as weddings or funerals is appropriate and should be allowed.
5.45 Three options were discussed:
(i) Retaining the driveway entrance under the Gatehouse as at present, but with more limited car parking on the driveway.
(ii) Developing a new access to the church and vicarage from High Street across the existing College car park to link with the existing Driveway at the north-west corner of the churchyard, with additional car parking provided on the College site and restricting access under the Gatehouse.
(iii) Developing a new access to the church and vicarage from Bridge Street across the Hall Court car parks to link with the existing driveway south of the Gatehouse garden, creating additional car parking on Hall Court, and restricting access under the Gatehouse.
5.46 A clear advantage of Options (ii) and (iii) would be to make the northern half of the driveway leading to the Gatehouse largely pedestrian only. Vehicles would use it only occasionally; pedestrians would be safer and the surface would not be damaged by turning and parking. Option (i) would not affect land outside the existing driveway while Options (ii) and (iii) would involve partnerships with adjoining landowners and/or the purchase of additional land or rights of way.
5.47 The three options were evaluated as follows: • Option (i) would fall wholly within the existing driveway and would be achievable without any need to purchase land or negotiate access agreements with other landowners. It would also be the cheapest option. Counting against it would be the loss of about 20 parking spaces, continued reliance on the Gatehouse for all access leaving the building vulnerable to vehicle damage, and vehicles at risk from the semi-blind junction.
• Option (ii) would provide the best access from the road for vehicles, including lorries and emergency vehicles; it would allow the creation of up to 60 additional car parking spaces and possible coach parking; it would provide good access for visitors to the churchyard and offer an opportunity to make a new pedestrian approach to the church; it would also allow the restriction of access through the Gatehouse. Against it would be a need to acquire land and negotiate rights of way; and the, probably considerable, costs of creating the car park.
• Option (iii) would provide additional parking, but probably only about 20 spaces; it would allow restriction of access through the Gatehouse; and could be a low cost solution. Against it, the access across the Hall Court car parks would be tortuous particularly for lorries; it would require negotiation of rights of way with neighbouring landowners and would not be possible without the goodwill of all concerned; it would be contrary to the recommendations of the Healthcheck and Village Design Statement and would limit the potential for redevelopment of Hall Croft and would involve development of an open space contrary to the Local Plan Policy ENV5.
5.48 It was concluded that all three options needed to be investigated further. In each case the design needed to achieve good lighting, good disability access, adequate parking, sufficient space for the Remembrance Day parade, high quality
51 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues design to enhance the landscape, and effective planting (including screening of unwanted views).
5.49 In May 2007 the Gatehouse proposals, including a plan for a car park to the rear of the building accessed from Bridge Street across the Health Centre Car Park, were discussed with the Polesworth Health Centre Manager and the Area Health Authority Estates Manager. They were generally supportive of the proposals and were in principle prepared to allow a right of way across their car park. They also approved an idea for a footpath from the Driveway into Hall Croft but felt that it and the Gatehouse car park should be gated. Subsequent discussions with the Parish Council however revealed that they would be unable to agree access across their land either for the proposed Gatehouse parking or the Option (iii) proposal. The land between Bridge Street and the entrance to the Memorial Hall is leased to the Community Association whose trustees have informed the Parish Council that they will not agree to any such right of way forming part of the Community Association’s lease. This position both makes Option (iii) impossible and means that the Gatehouse parking will have to be accessed from the driveway via the Gatehouse archway. Further consideration of the footpath proposal recognised that it would infringe the privacy of the Gatehouse garden to too great an extent. The suggestion that the proposed footpath be moved to the south of the Gatehouse car park was felt unsatisfactory in that it would channel pedestrians into the Health Centre car park rather than onto the existing footpath behind the Centre.
5.50 At a meeting in June 2007 the North Warwickshire College expressed themselves prepared to permit the use of their car park by visitors to the church and keen to support the idea of a partnership project for additional car parking on their site. As part of the scheme they would like to see a separate pedestrian access and disabled spaces created near the college entrance.
5.51 However discussions with the landowners of 28-32 High Street revealed that they were unwilling to sell land at the south end of their gardens to allow the new access to be made to the Church and Vicarage. The full Option (iii) scheme cannot therefore be implemented, but the use of the existing College car park and its possible enlargement would provide alternative parking which would allow the restriction of access to the Driveway for this purpose.
5.52 The area of the proposed new car parking would fall within the probable area of the Abbey precinct in an area that has not been investigated archaeologically and which may contain the remains of precinct buildings. However, it is felt that it would be possible to construct the new section of car park by building the ground up, causing little or no disturbance to archaeological deposits, except at the junction of the old and new parking. Discussions with the Planning Archaeologist in October 2007 established there would be no archaeological objection in principle to constructing car parking on this basis, but that archaeological trial trenching would need to be carried out to ascertain the actual depth of any surviving archaeological deposits followed by further recording during construction, if necessary.
5.53 The further discussions therefore suggest that Options (ii) and (iii) are not viable, although it would be possible to achieve Option (i) with alternative parking provided on the College site. The features of Option (i), including the extra parking on the college site, are shown on the proposed landscaping plan (Appendix D; Askew Nelson Plan AN/004/01B).
5.54 Once car parking on the driveway has been restricted opportunities will arise to use the area in more imaginative ways for the benefit of the town. As a place in the centre of the village and at the historic heart of the community it would be a suitable venue for events such as the Dickensian Evening, stalls for the Summer Festival, or markets such as the French Market recently proposed.
52 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues
Security of the Abbey Site
5.55 Two occurrences of thefts of lead from the church in 2007 have revealed a further need to close the driveway to vehicles after dark. Following the first theft West Midlands Police advised that a lockable gate be installed at the Gatehouse end of the Driveway. This was done, but the following week the lock was broken and a second theft took place. The police then recommended the introduction of a ram- raid proof security gateway across the driveway. This proposal is felt to be unnecessarily obtrusive and contrary to the agreed Driveway design principles.
5.56 It is therefore proposed to place a single electrically operated, rising bollard in the centre of the main Gateway arch, just to the south of the Scheduled Monument area, to control access to the north part of the driveway, and a row of manually dismountable bollards across the driveway to the south of the entrance to the gatehouse parking as a second line of defence. These proposals are also shown on the proposed landscaping plan (Appendix D; Askew Nelson Plan AN/004/01B). See Section 7 below.
Ecology
5.57 No detailed ecological survey of the building and its surroundings has been carried out. However the Gatehouse buildings have potential access points for bats to roost within, and the buildings and the trees and shrubs in the surrounding area have some potential for bird nesting.
5.58 Before any work to the buildings is carried out a survey should be carried out by a suitably qualified bat worker to determine the location of any bat roosts and recommend measures to preserve roosts where possible and ensure any bats present are protected.
5.59 Work on the building should avoid disturbance to nesting birds. The main nesting season lasts approximately from March to September, so work should avoid these dates if possible. However, birds can nest at any time and the site should be checked for their presence immediately before work starts.
5.60 By way of ecological enhancement, consideration might be given to the addition of bird nesting and bat boxes to the building or the surrounding trees. There are already nesting boxes at the south end of the Driveway, some of which are in need of repair. Advice should be taken on the positioning of further such features and their long term maintenance, cleaning out etc, would also need to be arranged. Planting schemes could include species designed to attract a variety of insects.
Improved public access and enjoyment of the Gatehouse
5.61 A telling statistic from the feedback questionnaire from Bob Meeson’s presentation of his archaeological survey in 2006 (Wells 2006b) was how few local people had ever been inside this very fine medieval building. An important component of the conservation project must therefore be to share the experience of the building with local people and others. These would include both general visitors and school groups who would be shown the building in small groups guided by members of the Abbey’s volunteer programme. School visitors would have the opportunity to experience the Gatehouse either as part of the ‘Monks and Nuns at Polesworth’ programme or as a dedicated visit to the Abbey site.
53 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues
5.62 It will not always be possible to visit the whole building, given the proposals for holiday lettings. However, the Vivat Trust’s willingness to allow public access to the proposed holiday flats between lettings was the determining factor in choosing a partner to manage the flats. This access would be in addition to a fixed number of open days per year advertised well in advance when the whole building would be available for visiting. These would include annual Heritage Open Days, in which the Abbey has participated each year for the past five years. Vivat also participate in the programme with their other properties. The conserved Gatehouse would be an important focus for the Abbey’s HOD profile. Visitors who wished to see the whole building would need to book in advance for one of the advertised dates
5.63 Other parts of the building would be available for visiting at all times by appointment. These would include the Porter’s Lodge and the mezzanine History Room of the Gatehouse, both original medieval spaces in an effectively unaltered condition. It is intended that these would be fitted out in medieval style for display to visitors.
5.64 Those who come for a focused visit to the Gatehouse would come first to the Abbey Refectory. Audio-visual presentations about the history and the conservation of the Gatehouse will be shown in plenary sessions in the Refectory hosted by volunteer staff knowledgeable about the historic and conservation issues. Visits to the Gatehouse will be in small groups. An audio-visual ‘virtual tour’ would also be available to those visitors who cannot negotiate the steep stairs and confined spaces of the building.
5.65 After viewing the exterior a visit might start with the Porter’s Lodge. This is a particularly significant space in that it was the point of access for all visitors to the medieval abbey. The doorway and room are quite cramped but could be entered by small numbers of people. The room might have a reconstructed earth or gravel floor, timber shutters on the windows and a new door on the original cupboard. The guide might collect a suitably medieval-style key and give an account of how the porter would control access to the Abbey, keeping an eye on who was coming through the squint window. There might be a maquette of the porter sitting at a table, possibly hidden in the darkness for the guide to illuminate, even a ‘reconstruction drama’ with the voice of the Porter describing the Abbey and his function within it. The guide might also describe the tradition of the later use of the lodge as a Dungeon.
5.66 Visitors could then enter the building by the 14th-century south-east door and go up the stairs to the mezzanine History Room. The size of the room and the awkwardness of the stairs again make this only suitable for relatively small groups. There is also an issue about disturbance to the occupants of the flats, although security would be achieved by a locking door at the top and by roping off the top part of the stair. The History Room would be displayed as the sleeping quarters of the porter and his wife. The masonry shelf over the pedestrian passage would be boxed in with a box bed on top of it, and perhaps shelves displaying a range of reconstructed artefacts – pottery, iron and bronze utensils - and food. The windows could again be fitted with shutters and there could be a bench around the east side of the room.
5.67 The room would be a suitably comfortable and dry space for the guide to give an account of the building and its use through the ages and the local traditions of the School associated with it. Depending on the make up of the visiting group, there might also be further ‘reconstruction drama’ in which the voice of the Porter’s wife perhaps described her life or told about the Abbey’s benefactors who stayed as guests in the accommodation above or the nuns’ priest who lived there. There would also be an AV screen concealed behind hangings which could be used to show the ‘virtual tour’ of the upper parts of the building when these are unavailable for visiting, and/or the presentations of the history of the site and the conservation.
54 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues
5.68 On days when the holiday flats were unoccupied, the tour would then continue up to view the medieval lodging on the first floor and its fine crown post roof.
Exterior
5.69 The exterior of the building would remain fully accessible to local people and visitors passing along High Street and through the archways to the church and vicarage and into Hall Court, as it has always done. However it is proposed to improve their experience by creating a viewing space with interpretative panels to the rear of the building. The panels would be fairly discreet, perhaps being set on a low sloping stone plinth at right angles to the east stone boundary wall. They should also be tactile and vandal-proof. The panels would include a summary introduction to the history of the site and its significance to the local community, a plan showing the Gatehouse in the Abbey precinct, a plan and pictures of its interior, together with information on how it might be visited and directions to the main Abbey reception. The volunteer guides could also bring tour groups to show them the panels before taking them round to the north side of the building and the Porter’s Lodge.
Entrance lobby/disabled buggy storage
5.70 It was originally thought that a small exhibition about the building might be housed in the downstairs entrance lobby to the western range. This might be available both to guided visitors and to guests in the flats. It might include an AV screen where a ‘virtual tour’ of the building could be shown to visitors who were unable to climb the stairs, or for all visitors on those occasions when the whole building was not available for viewing. However discussions with Glynis Powell, Community Museums Officer, suggested that the space is too restricted and unatmospheric for a successful exhibition and that visitors would feel uncomfortable with guides hovering and wouldn’t want to linger
5.71 The plans for access to the Abbey site include the provision of an electric buggy for visitors who can’t walk from the car park or Gatehouse to the Abbey. It is proposed that the buggy and its recharging apparatus be stored in the space adjacent to the entrance lobby where it would be convenient for volunteer guides meeting coaches. The room might also be used to store signage and open day materials. The ‘virtual tour’ could be shown to disabled visitors at the Abbey Refectory and to general visitors in the mezzanine History Room
Monks and Nuns in the Gatehouse
5.72 It is also proposed that the Gatehouse be used for the existing Monks and Nuns at Polesworth’ medieval life education programme. Originally it was thought to be too far from the main site, but experience of the programme suggests that the two rooms in the Gatehouse would be very suitable for small-group activities, especially the ‘How they lived’ demonstration. This half-hour session uses clothes from the medieval period and is to designed to reflect on the different social roles, the way that people dressed, ate and lived. The History Room, presented as the living (and sleeping) space for the Porter and his wife, fits neatly into this theme.
Interpretative materials
5.73 Various categories of interpretative material will be produced, including a publicity leaflet, a souvenir guide to the site, an audio-visual presentation and a teacher’s pack.
55 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues
Publicity leaflet
5.74 A free publicity leaflet will be produced giving details of opening times and opportunities for guided visits, suitable for use on site and for distribution to other historical sites, guest houses, hotels and tourism information centres.
Souvenir guide booklet
5.75 There will also be a souvenir guide booklet for sale. This will have an introduction to the site and a description of the Gatehouse, illustrated by plans and photographs, aimed at general visitors, as well as a section containing materials and activities for children (among the activities children could be invited to look at the materials used in the construction of the Gatehouse). The Souvenir booklet should relate to the present Historical Guide; it should also include the local myths and traditions that surround the Gatehouse.
Audio-visual presentation
5.76 The audio-visual presentation will be prepared for distribution on DVD. It will be both for use on site and available for sale. It will contain three sections: a general introduction to the history of the Abbey and the Gatehouse; a ‘virtual tour’ of the building, showing its general layout and features of interest, which would aim to provide an experience of the building for disabled visitors who cannot reach any of it and for other visitors who cannot reach all of it; and, an account of the conservation programme to be prepared by the Polesworth Archaeological Society and other local young people.
Teachers’ pack
5.77 School visits will be resourced by copies of the souvenir guide booklet and AV presentation and a dedicated teachers’ pack covering the Gatehouse which will supplement that already produced for ‘Monks and Nuns at Polesworth’.
Community Participation
5.78 It is hoped that local people will participate in the activities of the Nunnery Gateway Trust. The articles of association of the Trust have been written to allow individuals, local organisations and young people all to become members of the Trust.
Volunteer programme
5.79 It is envisaged that tours of the Gatehouse will be guided by members of the Abbey’s existing Volunteer Project. Set up in 2005 this already provides people to open the site each day, provide tours for groups and deliver the Monks and Nuns small group activities (and various other things as well!). The existing volunteers are enthusiastic about the proposed conservation of the Gatehouse and keen to show people around the building.
5.80 The Gatehouse scheme will increase the range of activities that the Volunteer Project can offer, attract new volunteers and provide local people with the opportunity to reminisce about the Gatehouse and present the local traditions which adhere to it to a wider audience.
5.81 As part of the scheme a training programme for the volunteer guides will be established both to provide them with information about the Abbey and Gatehouse and guidance in the best ways of explaining these things to visitors.
56 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 5. Overview of main management and conservation issues
Documentation of the conservation work by local young people
5.82 The newly formed Polesworth Archeological Society will be encouraged to participate in the conservation of the Gatehouse building by documenting its progress using photography and video techniques, under professional guidance. This will result in the creation of an audio-visual record to form part of the interpretation of the site. The archaeological recording programme will need to be carried out by suitably experienced professionals, within the constraints of the construction programme and health and safety considerations, but it is hoped that ths documentation project will provide an opportunity for local young people and others to access and enjoy the work of conservation of an iconic historic building while acquiring skills in photography and video production.
Future maintenance programme
5.83 Once the building has been conserved it will be important that an ongoing programme of timely maintenance be instituted to ensure that the structure does not deteriorate again. This would be based on an annual condition survey of the building by the Church architect who would identify any repairs necessary in the short and medium term so that appropriate resources can be allocated to meet them.
5.84 The maintenance work and any future development to the building proposed will continue to be informed by historical, archaeological and ecological research.
57 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 6. Statement of conservation principles
6. Statement of conservation principles
6.1 The conservation of the Abbey Gatehouse and its surroundings are affected by a number of pieces of legislation, central and local government policy statements, and guidelines produced by bodies such as English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The implications of the following have been considered in relation to the development of proposals for the site.
Legislation
6.2 As a Scheduled Ancient Monument the Gatehouse is protected by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, and any works or operations that affect its fabric (including ground disturbance) require the consent of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport acting on the advice of English Heritage. As Listed Buildings within the Polesworth Conservation Area the Gatehouse and its immediate setting are also protected by the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 and all developments affecting them require the consent of the appropriate Planning Authority.
6.3 Ecological matters are covered by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (amended 1989) and the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 under which it is, for example, illegal to disturb nesting birds, the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 which imposes a duty on public authorities to have regard to the conservation of biodiversity, and the Conservation (Natural Habitats etc.) Regulations 1994 which impose a duty to consider the Habitats Directive in relation to work that may affect European Protected Species.
National and local government policies
6.4 The general policy framework for the conservation of historic buildings, archaeological sites and the natural environment is set out in national and local government documents. Central government policy is contained in Planning Policy Statement 9 (PPS9) for Nature Conservation (ODPM 2005), Planning Policy Guidance Note 15 (PPG15) for Historic Buildings (DoE 1994) and Planning Policy Guidance Note 16 (PPG16) for Archaeology (DoE 1990).
6.5 These identify each of these elements as material considerations in the planning process worthy of protection. PPG16 states that preservation in situ of archaeological remains is always the preferable option. It requires developers to carry out archaeological evaluations to inform planning decisions, and, where archaeologically destructive developments are permitted, to carry out excavation and recording of the sites in advance. PPG15 sets out the statutory role played by the planning system in the protection of the historic environment and contains guidance on Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings and control procedures. PPS9 sets out the Government’s objectives for nature conservation, and the legal framework for safeguarding our natural heritage. It advises on the treatment of nature conservation issues in development plans
Regional Policies
6.6 Regional planning guidance for the West Midlands (ODPM 2004) contains general policies to conserve and enhance the environment (Policy QE1), to protect and enhance the historic environment (Policy QE5) and protect, manage and enhance the region’s biodiversity and nature conservation resources (Policy QE6).
58 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 6. Statement of conservation principles
North Warwickshire Local Plan
6.7 The North Warwickshire Adopted Local Plan 2006 (NWBC 2006) contains development policies designed to protect or enhance biodiversity, natural habitats, the historic environment, and existing landscape and townscape character (Core Policy 3). It also has specific policies which are relevant to the Gatehouse and its surroundings.
6.8 Policy ENV3 relates to nature conservation and aims to protect and enhance a site’s nature conservation interest and to increase the amount and quantity of habitats. It also protects rare, endangered, or other species of conservation importance, allowing the use of measures to reduce disturbance to a minimum and provide alternative habitats to sustain or enhance populations
6.9 Policy ENV5 relates to the protection and enhancement of public open spaces which includes to open area of Hall Court to the west of the Driveway. Policy COM2 is related aiming to protect land and buildings used as community facilities in market towns, including Polesworth.
6.10 Policy ENV12 aims to promote good urban design, ensuring that developments are well related to each other and harmonise with their settings to achieve a visually attractive environment.
6.11 Policy ENV 15 is for heritage conservation including the protection and enhancement of Conservation Areas. It aims to prevent developments, including demolition that would have a harmful effect on the character, appearance or setting of a Conservation Area and to ensure that new buildings and alterations and extensions harmonise with the character of the Conservation Area, by retaining and restoring traditional features, including boundary walls, paved surfaces and street furniture. It also encourages the removal of eyesores and the implementation of measures to enhance the street scene and public realm.
6.12 Policy ENV16 is for the protection, preservation and enhancement of Listed Buildings and sites of archaeological importance, including Scheduled Ancient Monuments. It also aims to ensure proper management and interpretation of historical and archaeological sites. Development affecting sites of known or potential archaeological importance and their settings will not be permitted unless it can be shown that any remains will be preserved and protected. There will be a presumption in favour of physical in-situ preservation of remains of national importance whether Scheduled or not, but in the case of remains of regional or local importance where preservation of remains is not merited, developers will be expected to make provision for a programme of archaeological works.
National and Local Biodiversity Action Plans and guidance
6.13 National Biodiversity Action Plans prepared by the UK Biodiversity Group highlight species and habitats which are threatened at national level, and outline how they can be protected and enhanced. Local Biodiversity Action Plans perform a similar function at a local level. Biodiversity Action Plans are a material consideration under PPS 9. Relevant action plans include: Species Action Plans: Bats (UKBAP, LBAP), Song Thrush (LBAP) and Habitat Action Plans: Gardens (UKBAP, LBAP) and Built Environment (UKBAP, LBAP)
6.14 Guidance for the protection and enhancement of the natural environment is published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA 2002). The aim is to engage society as a whole in understanding and safeguarding the needs of biodiversity, and provide a framework of principles and guidance. For
59 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 6. Statement of conservation principles urban areas it sets out a series of actions to make biodiversity a fundamental consideration in the development of policy on sustainable communities, urban green space and the built environment.
6.15 The basic elements of the Strategy are summarised as: the provision of better information about biodiversity; the development of objectives and indicators; achieving partnership and involvement across the statutory, voluntary, private, academic and business sectors; and the utilisation of the best and most appropriate skills and expertise (DEFRA 2002, 8).
National historic environment conservation and management guidance
6.16 English Heritage publish a number of documents outlining good practice in conservation of the historic environment, particularly Conservation principles, policies and guidance (English Heritage 2007) and Informed Conservation (English Heritage 2001).
6.17 Conservation Principles, Policies and Guidance (English Heritage 2007) aims to provide a framework for sustainable management of the historic environment for future generations, based on the concept of significance as the sum of the heritage values attaching to a particular site. Conservation is defined as managing change in ways that will sustain this significance. It is emphasised that everyone may contribute to sustaining the historic environment, and acknowledged that the cultural and natural heritage values of places should be considered in parallel.
6.18 Informed Conservation (English Heritage 2001) takes the view that successful management of the historic environment requires appropriate preliminary research, analysis, survey and investigation in order to understand the significance of a building and its landscape, and thus inform decisions about repair, alteration, use and management. The underlying principle is described by the acronym CoBRA (Conservation-Based Research and Analysis). The term was originally coined in relation to buildings, but the approach is also applicable to other fields of conservation (and indeed, to the natural environment).
6.19 The results of such research are commonly presented in a Conservation Statement or, in more detail, a Conservation Plan, such as the present document. The Conservation Planning approach is also endorsed by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF 1998, 2004, 2005).
60 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 7. Assessment of current proposals
7. Assessment of impact of current proposals
7.1 The various surveys and discussions have produced two sets of conservation proposals which will impact on the fabric of the Gatehouse and its surroundings. Firstly there are proposals for structural repairs to the masonry and timberwork of the building and its conversion into two holiday flats with two rooms for public display, as shown on Michael Potter Architect drawings MPA 247/14E, 15F, 18A, 19, 20, 21, 22A, 23A (See Appendix C). Secondly there are the proposals for landscape improvements to the Gatehouse forecourt, rear garden and the driveway, as shown on Askew Nelson Drawing AN/004/01B (see Appendix D).
7.2 These proposals have been designed to have as little impact as possible on known and potential archaeological remains but some impact is inevitable. They will therefore need to be accompanied by a programme of archaeological mitigation in the form of excavation, observation of building work and landscaping, and recording of remains revealed, followed by analysis of the results and the preparation of a report and archive. There will also need to be ecological surveys, notably a bat survey of the building in advance of any work taking place.
7.3 Elements of the proposals will require Scheduled Monument Consent, planning permission and Listed Building consent. The proposals have been discussed with Ian George of English Heritage, Richard Preston of North Warwickshire Borough Council and Anna Stocks, WCC Planning Archaeologist. Ian George has said that the flat conversion was an imaginative response to the problems of the building and that generally these proposals would gain SMC, subject to conditions requiring agreement on detailed matters such as the extent of masonry replacement to be carried out, the retreading of the gatehouse stair in timber, approval of replacement stone, mortar mixes etc, and the implementation of the proposed archaeological mitigation. He is prepared to commend them to the HLF as a representative of their archaeological advisor. Anna Stocks and Richard Preston are also happy with the proposals on this basis.
Structural repairs
7.4 Detailed drawings of stone and timber replacement have not yet been produced, but it will be in accordance with the recommendations of the various surveys (Potter 2005, Ridout 2007, Hancock Wheeldon and Ascough 2007) and the discussion above (5.11-5.17 above). Replacement of stonework will be kept to a minimum, and its extent will be agreed with English Heritage on site, but the poor condition of much of the existing masonry means that it is likely to be extensive. Stonework that needs taking down will be numbered so that it can be rebuilt exactly as before. Old (c.1923) tile repairs on the rear wall will be kept where sound, replaced in stone where decayed. The stripping out of the building and the structural repairs will be archaeologically monitored so that any buried architectural features can be recorded (see 5.18 above).
Gatehouse
7.5 The proposals will leave the external faces of the Gatehouse unchanged, except to the rear (south) where the flat roofs of the 1972 dormers will be replaced with more appropriate pitched roofs and the western dormer will be narrowed.
Porter’s Lodge
7.6 The Porter’s Lodge will be prepared for display as in its medieval state. The debris over the existing earth floor will be archaeologically excavated down to as close to its original medieval level as possible to restore the original room height. The surviving surface will then be protected with geotextile and a suitable
61 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 7. Assessment of current proposals reconstructed floor laid over it. Other additional fittings necessary to create a medieval appearance, such as timber shutters on the windows, a timber cupboard door, keyboard, etc, will be superficial and removable, and will not affect the surviving fabric. All fixings will be into masonry joints rather than stonework.
Stair
7.7 The south-eastern stair will form the main entrance to the Gatehouse flat, as well as to the mezzanine History Room. The uneven brick and stone treads on the stair will be overlaid by new oak timber treads.
Mezzanine room
7.8 Some of the timbers supporting the floor of the mezzanine room require replacement, but any removed will be carefully examined for evidence of previous use. The fittings proposed to enable the display of the room as the Porter’s sleeping quarters – timber shutters, box truckle bed, bench seating, cupboard - will again be superficial and will not affect the existing fabric.
First floor flat in former hall and chamber
7.9 The first floor of the Gatehouse will become the living, dining, kitchen and study area of a two bed flat which will also extend into the first floor of the east end of the Western range and a sleeping gallery above. The existing 1973 partitions in the first floor of the Gatehouse will be removed opening up the whole roof space to expose its timberwork. The existing 1923 wainscoting and bench will be retained. The original medieval stone fireplace, will be opened up, removing the part-blocking inserted in 1923. Some new oak studs will be inserted into the truss at the west end of the former hall, to indicate the location of the original partition and the doorway at its south end. The aisle framing along the north side of the stair will be left open, but a glazed firescreen will replace the existing partition to its south.
7.10 In the former western chamber the 1973 step well by the north-west, 14th- century doorway will be filled, and the doorway will be blocked and converted into a cupboard. The glazed fire screen will extend across the south side of the western chamber to a new doorway giving access down into the first floor of the western range. This new doorway will cut through at the point where the 14th-century wall narrows and is abutted by the 18th-century remodelling of the rear of the building. The structural sequence here is not completely clear and care will need to be taken to record any early structural evidence revealed and to avoid the removal of significant detail.
Western range
7.11 The proposals will retain the existing appearance of the north front of the western range, but four new windows will be inserted into the west wall through the mid 19th-century internal brick faced with hung tiles in 1968. The hung tiles will be replaced with a more appropriate skin of stone. On the southern front the existing planked doors in the mid 19th-century double doorway to the east will be replaced by glazed panel doors. The blocked, small original (c.1582) window in the east wall of the south wing will be reopened. Two roof lights will be inserted in the eastern bays. The most significant alteration will, however, be the insertion of a three-light, mullioned window in the ground floor of the south wall of the south wing, to match that on the first floor. This is the location of the pointed-arched, possibly medieval doorway shown by Stringer, which disappeared when the gable was refaced in the early/mid 19th century. Close attention will be paid as the window is created to record any surviving evidence of this doorway.
62 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 7. Assessment of current proposals
Ground floor - main range
7.12 The western range will incorporate a two/three bedroom, 4/5 bed flat. Although the glazed double doors to the south will provide wheelchair access, its main entrance will be the late 19th-century doorway to the north-east. The existing late 19th-century stair, remodelled in 1968, will be removed and the doorway will now open into a new small lobby/disabled buggy room, from which a door will open westwards into the flat. The removal of the stair and the insertion of a new insulated floor involving excavation to c.400mm below the threshold may expose evidence of the former turret built on the north-west corner of the gatehouse which may indicate whether it was a stair or garderobe. The stair removal will also expose the inside of the two blocked probably 18th-century doorways in the east wall.
7.13 The new door into the flat will open into a lobby from which a new stair to the first floor will rise along the north wall and to the south a glazed door will open onto two steps down to a living/dining area occupying most of the ground floor although there will be a WC and a store containing the heating boiler to the east.
7.14 The creation of this space will involve the removal of a number of mainly mid 19th-century features, including the stub of the partition wall across the west end and the blocking of the original doorway into the south wing. A new window will be cut through the west wall (mid 19th-century refaced in 1968) and the existing mid 19th-century chimney supports will be cut back to accommodate a new stove. The main impact however will be caused by the need to excavate the floor to a depth of c.500mm below the threshold of the south doorway to accommodate a new floor with underfloor heating to full building regulation standards. It will also be necessary to excavate a deeper foundation trench for the load-bearing side wall for the new stair up the north wall which would support the (late 19th-century) floor beam that would need to be shortened here. These proposals would involve the removal of the existing mid 19th-century brick stable floor and drain (and the later forge base) and earlier layers below. Is is possible that remains of earlier floor layers or remains of an earlier, medieval building might be revealed. The existing brick floor would be recorded and the layers below would be archaeologically excavated down.
7.15 Although this proposal represents quite significant ground disturbance, in the end it is felt that it is better to relay the floor to the full standard. The underfloor heating would obviate the need for unsightly radiators and pipework in this area. A suggestion to relay a token area of the brick floor in an unobtrusive part of the building was not felt to be appropriate.
Ground floor - south wing
7.16 Proposals to create a new three-light window in the south wall of the south wing, in the location of the possible medieval doorway and to reopen the blocked original doorway into the main range have already been mentioned. The reopening of the doorway will need to be carried out with care to avoid damage to its original form.
7.17 There is also a need for a new drain to be excavated through the south side of the wing (up to 500mm wide x 750mm deep). This may also reveal evidence of early floor layers or possible of the medieval doorway and will need to be carried out archaeologically.
First floor
7.18 The first floor will be divided between the two flats. To the east a new floor will be laid over the former stairwell at the level of the late 19th-century floor over the
63 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 7. Assessment of current proposals whole of the range, and a second higher floor will be inserted in the eastern bay, which will contain a bathroom and storage for the eastern (Gatehouse) flat and a stair up to a sleeping gallery in the roof space. The existing ?late 19th-century ceiling will be removed and replaced by a new floor. A timber party wall will be placed against the truss on the west side.
7.19 In the two western bays a bedroom and two bathrooms and a stair to a new second floor will be created. A new window will be made in the west wall (mid 19th-century refaced in 1968) to light the southern bathrooms. The existing ?late 19th-century ceiling will be removed here also and replaced by a new floor.
First floor – south wing
7.20 In the south wing the existing bathroom will be converted to a single bedroom/study, reached by the existing 1968 steps up to the existing original doorway. The blocked, late 16th-century window in the east wall will be carefully reopened.
Roof space/proposed second floor accommodation
7.21 The creation in the existing roof space of the sleeping gallery in the eastern flat and the landing and second bedroom in the western will expose to view the late 16th-century roof structure which is the most significant feature in this part of the building. In the sleeping gallery the plinth of the west end of the 14th-century gatehouse and the scar of the turret and the blocked purlin sockets of the pre-1583 building will also become visible. The sleeping gallery and the landing will be lit by new roof lights, while the second bedroom will be lit by two new windows in the west wall.
Landscaping of Gatehouse forecourt, garden and driveway
Forecourt
7.22 Under the landscaping plans the low stone wall around the Gatehouse forecourt will be repaired and a new stone coping added, and the current rough lawn in the space enclosed will be replaced by a bed planted with mixed shrubs and herbaceous/perennial plants. The landscaping will involve minimal ground disturbance, but the surface water drain running north-eastwards across the forecourt which is currently blocked or incomplete will need to be renewed or extended, involving a trench 500mm wide x up to 750mm deep, albeit into already disturbed ground. This trenching may reveal early forecourt or street surfaces and will be archaeologically observed so that any such can be recorded.
7.23 As discussed with the Highways Authority in February 2008 the driveway surface north of the gatehouse will be slightly raised and resurfaced with tarmac with a gravel surface dressing.
Gatehouse archways
7.24 Both the main and pedestrian archways through the Gatehouse, within the Scheduled area, will be repaved with york stone. The surface level will be slightly raised to minimise the ground disturbance. This will also be archaeologically observed so that significant features revealed within the building footprint can be recorded; some archaeological excavation may be necessary here.
7.25 A remote controlled rising bollard firmly set in concrete will be placed in the centre of the main arch just south of the gatehouse to control access to the driveway.
64 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 7. Assessment of current proposals
This will require a setting 600mm square x 1170mm deep and a trench (up to 5m long, 400mm wide x 450m deep) will also need to be dug for control wiring. The setting and trench will be archaeologically excavated.
Gatehouse garden
7.26 In the gatehouse garden the main ground disturbance proposed will be the foul water drain (up to 500mm wide x 750mm deep) starting to the west of the south wing, which runs through the wing and then out into the existing drain 2m to the east of the building. This will be observed and recorded. Other ground disturbance here will be minimal. The northern part of the Gatehouse garden will be paved with york stone, the southern part will be partly grassed, partly planted. The garden will be surrounded by metal railings and a mixed native hedge. To the south of the path there will be a gated car park area for three cars to serve the Gatehouse, of bonded gravel enclosed by a mixed native hedge accessed from the driveway.
Driveway
7.27 South of the Gatehouse the driveway will be reduced to a width of 4m; the existing surface will be skimmed and levelled and a new surface of bonded gravel with a timber edging will be laid. This will be slightly cambered to allow drainage to the sides. Where the public footpath AE19 crosses the driveway adjacent to the entrance to the graveyard there will be a passing/turning area on the eastern side of the driveway. To the south of the War Memorial there will be three parallel disabled car parking spaces on the east side of the driveway. The resurfacing will not involve ground disturbance below c.300mm.
7.28 On the west side of the driveway there will be a mixed native hedge and a narrow grassed verge To the east there will be a pedestrian path 1.5m wide, of separated from the driveway by a grassed verge. The existing avenue of lime trees will be retained and will be interspersed to the east of the pedestrian path by blocks of hazel. The stone wall along the eastern boundary will be repaired and gaps in its purple ceramic brick coping will be filled in.
7.29 An interpretative panel will be set behind the gatehouse on a low sloping stone plinth. Lighting will be provided on bollards at 10m intervals along the west side of the pedestrian path. This will involve the excavation of a trench up to 600mm deep. To the south of the Gatehouse parking access, a row of five security bollards will be placed across the driveway, the three across the roadway will be manual folding or retractable.
7.30 To the south an area around the War Memorial will be paved with york stone, involving ground disturbance of up to c.300mm. Two bollards containing electrical supply sockets will be placed north and south of the War Memorial on the line of the lighting cable trench. These will provide power for the Remembrance Day parade and other community events held on the driveway.
7.31 Adjacent to the west end of the church there will be an area of york stone paving. This will involve disturbance to a depth of c.300mm, which will be observed. According to the VCH (1947, 194) the nave and north aisle of the church were shortened in the 14th century and may have originally extended further west. Traces of any westward extension might be revealed by the paving work. However it may be that the west wall was just rebuilt in the 14th century. Recording of a drain across the southern half of this area in 2005 revealed only a layer of dark brown sandy loam and rubble beneath hardcore and gravel (Palmer 2006, fig 10, para 4.19).
65 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 7. Assessment of current proposals
Archaeological mitigation programme
7.32 The conservation work will therefore be accompanied by an archaeological recording programme carried out to the satisfaction of English Heritage and the Planning Authority. It is intended that the building recording element will again be carried out by Bob Meeson, historic building consultant and the below ground archaeology by the Warwickshire Museum Field Archaeology Projects Group. The programme will involve the following:
Within and adjacent to Gatehouse
• Observation and recording of opening up of building R Meeson, historic building consultant (estimated 11 days fieldwork) • Excavation of floor of Porter’s Lodge (Team of 2 field technicians, 4 days) • Excavation below floor of Western range - record existing brick floor and excavate down to required construction depth - and new drain in south wing (Team of project officer and 2 field technicians, 7 days) • Excavation of setting for rising bollard and cable trench (Field technician 2-4 days) • Observe and record repaving of surfaces through gateways (Field technician 2-4 days - some excavation possibly necessary)
External ground disturbance
• Observe replacement drain and landscaping of forecourt (and record as necessary) - (Field technician 1-2 days) • Observe drain, landscaping and car park construction in Gatehouse garden (and record as necessary) - (Field technician 2-3 days) • Observe resurfacing of driveway, lighting trench and bollards and paving to west of church and around war memorial (and record as necessary) - (Field technician 5-8 days
Preparation of reports and archive
• Preparation of appropriate reports on archaeological programme and an archaeological archive for deposition in the Warwickshire Museum.
66 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 8. Conclusions and proposals
8. Conclusions and proposals
8.1 To secure a sustainable future for this historically significant and iconic building, following discussions with relevant stakeholders, and taking account of the historic, archaeological and ecological significance of the building and its surroundings as revealed by recent research (Alcock, Meeson and Meeson 2006; Arnold and Howard 2007), the following measures are proposed. They divide into proposals for the conservation of the building and its surroundings, proposals for its future management and maintenance, and proposals to promote access to, learning about and enjoyment of the building, and provide interpretation and outreach activities.
8.2 Proposals I - VII for the conservation of the Gatehopuse and its surroundings
I. A conservation programme will be carried out which will involve repairs to the masonry structure, roofs and timberwork of the Gatehouse buildings on the lines recommended by the 2005 Outline Condition Assessment (Potter 2005), the 2007 Structural Inspection (Hancock, Wheeldon and Ascough 2007), and the 2007 Timber Condition Survey (Ridout Associates 2007), as agreed with English Heritage, the North Warwickshire Borough Conservation Officer and the Planning Archaeologist, subject to agreement on the fine detail of the programme.
II. To provide a sustainable and appropriate use for the building which will generate income for future maintenance, the building will be converted into two high quality flats to be let as short-term holiday and business accommodation, on the lines of Michael Potter Architect’s proposals (MPA Plans 247/14E, 15F, 16, 17, 18A, 19, 20, 21, 22A, 23A; see Appendix C), again as agreed with English Heritage, the North Warwickshire Borough Conservation Officer and the Planning Archaeologist, but subject to agreement on the fine detail. Also under these proposals the Porter’s Lodge and the mezzanine History Room will be fitted out and displayed as reconstructed medieval rooms as part of an interpretation and outreach programme.
III. The surroundings of the Gatehouse, including the forecourt, garden and driveway will be landscaped as proposed in Askew Nelson’s Plan AN/004/01B (Appendix D). Apart from trenches for lighting and security bollards the landscaping will involve minimal ground disturbance. North of the Gateway the kerb and road level will be raised as agreed with the Highway Authority and the forecourt will be replanted. The Gateway arches will be stone paved. The Gatehouse garden will be partly paved and partly grassed and a private car park with three spaces will be created behind. The driveway will be narrowed and resurfaced with bonded gravel, and a wide, wheelchair-friendly, pedestrian path will be laid out to the east separated by a grass verge. Bollard lighting will be provided along the driveway, and security bollards will be placed just south of the gateway and to the south of the gatehouse garden. Three disabled parking spaces will be provided south of the War Memorial and further areas of stone paving will be laid around the Memorial and to the west of the Church.
IV. Funding will be sought from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other appropriate grant-giving bodies, and Scheduled Monument Consent, Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent will be obtained for the conservation of the Gatehouse buildings and their surroundings.
V. All the proposed conservation and landscaping work will be accompanied by a programme of archaeological excavation and recording to the satisfaction of English Heritage and the Planning Archaeologist.
VI. The conservation works will be preceded by surveys for bats and nesting birds, and, if necessary, appropriate mitigation action will be taken.
67 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 8. Conclusions and proposals
VII. The conservation of the buildings and their surroundings will be carried out by contractors with experience of work on historic buildings and archaeologically sensitive sites.
8.3 Proposals VIII – XIV for future management, maintenance and sustainability
VIII. Ownership of the Gatehouse, forecourt and garden will be transferred to the Nunnery Gateway Trust Ltd, a company with charitable status, whose purpose will be to preserve the historic buildings of Polesworth Abbey and support the work of the Church in Polesworth. The Driveway will be confirmed as an integral part of the Churchyard to St Edith’s Church.
IX. The Gatehouse flats will be managed and marketed by the Vivat Trust under a management agreement, under which the Nunnery Gateway Trust will be responsible for the maintenance of the structure, services and external decoration and the Vivat Trust will be responsible for the maintenance of the interior and garden, marketing, bookings and rent collection. Following the deduction of allowable expenditure the rents will be divided equally between the Nunnery Gateway Trust and the Vivat Trust.
X. A long term maintenance programme will be put in place for the buildings based on annual inspections by the church architect to identify current and future maintenance needs and to allow the allocation of appropriate budgets. Future maintenance and development proposals will continue to be informed by appropriate archaeological, historical and ecological research.
XI. Vehicular traffic through the Gateway will be restricted as far as possible, although the entrance will continue to provide access to the church and vicarage for delivery and emergency vehicles, wedding and funeral cars, the disabled and visitors to the vicarage. The driveway will also be promoted as a venue for community events such as the annual Dickensian Evening or street markets.
XII. Parking on the Driveway will be restricted to the three disabled parking spaces south of the War Memorial. Alternative parking (19 spaces) for visitors will be made available on the College site north of the churchyard. A separate scheme to extend the College Car Park to create 22 new parking spaces will be pursued – this can be done so as to involve minimal disturbance to potentially sensitive archaeological remains.
XIII. Security for the Abbey site will be improved by the introduction of the powered rising bollard just to the south of the Gateway arch and a line of manual collapsible bollards across the Driveway south of the Gatehouse garden to prevent unauthorised after hours vehicular access.
XIV. Consideration will be given to ecological enhancements to the site such as additional bird nesting and bat boxes, or fauna friendly planting schemes.
8.4 Proposals XV-XX for access, interpretation, outreach, learning and enjoyment
XV. General public access to the Gatehouse will be provided in the form of guided tours led by volunteers from the Abbey community. The Porter’s Lodge (Dungeon) and the mezzanine History Room will be available for visiting at all times by appointment. The upper floors of the Gatehouse and the Western Range will be visitable on a number of fixed days per year including Heritage Open Days, and, by agreement with the Vivat Trust, as the letting programme allows. An audio-visual ‘virtual tour’ covering inaccessible parts of the building will be available for viewing at the Abbey Refectory or in the History Room. The same ‘virtual tour’ will allow
68 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan 8. Conclusions and proposals visitors who cannot negotiate the stairs to have some experience of the interior of the building.
XVI. An exterior viewing area for local people and passing visitors, with unobtrusive, tactile, interpretative signage will be provided to the rear of the building.
XVII. School visits to the building will be encouraged, either as a dedicated tour, or as part of the existing ‘Monks and Nuns at Polesworth’ educational programme. Visits will involve small groups led by volunteer guides. The Porter’s Lodge and mezzanine History Room will be displayed as occupied by the medieval Abbey Porter and used to deliver small group ‘how they lived-type’ activities of the ‘Monks and Nuns’ programme.
XVIII. Interpretative material about the Gatehouse as part of the historic Abbey site and the conservation of the building will be produced in the form of publicity leaflets and information/guide sheets. The conservation programme will be documented by local young people using photography and video. The audio-visual presentation will include accounts of the conservation programme, and of the history of the Abbey and Gatehouse, as well as the ‘virtual tour’ of the Gatehouse. This will be available for viewing on site and as a DVD to take away. The school visits will also be resourced by a teacher’s pack about the Gatehouse to supplement the material provided by the ‘monks and nuns’ project.
XIX. A training programme for volunteer guides will be devised and implemented.
XX. Participation in the work of the Nunnery Gateway Trust will be encouraged and it will be possible for individuals, local organisations and young people to be become members of the Trust.
69 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Bibliography and sources
Bibliography and sources
(Abbreviations: BCA Birmingham City Archives, WRO Warwickshire County Record Office)
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Gray, A, 1926 A chapter in the early life of Shakespeare
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Polesworth Society 2004 Polesworth Village Design Statement, The Polesworth Society
Potter, M, 2005 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse Feasibility Study, Outline Condition Assessment and Proposals
Ridout Associates 2007 An independent timber condition survey of Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse, High Street, Polesworth, Staffordshire, Stourbridge
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71 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Bibliography and sources
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Prints and Views
WRO DR(B)44 Box 3 Rear of Gatehouse, Drawing by E Stringer, c.1785 BCA Aylesford Collection f 572 Front of Gatehouse, c.1800 WRO PV Pol Abb 3 Front of Gatehouse, Drawing by Penelope Gresley, Aug 8th 1855 WRO PV Pol Abb 1 Rear of Gatehouse, Drawing, late 19th century (crudely drawn)
Photographs
RCHM BB67/2012, 2018, 2023, 2134 Photographs taken before demolition of property west of Gatehouse, March 1967, Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (Copies in Warwickshire Museum Photo collection B642-646, now WRO PH 1035)
WRO DR(B)44/100 Photographs and postcards folder, Polesworth Parish Records WRO PH 108/9, 11 Abbey Gateway, Bloe 1940 [Front, sandbagged] WRO PH 210/143 Timber framed houses, 1953 (x 2) WRO PH 220/148 High Street, c.1920 WRO PH 269/3 Dungeon entrance [rear], 1950s WRO PH 352/144/2 High Street, 1900s WRO PH 352/144/27 Abbey Gateway, 1950s WRO PH 352/144/30 Timber framed houses, 1900s WRO PH 352/144/48 Dungeon entrance, c.1960 WRO PH 352/144/53 Dungeon entrance [front], 1910s WRO PH 380/7 Abbey Gateway [rear – from Wood 1983 =WRO PH 269/3] WRO PH 380/8 Abbey Gateway [front, from Wood 1983] WRO PH 380/12 High Street, 1900s [from Wood 1983] WRO PH 382/7 Morris dancers in Abbey Gateway, 1910 [from Wood 1984, 5] WRO PH 423/68, 69 High Street, 1900s
72 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Bibliography and sources
WRO PH 449/361 Guest House, High Street, 1966 [rear of Gatehouse] WRO PH 584/p1 Abbey Gateway, 1900s [from Wood 1987] WRO PH 599/566, 567 Abbey Gateway, Frith photos, 1950s WRO PH(N) 600/699/1, 2 Timber framed building, 1959 WRO PH 767/35 Nunnery Gateway, 1920s [Rear, recently repointed] WRO PH 767/36 High Street, 1920s
73 Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Appendix A: Listed Building citations
Appendix A: Listed Building citations
(Buildings within former Abbey precinct and 28/34 High Street)
LBS 435566 Church of St Editha LBS 435567 Wall east of south east corner of Church of St Editha LBS 435568 Former sundial approximately 40m east of Vicarage LBS 435598 The Vicarage LBS 435599 Abbey Gate House and other remains (28/34 High Street) LBS 435600 Abbey Gatehouse LBS 435601 22 High Street [Gatehouse Western range] LBS 435602 Tame Barn 50m south of high Street [Tithe Barn] LBS 435603 Dovecote approximately 85m south of High Street
Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Appendix A: Listed Building citations
Building Name: CHURCH OF ST EDITHA LBS number: 435566 Address: HIGH STREET Grade: II* Parish: POLESWORTH Date listed: 25-MAR-1968 Date of last amendment : 25-MAR- District: NORTH WARWICKSHIRE 1968 County: WARWICKSHIRE NGR: SK 263 024 Postcode: B78 1DU
POLESWORTH HIGH STREET SK2OSE (South side) 5/85 Church of St Editha 25/03/68 GV ll*
Church, originally part of a Benedictine nunnery church, C11 origins. Early Cl2 nave and north aisle, C14 tower has C17/C18 top. Aisle probably widened C14. chancel and north parch added and drastic restoration 1869 by G.E. Street. Sandstone ashlar. Old plain-tile roofs have coped gable parapets. Navel chancel, north aisle and porch, north east tower. 4-bay chancel, 8-bay nave, Chancel ha east window of 5 stepped lancets in a blank arch. South side has a blocked C12 Romanesque doorway of 2 orders with hood mould, originally to the cloister, set against the western end. 2 pairs of lancets. Nave has Cl9 windows. South side has 3 triplets of lancets set in-blank arches. Set high up are 2 straight-headed restored C14 windows of cusped ogee lights with pierced spandrels. Between them, and set lower, is a C19 lancet. West front composed of nave and very slightly projecting aisle. Nave has renewed 4-light Perpendicular window. Aisle has northern and massive southern buttresses, both of 2 offsets. Early C13 doorway, set off-centre, of 2 chamfered orders with old double-leaf doors and ironwork. Window has cusped Y-tracery and small buttress below. Gable has trefoil opening and CIA cross finial. North side has splay plinth and shallow buttresses. Wide, low porch with moulded doorway and double-leaf doors, C12 doorway inside of 2 moulded orders. Trefoiled faucet to west. To east of porch are 3 triplets of lancets, similar to nave windeows. Massive tower of 2 stages has diagonal buttresses; each with gablet and 2 offsets, to all except the south-east corner. Very large restored 3-light Decorated north window rises into the second stage, and has reticulated tracery, a transom and a hood mould with head stops. Bell chamber has 2-light openings with reticulated tracery and wooden louvres. East side is blank apart from 2 large slit openings to the bell chamber. Embattled parapet has slits below. Clock face to west. Interior: chancel has east window with nook shafts. North tower arch of 3 segmental painted chamfered orders and fieep splayed jambs. Cusped arched brace roof. C19 chancel arch of one chamfered order without responds or imposts. Nave has 8-bay early C11 Romanesque arcade of low narrow arches with shallow scalloped capitals and string course above, Former clerestory of small windows with splayed jambs. Medieval head corbel sat high up. Cl9 seven-bay crown post roof. Aisle has similar roof. Tower arch has outer chamfer, and 3 inner chamfered orders with deep splay jambs, Fittings: C14 octagonal font has trefoiled blind arches and simple shafts. Iron-bound dug-out chest. C14 sculpture panel set on a head corbel in the aisle. C19 stalls etc. Monuments: effigy of an Abbess c.1200, in second bay of arcade, is in low relief, and set on a C15 Perpendicular tomb chest with shields in quatrefoils. Early C15 effigy of a lady, third bay. Similar Perpendicular tomb chest with blind arches to the angles. Francis Nethersole 1652; nave east wall. Panel with moulded architectural surround and lozenge of arms. (Buildings of England: Warwickshire: pp372-373; VCH: Warwickshire: Vol lV, pp194-197). Listing NGR: SK2633102433
Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Appendix A: Listed Building citations
Building Name: WALL EAST OF SOUTH EAST CORNER OF NAVE OF CHURCH OF ST LBS number: 435567 EDITHA Address: HIGH STREET Grade: II Parish: POLESWORTH Date listed: 23-MAY-1988 District: NORTH WARWICKSHIRE Date of last amendment : 23-MAY-1988 County: WARWICKSHIRE NGR: SK 263 024 Postcode: B78 1DU
POLESWORTH HIGH STREET SK2OSE (South side)
5/86 Wall E of SE corner of nave of Church of St. Editha
GV 11
Wall. Probably Cll and medieval with later alterations. Regular coursed sandstone. Lower part is battered, The wail is approximately 2.5 metres high and 10 metres long. A section running south is approximately 4 metres long, and has a C13 chamfered doorway. (Buildings of England: Warwickshire: p373; VCH: Warwickshire: Vol lV, p196)
Listing NGR: SK2635502425
Building Name: FORMER SUNDIAL APPROXIMATELY 40 METRES EAST OF THE LBS number: 435568 VICARAGE Address: HIGH STREET Grade: II Parish: POLESWORTH Date listed: 25-MAR-1968 District: NORTH WARWICKSHIRE Date of last amendment : 23-MAY-1988 County: WARWICKSHIRE NGR: SK 263 023 Postcode: B78 1DU
POLESWORTH HIGH STREET SK20SE (South side) 5/87 Former sundial approx. 40m E 25/03/68 of the Vicarage (Formerly listed as Sundial in Vicarage Garden) GV ll
Former sundial. C17. Sandstone. Pedestal of regular coursed stone is approximately 2 metres high. Upper part is a square section baluster with moulded base and cornice, supporting a large square top with moulded cornice; north side has illegible inscription panel. Ogee cap with bail finial, (Buildings of England: Warwickshire: p373; VCH: Warwickshire: vOL Lv, P186)
Listing NGR: SK2636702387
Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Appendix A: Listed Building citations
Building Name: THE VICARAGE LBS number: 435598 Address: HIGH STREET Grade: II Parish: POLESWORTH Date listed: 25-MAR-1968 District: NORTH WARWICKSHIRE Date of last amendment : 25-MAR-1968 County: WARWICKSHIRE NGR: SK 263 024 Postcode: B78 1DU
POLESWORTH HIGH STREET SK20SE (South side) 5/88 The Vicarage 25/03/68
- II
Vicarage. Rebuilt about 1870 but with some reused elements from a C16 manor house, on the site of the Abbess's lodgings. English bond brick and timber-framing with rendered infill, possibly over brick, with brick plinth. Old plain-tile roofs; stone external stacks with brick shafts and brick ridge stacks. Irregular E-plan. One storey, one storey and attic, and 2 storeys; 5-window range. Wide 2-storey porch range has gable with herringbone framing jettied on brackets. Ribbed Tudor-arched door. 4-light casement above has horizontal glazing bar and coved jetty. Gabled range to left has wood mullioned windows of 4 lights to ground floor and 3 lights above. Right range has 4-light leaded wood nullioned staircase window with 2 transoms. Wings have ground floors of brick, with moulded brick mullioned windows and sill courses. Large one-storey cross-wing to left has separate roof and blue brick diapering. Cross windows in angles. Buttresses to front. Timber-framed gable has 5-light leaded wood mullioned window. Right return side has 4-light window and lateral stack with offsets. Brick shafts throughout have pilasters and cornices of oversailing courses. Right wing has two 3-light windows. Jettied first floor has 5-light wood mullioned window. Left return side has lateral stack. Irregular rear, to garden, is largely of brick. Right range, set far back, has very large 5-light brick mullioned window with 2 transoms. Interior: left wing has a partly C15/C16 three-bay arched -brace roof, a large Elizabethan stone fireplace with Tudor arch and ornamented spandrels, and some C17. panelling. (Buildings of England: Warwickshire: p373; VCH: Warwickshire: Vol IV, p186)
Listing NGR: SK2632202405
Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Appendix A: Listed Building citations
Building Name: ABBEY GATE HOUSE AND LBS number: 435599 OTHER REMAINS, NUMBERS 26, 28 AND 30 Address: 32 AND 34 HIGH STREET Grade: II* Parish: POLESWORTH Date listed: 23-NOV-1951 District: NORTH WARWICKSHIRE Date of last amendment : 23-MAY-1988 County: WARWICKSHIRE NGR: SK 263 025 Postcode: B78 1DU
POLESWORTH HIGH STREET SK20SE (South side)
5/89 Nos. 30 (Gate House), 32 and 34 23/11/51 (Formerly listed as Abbey Gate House and other remains, No. 26 No. 28, No. 30)
GV II*
Includes that part formerly listed as No. 32 and No. 34. Row of 3 houses. Late C15/early C16 with later alterations. Timber-framed: No.34 on left has exposed crucks in end wall. Large framing with whitewashed herringbone brick infill, very largely underbuilt in whitewashed brick. No. 30 has right cross-wing of close studding with braces and rendered infill, partly underbuilt with painted sham framing. Plain-tile roof. Brick left end and ridge stacks, rendered ridge stack, and stone and brick lateral stack. Various plans. 2 storeys; 6-window range. No.34 has C20 door; No. 32 has recessed C20 glazed door. Irregular fenestration of C20 one-, 2- and 3-light casements. Passage between Nos. 30 and 32. Left part of No. 30 has C19 two- and 3-light casements with horizontal glazing bar. C20 four-light casement above. Taller cross-wing has C20 door and side light. Upper floor is jettied, with projecting post on left and bracket on right. Small C20 two-light casement. Gable has large framing with whitewashed brick infill. Right return side has sandstone external stack, enlarged to left and with shaft of whitewashed brick. Old 2-light casement to left has many glazing bars. Two 2-light casements above. To right of stack is a small lean-to range with plank door and overlight, and adjoining 2-light casement. Small window above. Interiors: No.30 has large ingelnook to left with brattishing along top of bressuner, and stone (now painted) fireplace to rear right. Moulded jambs: the arch perhaps opened upwards. Top has moulding and brattishing. Blocked doorway with basket-arched head. On first floor to right a massive cambered tie-beam truss with arched braces, The part of roof visible shows massive purlins, ridge piece and tie beams. No.32 has full cruck blade to rear, that to front either renewed or has been strengthened. No.34 has full cruck truss with collar, winder stair and partly covered open fireplace of which the bressumer is said to remain. (VCH: Warwickshire: Vol IV)
Listing NGR: SK2630902562
Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Appendix A: Listed Building citations
Building Name: ABBEY GATEHOUSE LBS number: 435600 Address: 24 HIGH STREET Grade: II* Parish: POLESWORTH Date listed: 23-NOV-1951 District: NORTH WARWICKSHIRE Date of last amendment : 23-MAY-1988 County: WARWICKSHIRE NGR: SK 262 025 Postcode: B78 1DU
POLESWORTH HIGH STREET SK20SE (South side) 5/90 Abbey Gatehouse and No.24 23/11/51 (Formerly listed as Abbey gatehouse and other remains No.26, No.28, No.30)
GV 11*
Abbey gatehouse, now gatehouse and flat above. Part of a group of attached buildings. Late C14; upper part partly rebuilt C17, Regular coursed sandstone; upper part is timber-framed, of studding with middle rail and brick infill. Plain-tile roof has coped gable parapets with kneelers, and remains of finial to right; C20 brick left end stack, 2 storeys; 3-window range, High ground floor has large wide gateway on right. Pedestrian gateway to left has chamfered jambs and elliptical arch of 2 orders, 2 small round-arched lights of differing sizes above and to left. First floor has partly-leaded 3-light wood muilioned windows. To the rear the gateway has a cambered beam. C14 doorway to right of pedestrian gateway rids chamfered pointed arch and hood mould with return stops; C20 plank door, Two C20 box dormers. Interior has 2-centred arched doorway in mezzanine to left with roll-moulding supporting massive joists. Further 2-centred arched doorway above and late c14 three-bay roof with cambered tie beams, arched braces and king posts with struts to collars and purlin. Renewed rafters. Scheduled as an Ancient Monument. (Buildings of England: Warwickshire: p373; VCH: Warwickshire: Vol IV, p186)
Listing NGR: SK2629102554
Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Appendix A: Listed Building citations
Building Name: LBS number: 435601 Address: 22 HIGH STREET Grade: II Parish: POLESWORTH Date listed: 25-MAR-1968 District: NORTH WARWICKSHIRE Date of last amendment : 23-MAY-1988 County: WARWICKSHIRE NGR: SK 262 025 Postcode: B78 1DU
POLESWORTH HIGH STREET SK20SE (South side) 5/91 No.22 25/03/68 (Formerly listed as No.24)
GV ll
Building of uncertain purpose, now partly a dwelling. Part of a group of attached buildings. Possibly late Cl6, with later alterations, coursed sandstone rubble. Old plain-tile roof. L-plan, with short wing on left to rear. 2 high storeys; 4-window range. Chamfered pointed doorway on left has C19/C20 ribbed door. Plank doorway on right. Boarded-up window has wood lintel. First floor forms a flat, and has restored 2-light chamfered stone mullioned windows; second bay has a C20 two-light cemented mullioned window. To the rear the gabled wing is of ashlar, and has a 3-light window to the first floor. Plank door in altered opening in right return side. Main range has double plank doors. First floor has two 2-light windows. Recessed chamfered mullioned windows throughout. Said to have tie and collar roof trusses with wind braces. (Buildings of England: Warwickshire: p373; VCH: Warwickshire: Vol IV, p187)
Listing NGR: SK2629102554
Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Appendix A: Listed Building citations
Building Name: TAME BARN 50 YARDS LBS number: 435602 SOUTH OF HIGH STREET Address: HIGH STREET Grade: II Parish: POLESWORTH Date listed: 25-MAR-1968 District: NORTH WARWICKSHIRE Date of last amendment : 23-MAY-1988 County: WARWICKSHIRE NGR: SK 262 025 Postcode: B78 1DU
Grade II
POLESWORTH HIGH STREET SK20SE (South side) 5/92 Tame Barn approx. 45m S of High Street and 120m NW of 25/03/68 Church of St Editha
POLESWORTH HIGH STREET SK20SE (South side) 5/92 Tame Barn approx. 45m S of High Street and 120m NW of 25/03/68 Church of St Editha (Formerly listed as Tame Barn 30 yards S of High Street)
GV ll
Barn. C17/early C18, Timber framed, with large framing and brick infill of various dates, Old plain-tile roof. 5 bays, Doorway is bricked up. Right return side has double plank doors. To rear doorway is partly bricked up, with lower segmental-arched double doors inserted, and double doors inserted to right, Queen strut roof. (VCH: Warwickshire: Vol lV, p187)
Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Appendix A: Listed Building citations
Building Name: DOVECOTE APPROXIMATELY 85 METRES SOUTH OF LBS number: 435603 HIGH STREET AND 100 METRES NORTH WEST OF CHURCH OF AT EDITHA Address: HIGH STREET Grade: II Parish: POLESWORTH Date listed: 25-MAR-1968 District: NORTH WARWICKSHIRE Date of last amendment : 23-MAY-1988 County: WARWICKSHIRE NGR: SK 262 024 Postcode: B78 1DU
POLESWORTH HIGH STREET SK2OSE (South side)
5/93 Dovecote approx. 85m S of High 25/03/68 Street and l00m NW of Church of St. Editha (Formerly listed as Dovecote at Hall Court)
GV ll
Dovecote. Late C17/early C18. Flemish bond brick with string course, regular coursed sandstone plinth, and moulded stone cornice. Old plain-tile nipped roof has small square louvred wood lantern. Late C20 plank door with louvres above has brick flat arch with keystone. Interior not inspected. (VCH: Warwickshire p187)
Listing NGR: SK2624202496
Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Appendix B: Scheduled Ancient Monument citation
Appendix B: Scheduled Ancient Monument details
Remains of Polesworth Abbey
(Warwickshire Monument no 119 a-c)
Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Appendix C: Plans for conversion of Gatehouse
Appendix C: Plans for conversion of Gatehouse to flats
Michael Potter Architect Plans MPA 247/14E,15F, 16, 17, 18A, 19, 20, 21, 22A, 23A
Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse – A Conservation Plan Appendix D: Landscaping plan
Appendix D: Plans for landscaping of Gatehouse and Driveway
Askew Nelson Plan AN/004/01B
SIGNAGE TO POLESWORTH ABBEY AND PARKING/ADDITIONAL SHRUB PROPOSED MIXED REPAIR WALL AND PLANTING (PERMISSION ADD STONE COPING NATIVE HEDGE REQUIRED FROM OWNER) Existing trees BONDED GRAVEL HIGH STREET PAVEMENTS AT ENTRANCE Proposed trees HIGH STREET (e.g. Field Maple, Holly, Cherry, Lime, Apple, etc.) EXISTING ACCESS
YORK STONE Hedge EXISTING TREE UNDER ARCHES
Mixed herbaceous perennials and shrubs MIXED SHRUBS AND HERBACEOUS HEALTH CENTRE EXISTING Grass/wildflower meadow (e.g. British Seed GATE HOUSE Houses traditional hay meadow seed mix MG5) CAR with spring, summer and autumn bulbs PARK
Bonded gravel (6 - 15mm buff/grey) AUTOMATIC RISING BOLLARD TO CONTROL ACCESS Tarmac, with gravel surface dressing (4-6mm buff/grey chippings) TWO INTERPRETATION SIGNS York stone paving (riven)
HAZEL PUBLIC FOOTPATH Mown grass SPECIMENS POLESWORTH EXISTING 600MM CENTRES CAR PARK LEARNING CENTRE PROPOSED MIXED NATIVE HEDGE NEW PARKING FOR PARKING GATE HOUSE SPECIMEN FIELD MAPLE
MANUALLY OPERATED BOLLARDS TO CONTROL ACCESS PEDESTRIAN ACCESS PATH (1500mm WIDE) SURFACE TO BE SKIMMED AND LEVELLED, REGULATE SUB-BASE, 4M WIDTH, HORNBEAM HEDGE BONDED GRAVEL (BUFF/GREY AROUND PARKING BAYS MIXED SHRUBS TO MATCH BUILDING, REPAIR WALL AND NEW & HERBACEOUS DRAINAGE TO SIDES, REPLACE BRICK 4 DISABLED PARKING TIMBER EDGING COPING WITH SPACES STONE COPING
BOLLARD LIGHTING & POWER ALONG DRIVE
PUBLIC FOOTPATH PROPOSED MIXED NATIVE HEDGE
REPLACE LIGHTING COLUMN
BURIAL GROUND
PUBLIC FOOTPATH (AE 19) 1500mm WIDE ACCESS PATH EXISTING HEDGE
YORKSTONE BURIAL GROUND PAVING AROUND N WAR MEMORIAL BURIAL GROUND 0 10metres
EXISTING RAILINGS RETAINED (DE-RUST, PRIME AND PAINT) 3 DISABLED PARKING SPACES CLIPPED YEW COLUMNS
EXISTING PATH Drawing Title Polesworth Abbey Gateway (Access)
Client Polesworth PCC
Project Polesworth Abbey, Polesworth, Tamworth
Scale YORK STONE 1:250 @ A1 PAVING OUTSIDE CHURCH Drawing No AN/004/01 Rev B FOOTPATH ST EDITHA’S CHURCH Date 10/07
Askew Nelson Landscape Architecture Revision B (26.2.08): Further design amendments (York stone, lighting, path layout) 2 DISABLED PARKING WALL MOUNTED LANTERN Home Farm, Plum Lane, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Oxon OX7 6DZ SPACES IN FRONT OF OUTSIDE CHURCH Revision A (15.2.08): various design amendments to bollards, lighting, annotations, etc. T: 01993 832428 E: [email protected] W: askewnelson.com VICARAGE