Details
MALMESBURY
ST9387 MARKET CROSS
758-1/2/248 (North East side)
18/01/49 Abbey House and attached rear wall
I
House. Late C13 undercroft of the reredorter to the Abbey
(qv), largely rebuilt c1540 by William or son James Stumpe,
upgraded late C16, C17 agricultural SW range demolished late
C19, extended 1920s by architect Harold Brakespear.
MATERIALS: roughcast limestone rubble with limestone
dressings, ashlar lateral and ridge stacks and a stone slate
cross-gabled roof.
STYLE: half H-shaped plan with extruded corners to front, and
C20 SE extension.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys, undercroft and attic; 8-window range. The
principal elevation has gables with roll-top coping and ball
finials to outer wings, the left-hand one projecting further,
and centre, with a full-height gabled stair tower in the
right-hand re-entrant, across from a left-hand 2-storey
entrance porch with raking roof; drip courses to the
ground-floor, and the first floor of the stair tower.
The doorway has a 4-centre arch with sunken spandrels with
coat of arms of James Stumpe and Baunton, and boarded door;
5-, 4-, 3- and 2-light mullion windows, with transoms to the
ground-floor centre and left-hand wing, have reserved chamfers
and cavetto mouldings to leaded metal casements, and labels.
The left-hand end return is a 3-window range with a central
gable and smaller gable to the right with square stacks, an
early C20 porch and doorway, with 2-light mullion windows at
either end, and to the left of and above the porch, and a
label to the attic window.
Rear elevation has outer gables and a narrower gable to the
right, fenestrated as the front; the undercroft exposed to
this side, formerly with buttresses, and 6 one-light windows
with 2-centre arches, splayed reveals and hoods, with soffit
holes for former stanchions.
Similarly-styled C20 cross wing is gabled front and rear, with
a 1-window linking section and left-hand doorway. Gable stacks
to both the C16 end gables, C16 ridge stack behind the stair
tower, and to the C20 range. The C16 SE gable has a sundial at
the top.
INTERIOR: details include an undercroft of 4 and 3 bays, 2
bays wide, with springing of an Early English rib vault and
octagonal columns, fine cinquefoil rere arches, a C16
bressumer for a SW corner cooking range, and C15 plank door.
Ground floor has beams with tongue stops, an oak newel winder
stair in the right-hand stair tower, NE parlour with oak
panelling and overmantel, strapwork and caryatids, with coat
of arms above of the Ivy family, living in the house c1670,
and a plaster frieze in front W room; first-floor over the
hall has a right-hand fireplace with broach stops; roof with
collar trusses and tenoned purlins.
The NE parlour has oak panelling and overmantel, strapwork and
caryatids.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: attached rubble retaining wall extends
approx 30m from NW corner, curving to south where it becomes
progressively lower.
HISTORICAL NOTE: possibly the former Dorter and Reredorter of
the Abbey, built by Abbot William (1260-96). Rebuilt after the
dissolution by Stumpe, who was a prosperous clothier and died
1552, or his son Sir James. Probably a walled forecourt to the
S which in 1636 contained around 60 houses. An agricultural
wing added to SW gable C17 and with the former E wing were
demolished late 1920s. Rear wall of Abbey House is along line
of town wall, and a very short stub projecting from W side is
probably C13.
(Stirling D: Secular medieval buildings in Malmesbury, Wilts,
1150-1547: 1986-: 7; Abbey House, Malmesbury. Report: 1991-;
Victoria History of the Counties of England: Crowley DA: A
History of Wiltshire: 134; The Buildings of England: Pevsner
N: Wiltshire: London: 1963-: 464).
Listing NGR: ST9334487380
