The Presbytery, East Hendred

Summary

Presbytery House for Roman Catholic church of St Mary, East Hendred, designed by Charles Alban Buckler and completed in 1865.

Reasons for Designation

The Presbytery, East Hendred is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a good and largely complete example of a Roman Catholic presbytery, designed by the noted architect Charles Alban Buckley.

Historic interest:

* as part of a grouping of related buildings which clearly indicate the emancipation and restored confidence of the Roman Catholic faith in the C19.


Group value:

* with the Church of St Mary, East Hendred (Grade II) and Godfrey's Farmhouse (Grade II) and Hendred House and St Amand's Chapel (Grade II*).

History

The Manor of Hendred passed by marriage to the Eyston family in the mid-C15, and remains in their ownership. The chapel, dedicated to St Amand, and attached to the house was built in or shortly before 1265, and is reputed to be one of only three pre-Reformation churches which have never been used for Protestant services.

During the Penal years Hendred House became a centre of recusancy, and there is a Priest’s Hole in the roof next to St Amand’s chapel. The chapel was restored in 1687, during the brief reign of the Catholic James II, but was sacked by soldiers of William III in the following year. The building was repaired, and continued to serve the mission until the opening of the new church in 1865.

On 24 June 1863 Charles Eyston Esq conveyed a site about 200 yards to the south of the old chapel for a new church, churchyard, priest’s house, together with an endowment for the support of a priest. The foundation stone for the new church was laid on the same day. The building was completed by the end of the following year and consecrated by Bishop Grant on 17 August 1865 (the day after he consecrated the churchyard). The priests' house was completed by the end of that year, together with a bridge over the road connecting it with the church (the bridge was not assessed for listing). To the south of the presbytery are the school buildings, with the teacher’s house. The grouping, together with Godfrey's Farmhouse on the western side forms a loosely square arrangement, characterised by Betjeman and Pevsner as 'a Puginesque dream come true'. The builder was R. P. Davison of Oxford and the cost of the church was £1,743.

The architect was Charles Alban Buckler of Oxford. Buckler (1825-1905) was the son of the architect John Chessell Buckler and the grandson of the architect and topographical draughtsman John Buckler. He was received into the Catholic Church in 1844, when he assumed the name Alban. He devoted his life to the study of ecclesiastical art and architecture, church history, liturgy and heraldry. His preferred style was that of the thirteenth century; his principal works are the Dominican church at Haverstock Hill and the restoration and augmentation of Arundel Castle. He appears to have come to know the Eyston family due his restoration of the Chapel of St Amand and the design of a new altar for the chapel which was consecrated in 1862.

Details

Presbytery House for Roman Catholic church of St Mary, East Hendred, designed by Charles Alban Buckler and completed in 1865.

MATERIALS AND PLAN: red brick laid in English bond with ashlar dressings and a slate roof. Two storeys and basement.

EXTERIOR: the north front, facing the road is joined to a bridge at first-floor level which connects the presbytery to the church on the other side of the road.

The south front faces the garden and is the show front of the house. To right of centre is a projecting gabled wing of two bays, with two-light windows to the ground and first floors with stone surrounds and cusped heads. The gable has stone kneelers and coping and there is a stone with carved shield and quatrefoil surround to the centre of the gable, bearing the coat of arms of the Roman Catholic Diocese. To the right is a recessed gable with a triple lancet in a stone surround with square head to the ground floor, above which is a similar triple lancet with a n arched head to the stone surround. A hood mould rises into the gable and there is a slender lancet to the gable head. At left of centre is a single-storey canted bay to the ground floor with two paired lancets to the first floor. At far left is the front door, approached from the road by a passage which runs along the west flank of the building. This is a plank door with a Caernarvon-arched head, above which is a first-floor lancet. Ridge stacks are to their full original eight.

The eastern end has a door to near centre at right of which is a two-light window with cusped head and stone surround. To the left is a service outshut housing the scullery. A large rectangular chimney stack at left rises above the original kitchen and scullery hearths.

The western gable end has a central mezzanine window of two lights with cusped heads in a stone surround. A stone hood mould above rises into the gable which also contains a painted terracotta or majolica plaque with a stone surround showing the Virgin and Infant Christ with angels.

INTERIOR: there is a spinal corridor running from west to east along the northern side of the house on both floors. To the south of these are the principal bedrooms and reception rooms. Overpainted stone fire surrounds survive in several rooms including the drawing room and kitchen. Doors have chamfered edges to the panels and the front and back staircases have stick balusters with chamfered edges and newels. The scullery has terracotta floor tiles.

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Bradley, S, Tyack, G, The Buildings of England: Berkshire, (2010), 285

Websites
Architecural History Practice (AHP) website, Portsmouth diocese, East Hendred, accessed 18/11/2023 from https://taking-stock.org.uk/building/east-hendred-st-mary/

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