| Summary : The remains of St Botolph's Priory are located in the centre of the town of Colchester, Essex, at the southern gateway in the town wall. Founded circa 1100, it was the first Augustinian house to be established in Britain. Prior to this, a community of secular priests lived here. Today, the site consists of the standing remains of the priory church and the buried remains of the claustral buildings.The ruins of the church include the west end and the arcades and walls of the nave. It is cruciform in plan, aligned east-west and built from stone imported from France, as well as reused Roman brick and tile. The façade would originally have been rendered in plaster though this has not survived. Adjacent to the south of the church are the buried remains of the claustral buildings. In the centre of the cloister was an open area and a walkway enclosed to the north by the church and to the south, east and west by ranges of claustral buildings. The eastern range would have included the chapter house, monk's dormitory and privy house. The southern range would have housed the refectory and kitchens and the western range would have been used for storage but may have included other domestic buildings such as the brew house. Possibly within the cloister or elsewhere in the precinct would be the abbot's house and, typically to the south east of the cloister, would have been the infirmary. The priory was dissolved in 1536 by King Henry VIII and the buildings and land were granted to Sir Thomas Audley, the Lord Chancellor. The nave of the church remained in use as a parish church while the east end of the church and the claustral buildings were probably dismantled for building stone. The church had fallen out of use by the Civil War when it suffered considerable damage during the siege of Colchester in 1648. The site was placed in state guardianship in 1912 and remains in the care of English Heritage. |
More information : TL 99952497 St Botolph's Priory Church (NR) (Remains of) (NAT) (1)
St Botolph's Priory was originally secular in 1093 and was established as the priory of St Julian and St Botolph before 1106, being the first Augustinian house in England. It was dissolved in 1536. The early Norman church was in ruins by 1648. The remains now consist of the west front containing much Roman brick and foundations of the nave with its circular piers and to the south are the foundations of the north wall of the cloisters. Grade 1. (2-4)
Ruins of the Priory Church of St Botolph. It was ruined in the siege of Colchester in 1648. Grade 1. (5)
TM 000250 St Botolph's Priory; scheduled. (6)
The remains of the Augustinian Priory of St Botolph are located in the centre of the town of Colchester, Essex, at the southern gateway in the town wall. Founded in circa 1100, it was the first Augustinian house to be established in Britain. Prior to this, a community of secular priests lived on the site. Today, the site consists of the standing remains of the priory church and the buried remains of the claustral buildings.
The upstanding ruins of the church include the west end and the arcades and walls of the nave. It is cruciform in plan, aligned east-west and built from stone imported from France, as well as Roman brick and tile that had been reused from another structure. The façade would originally have been rendered in plaster though this has not survived.
The ruined west wall contains a central doorway, flanked by two, smaller doorways, above which are two rows of intersecting blind arcading with small windows set within it. In the centre, above the arcading, are the remains of a large circular window flanked by two round arched windows. A partial row of blind arcading survives above this. Originally, the gable, situated above the last line of arcading and now missing, contained further round arched and round windows and was flanked by two turrets. The west end was also originally flanked by two large towers which reached to the same height as the gable apex, however only the base of the southern tower remains. The western end of the nave arcades survive to the level of the clerestory. Each arcade originally consisted of eight columns, seven of which survive in the northern arcade and four in the southern. The north and south walls of the nave also survive almost to their full length and height. The recent excavation uncovered evidence for a crypt located underneath the crossing. Terraced above the priory church to the north and west are the remains of the parochial cemetery and, to the east of the church, that of the priory.
Adjacent to the south of the church are the buried remains of the claustral buildings. Evidence for the southern side of the cloister was uncovered when the present Parish Church of St Botolph, situated 30m south of the priory church, was built in 1838. In the centre of the cloister was an open area (or garth) and a walkway enclosed to the north by the church and to the south, east and west by ranges of claustral buildings. The locations of the buildings within the cloister are known as they would be laid out following a pattern dictated by the procession of the monks around it. The eastern range, running south from the south transept, would have, typically, included the chapter house, the dorter and reredorter. The southern range would have included the refectory and kitchens. The western range would have been used for storage but may have included other domestic buildings such as the brew house. Possibly within the cloister or elsewhere in the precinct would be the abbot's house and, typically to the south east of the cloister, would have been the infirmary. At St Botolph's there is evidence from a historical map that a stream formerly ran east-west approximately on the line of St Botolph's Church Walk. This would have been particularly important in the location of the cloister and the infirmary as they would both have required a good water supply. The area of the cloister garth, between the modern church of St Botolph and the priory ruins, is used as a garden and is the setting for a war memorial.
In 1116 Pope Paschal II granted St Botolph's authority over all other Augustinian foundations in England. The site remained in use by Augustinian canons until 1536 when it was suppressed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the priory and its lands were granted to Sir Thomas Audley, the Lord Chancellor. The nave of the church remained in use as a parish church while the east end of the church and the claustral buildings were probably dismantled for building stone. The church had fallen out of use by the Civil War when it suffered considerable damage during the siege of Colchester in 1648.
The site was placed in state guardianship in 1912. (7)
This article provides an overview of the history of the site and includes information on the Augustinian rule as well as the daily routine of the monks. An illustration depicting what the west front would have originally looked like may also be of interest. (8)
This site is listed in the English Heritage members and visitors handbook of 2009/10. (9)
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