Hardham Priory |
| Hob Uid: 393012 | |
Location :
West Sussex
Horsham
Parham, Coldwaltham
|
| Grid Ref : TQ0342017100 |
| Summary : The Priory of St Cross is situated circa 2.5 kilometres south west of Pulborough. Some of the monastic buildings survive as ruined, sandstone-built structures incorporated within the later farmhouse and its garden, and these are Listed Grade I. Elsewhere, the priory survives in the form of earthworks and below ground remains. Historical records suggest that the monastery, known originally as Heringham Priory, was founded during the mid-13th century by Sir William Dawtry. In common with most religious houses, the main buildings range around the cloister. The frater fronted the southern side of the cloister yard and the surviving parts of this building are incorporated within the later farmhouse. The best surviving part is the undercroft. This is of six bays divided into two aisles with a groined, vaulted ceiling. Projecting to the south east of the frater are the ruins of an attached building which may be the kitchen or a common room. The eastern range is represented by the rectangular chapter house which is Grade I. These buildings have been dated by their architectural details to the mid-13th century. The other main buildings which ranged around the inner cloister, including the monastic church to the north, survive in the form of buried remains beneath the later outbuildings and grounds of Priory Farm. A geophysical survey in 1996 provided evidence for the survival in buried form of further buildings and remains associated with the domestic, agricultural and industrial activities of the monastery to the north, west and east of the main cloister. Earthwork remains include levelled building terraces, two fishponds and their water management system to the north east of the cloister. The geophysical survey also indicated the existence of a complex water supply and drainage system represented by a large, north west-south east aligned underground conduit which runs across the precinct beneath the buildings of the main cloister. |
More information : [TQ 0342 1710] Hardham Priory [G.T.] [Augustinian] [T.I.]. (1)
Hardham Priory, Augustinian, founded after 1248, dissolved 1534. The remains consist of the ruined 13th c. chapter house, and the frater range, now a private house (2) (3) [See AO/LP/63/24] (4) Hardham Priory chapter house. Scheduled. (2-5)
Remains as described; the chapter house is roofless but maintained in fair condition, the frater, much altered and added to, post-Dissolution, is a private house in good condition. No trace of other buildings is visible in the surrounding gardens. (6)
During the reign of Henry II Sir William Dawtrey founded here a Priory of Black Canons of St Augustine which was at first called Heringham Priory. It was later increased in size by Sir William Pagnell during the reign of Edward III. Two substantial portions of the Priory survive, namely the refectory with a small portion of the monk's Common Room at its east end and the Chapter House. Both date from the middle of C13. The Refectory has been made into the modern farmhouse. Inside little is said to remain to show that the building was once the Refectory. But the basement, entered on the south side , which was the undercroft or cellars, is more or less intact. This has a groined vault of 6 bays in 2 avenues supported on round stone columns in the centre. The sections of the Common Room to the east which remains consists only of ruins.
In the garden of the farmhouse to the north-east of the house are the ruins of the Chapter House, which is wrongly described on the Ordnance Survey Map and in Dallaway's History of West Sussex and in Hornfield's History of West Sussex, which copies the latter, as the Chapel. This also dates from the mid C13. It is a Rectangular building with 3 lancet windows in the east wall and one blocked lancet in the north and south walls. The west wall is made up of an arcaded entrance. This has 2 pointed openings each of 2 divisions and a pointed archway between them with thin clustered shafts and dogtooth moulding to the soffit. (7) |