| Summary : Undercroft (TQ 38612 77978) An early 17th century undercroft is located beneath the Queen Anne Quarter. Five-and-a-half bays are visible with a further one-and-a-half bays recorded on plan to the west of the access stairs, and which are presumed to survive. The vaulting is of red brick, partly whitewashed, reinforced by ribs composed of chamfered bricks springing from low octagonal stone piers with moulded caps. Modern timber flooring conceals the original floor surface. Four of the surviving bays, at the western end of the former hall, form a square 'room' with a central freestanding pier. This is bounded on three sides by the original retaining walls and on the western side by the massive foundation wall of the later Naval Hospital building. This cuts across the undercroft at an angle encasing one row of its supporting piers along with part of the vaulting. The north wall contains two splayed window embrasures, now blocked. Another splayed opening in the north wall contains a blocked flight of steps. In the east wall is a shallow arched recess, presumably formed during the C18 alterations. The vaulting in this section is octopartite, with lateral and longitudinal ridge ribs in addition to the normal diagonal and transverse ribs. A circular aperture has been formed in one of the webs of the north-eastern vaulting bay. In the floor of the south-eastern bay is a circular well-shaft with heavy stone capping.To the south-west, a gap in the later foundations gives access to a further bay and a half of vaulting, blocked to the north and west by inserted walls. This vaulting is of a simpler quadripartite pattern without ridge ribs. An inserted doorway in the north wall here gives access to the basement of the Hospital building. |