Coggeshall Abbey (Residence)

This is an exceptional house incorporating architectural elements from the 12th to the 19th centuries, built around a fragment of the 12th-century infirmary of Coggeshall Abbey, a Cistercian monastery. The construction is partly timber-framed and plastered, partly of red brick (probably re-used) in English bond, with the 12th-century remnant constructed of moulded brick and stone. The building is roofed with handmade red plain tiles.

Main Structure and Layout

The main body consists of a three-bay storeyed hall facing west, with a cross-entry in the right bay and a late 16th-century two-storey porch aligned with it. A large late 16th-century stack stands to the rear of the left and middle bays, which formerly also served a rear left wing that has since been demolished. A late 16th-century four-bay crosswing extends to the right, projecting to the rear and angled outwards to incorporate the 12th-century monastic remnant in its left wall, with two late 16th-century stacks in the same wall. An early 17th-century stair-tower occupies the rear angle, with an early 17th-century small wing to the rear of it. An early 17th-century garderobe is positioned between the stair-tower and the stack of the main range. The building has two storeys throughout.

Main Range and Porch

The main range has late 16th-century brick walls on the ground floor only. It features one transomed five-light window with hollow-chamfered brick mullions and surround recessed within hollow-chamfered jambs and a straight head, with a mutilated plain label and all original iron diamond saddle bars. The window has rectangular leading with some 18th-century handmade glass. On the first floor is one reconstructed window of 18th-century type with one wrought iron casement.

The porch has similar outer and inner doorways with ovolo-moulded jambs and Tudor heads recessed in moulded surrounds. Above the outer doorway is a moulded plaster band and a decayed stone shield, formerly reported to bear the inscription R B/A 1581 (for Richard and Anne Benyan) according to P. Morant's The History and Antiquities of the County of Essex (1768, volume II, page 163) and the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments. This shield appears to be cut into an earlier brick entablature. Above this level the porch is timber-framed, with a projecting gable on two plain brackets. In the left side is a brick two-light window with detail similar to that in the main range. The main range and porch have continuous moulded plinths and roll-mouldings above.

In the left return of the main range is a 20th-century French window in an original aperture with hollow-moulded straight head. The rear stack has a crenellated roll-moulding, and one round and three octagonal shafts with moulded bases and renewed heads.

Crosswing

The front gable end of the crosswing is entirely of brick, with on the ground floor one early 19th-century tripartite sash of 8-16-8 lights, and on the first floor a window similar to that in the main range, but in a reduced original aperture with hollow-chamfered jambs and plain label. The plain oak bargeboards are original or early.

Subsidiary Structures

A short single-storey link to the monastic corridor (separately listed as item 9/12) is of 18th-century red brick in Flemish bond, with one 20th-century sash.

Stair-Tower and Rear Wing

The left gable of the timber-framed stair-tower has on the ground floor one original two-light window with mullion and surrounds of ovolo section with hollow-moulded glazing fillets (saddle bars missing), and a similar four-light window with two of the four original iron diamond saddle bars and an 18th-century wrought iron casement with twisted stay bar. On the intermediate or landing stage is a similar two-light window (saddle bars missing). On the first floor is a similar four-light window with one 18th-century wrought iron casement; one light is blocked and retains the oak diamond saddle bar with traces of original orange paint, while the other lights have 18th-century horizontal saddle bars, rectangular leading and some handmade glass.

The rear elevation of the stair-tower has at the intermediate level an original two-light window retaining both diamond saddle bars. The left elevation of the wing to rear of it has on the ground floor a similar four-light window with inserted round iron saddle bars and one 18th-century wrought iron casement (the other lights covered by wooden slats), and on the first floor an 18th-century three-light window with one wrought iron casement.

The front stack in the left side of the crosswing has one round and one octagonal shaft with moulded bases and renewed heads. The rear stack in the same wall has three octagonal shafts with similar bases and heads, and a crenellated roll-moulding similar to that of the main range.

Crosswing Elevations

The rear elevation of the crosswing, abutting on the mill leat, has on the ground floor an original oriel of five transomed lights with unrefined ovolo mouldings—a rare survival meriting special care—and two 18th-century wrought iron casements. To each side of it is a blocked original flank window with similar detail. All saddle bars are missing. On the first floor there is evidence of a former similar oriel, and two similar blocked flank windows.

The right elevation of the crosswing has on the ground floor two tripartite sashes of 4-12-4 lights, one sash of 12 lights and one of eight lights, all early 19th-century. On the first floor are one original three-light window with unrefined ovolo-moulded mullions and surround, one light of a similar partly blocked window, and three windows incorporating three 18th-century wrought iron casements.

Interior of Main Range

The main range has moulded transverse and axial beams, moulded joists, and original planks parallel with the joists. A line of peg-holes in the beam between the right and middle bays indicates the position of a former screen recorded by the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments in 1922.

The wide wood-burning hearth on the ground floor has a depressed brick arch and a deep recess in each splay. The first-floor hearth has plastered moulded jambs and a four-centred arch, recessed in a moulded surround, with rear splays, and an original oak overmantel with four fluted pilasters with egg-and-dart capitals, and arcaded panels with carved foliate spandrels. This floor has much oak panelling, some of which has been moved in the 20th century.

The roof is original to the earlier structure and complete, with tall octagonal crownposts with step stops, and axial braces of four-centred curvature. At the right end the collar-purlin has been extended later to bridge the valley between this roof and that of the crosswing.

Interior of Crosswing

The crosswing is timber-framed and plastered, except for the front gable end and the remnant of the 12th-century structure, with jowled posts, close studding, and arched braces trenched to the inside. The transverse beams are chamfered with lamb's tongue stops, except the beam near the front wall, which is unchamfered to the front. Mostly the joists are plastered to the soffits, but where exposed they are plain and of horizontal section.

The second ground-floor room from the front is wholly lined with oak panelling, mostly circa 1600 but including on the left a small area of late 17th-century panelling which is ovolo-moulded and fielded. One transverse beam has mortices for a removed studded partition, and one original partition has a plain doorhead, with the arched doorhead below it missing.

On the first floor are two wide wood-burning hearths with chamfered jambs and four-centred arches. Between the stacks is a 12th-century round column of moulded brick with a mutilated stone cushion capital, and the upper part of a 12th-century plain brick two-centred arch. Incorporated in this wall, but less visible, are four bays of 12th-century brickwork from the monastic infirmary (J.S. Gardner, "Coggeshall Abbey and its early brickwork," Journal of the British Archaeological Association, third series 18, 1955, page 26 and plates 5 and 8).

The roof is of crownpost construction and complete, with plain crownposts and arched axial braces.

Stair-Tower Interior and Garderobe

The stair-tower has a 20th-century stair in the same position as the original stair, indicated by the original windows on two sides of the intermediate landing. On the lower storey is an original door of four rebated wedge-shaped planks, with 20th-century planking on the rear. From the upper storey a doorway with moulded jambs and four-centred head leads into the main range. A smaller plain doorway from it leads into the garderobe to the north, with a blocked small unglazed window; only the upper storey of the garderobe survives.

Historical Development

Gardner has shown that a secular mansion within the Abbey was recorded in 1518 and 1528 "next the firmary of the monks," which he took to be the rear wing shown in a map of 1639 (Essex Record Office, D/DOp P.1), and he attributed the remainder to Richard Benyan. However, this map does not show buildings accurately, and does not for instance record the 16th-century wing which extends right to the mill leat.

It is possible that part of this mansion forms the timber-framed structure of the present main range. If not, the main range was built immediately after the dissolution of the monastery in 1538, at which time the property was held by Sir Thomas Seymour (according to Morant, op. cit.).

At a later date in the 16th century the lower storey was encased or replaced with brick, the porch and rear stack were added (along with a rear left wing, since demolished), and the right crosswing was added. This phase can be closely dated to soon after 1567, the earliest recorded use of plain ovolo-moulded windows (A.W. Clapham, "The Court House, or 'old Town Hall' at Barking," Transactions of the Essex Archaeological Society, new series 12, 1913, pages 295-298). Lamb's tongue stops are first recorded in 1564 (J. McCann, "The Introduction of the Lamb's Tongue Stop, some new evidence," Historic Buildings in Essex 2, 1985, pages 2-5). Such a date would be compatible with the true Tudor doorheads of the porch and the crownpost roof.

The Paycocke family held the lease in 1581, and Richard Benyan apparently inserted his own datestone, but cannot be responsible for much else; the crownpost roofs cannot be so late.

At a later stage the stair-tower, garderobe and wing to rear were added. These are dated by the refined section of the window mouldings, of which an example dated 1623 exists at Cressing Temple (separately listed as item 4/75), but a date of construction after 1600 is possible.

An 18th-century phase of alteration is apparent in the wrought iron casements and glazing, an early 19th-century phase in some windows and a semi-elliptical arch, and minor alterations have been effected since the building was recorded by the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments in 1922. It is not known when the rear left wing was demolished, but some charring of the adjacent structure is reported.

This house is an outstanding example of domestic architecture of various periods, in addition to the monastic fragment incorporated in it.