The Checker Unicorn Theatre

The Checker Unicorn Theatre is a Grade I listed building with origins dating back to the 13th century. It is a square stone structure featuring buttresses. On the ground floor, there is a doorway with a two-centred arch and continuous moulding that leads to the undercroft, which was formerly the abbot's wine cellar. This space has one octagonal pier and single chamfered ribs arranged in four bays. Above this, the room features a doorway with continuous moulding and two Decorated two-light windows. A triangular lobby with three doorways was created when the room was divided into two during the 14th century. In the right-hand chamber, there is an impressive 13th-century fireplace adorned with stiff leaf and other leaf capitals, along with a projecting hood. The tall chimney is notable for its rare top, featuring three stepped lancets in a gable. The building underwent restoration around 1910. To the west of the Checker is a lower stone range, likely the former granary, and there is also a timber-framed gable resting on a stone base. The roof has two tiers of wind braces. The Checker Hall has been converted from a block of cottages and is now a theatre with an apron stage, which is described under the Unicorn Theatre on Thames Street.