Priest'S House

Priest's House, West Grinstead

A Catholic presbytery, formerly used as a chapel. The building comprises three phases: the western part is early 17th century timber-framed construction; the south-east extension dates to the late 17th century, forming an L-wing; and a north-east extension was added in the early 19th century.

The western half is timber-framed, clad in brick during the late 17th century except for part of the north elevation where the timber-framing remains exposed. The eastern part is built of brick, with the eastern section of the north elevation painted. The south range has a hipped roof and the western range a half-hipped roof, both covered in Horsham stone slabs. The western range has a gabled tiled roof. A cruciform brick chimney-stack stands in the centre of the western range and a square brick chimney-stack in the middle of the eastern range. The building is two storeys with an attic to the western range. The south side has five windows; the other elevations have irregular fenestration.

The original plan consisted of a two-bay lobby-entrance house with a central chimney. It was extended south-east to form an L-wing with principal rooms to the south, then further extended to the north-east so that the building is now square in plan.

The south front displays a fine brick elevation with moulded wooden eaves cornice, stringcourse, deep plinth, and five narrow 18-pane sash windows with moulded architraves. A central wooden double door features a pedimented porch supported on Ionic columns. The west side has overhanging eaves and includes a first-floor mullioned and transomed casement window with leaded lights and a ground-floor sash window. The western section of the north front shows exposed timber-framing with diagonal brace patterns and painted brick infill, with two windows on each floor (20th-century casement windows). The remainder of the north front has a small central gable with a round-headed arched recessed entrance below and several small windows. The east front displays 18th-century brickwork to the south and early 19th-century red brick with grey headers to the north, containing two 12-pane sash windows in reveals.

Internally, the western part retains exposed timber-framing. A winder staircase with thick turned balusters leads past two priest's hides built into the side of the chimney-stack into an attic used as a secret Catholic chapel, which has exposed purlins. A late 17th-century dogleg staircase with continuous turned balustrade and square newel-post gives access to a painted panelled hall. The first floor on the south side comprises a late 17th-century panelled room and an early 18th-century panelled room with moulded cornice and dado rail. Two-panelled doors occur on the ground and first floors.

The building was originally owned by the Caryll family, local landowners and Catholic recusants. A document records that in 1580 the minister of Shipley, John Wassher, accompanied by the constable Richard Cappe, twice made surprise visits to another Caryll property, Benton's Place, searching for Catholic priests Fathers Hampton and Stratford. The original western part of the Priest's House, dating to the early 17th century, housed Catholic seminary priests from Rome and Douai working on the English mission, disguised as stockmen. Two priest's hides are built into the massive western chimney-breast and the attic served as a hidden chapel.

In 1671 John Caryll (the sixth of this name) gave an endowment of £600 so that the property could become a house for priests serving not only West Grinstead but the Catholic community throughout Sussex and Hampshire. This endowment was made in reparation for having taken the Oath of Conformity. This may be the oldest continuously occupied Catholic presbytery in England. The first priest to reside here was a Benedictine, Father Serenus Cressy, who had been chaplain to Queen Catherine of Braganza at the court of Charles II. At about this time the Priest's House was refronted and extended, with staircase and panelling introduced, and the old attic reconstructed into the present secret chapel.

In 1754 Edward Caryll offered an endowment of £1300 to the Franciscans to maintain a priest at West Grinstead. This was highly unusual as the foundation was a mission for the neighbouring people rather than a resident chaplain for a large house, as by this date there was no resident family—the Caryll family had been impoverished by fines and taxes and had sold their property, including West Grinstead Park. The mission remained in Franciscan hands until 1815. Subsequently there followed a series of French émigré priests until in 1863 Father Jean-Marie Denis from Brittany was appointed priest, remaining until his death in 1900. He raised funds to build an adjoining church, the Church of Our Lady of Consolation and St Francis, whose foundation stone was laid in 1875. According to the Sussex volume of Pevsner's "Buildings of England", in 1925 two pewter travelling chalices were found beneath the floor of the attic chapel—one dating to circa 1450 and one to circa 1600, both used by priests during the 17th century.