99 And 99A, High Street

MARLBOROUGH 2/400 HIGH STREET 99 and 99A

01-APR-1985

GV 11*

Chantry Priest's House, now shop and flat. Late C15; altered C17, C18; extensively rebuilt 1908-23. Original walls rubble masonry to lower storey, timber frame above (partly rebuilt in brick). Tile roof. Five bay block, gable to street, divided as each of 2 storeys into 3 bay chamber to front, separated by cross passage from smaller chamber to rear; under the latter, a cellar with 4-centres rubble vault. Small square block to left, reached fan cross-passage, added soon after construction. Street front originally jettied, now wholly of 1923. Of front chambers, only first floor structure, with ceiling of 6 panels divided by moulded beams (ogee and quarter-circle) survives. Cross-passage defined by partitions at ground floor level, the front largely rebuilt the rear original with doorway to left (plain 4-centred head). At first floor level, left hand end of front partition survives, incorporating doorway with plain 4- ; centred head flanked by internal window of 2 lights with cusped heads. Rear partition has 2 blocked doorways to right, C17 doorway to left with contemporary ledged door and door furniture. Rear chambers have gable stack, largely rebuilt, but with C17 fireplace with flat 4- centred head to opening and cornice above, to ground floor room. Collar-beam roof trusses survive to passage and rear chamber, with massive cambers collars, purlins variously butt or clasped (and braced to principal rafters), butt ridge piece. Ground storey of addition rebuilt; short doorway with 4-centred head reset in rear wall. First floor largely rebuilt C18, 1908, but 2-bay collar beam roof intact gabled to left, with principal rafters and arch-braces springing from short moulded pseudo-hammerbeams (actually corbelled sole pieces) above moulded plates. Plate towards street supported by post with half-octagonal shaft terminating in moulded capital, from which springs substantial bracket; reset here, probably from lower storey of front elevation where it would have supported jetty. The roof to the upper front chamber survives into the early C20. It was more elaborate than the surviving section of main roof, with arch-braced collars and moulded purlins with inverted wind-brace above. The chimney piece also survived. Associated with a chantry founded by Isabel Bird in 1446, and dissolved in1548. (VCH, Wiltshire, XII (1983),223; Wiltshire Archarol. Mag. XXXVI (1909-10), 585-9).

Listing NGR: SU1862868938