The Chantry

The Chantry

A private house originally built as a residence for chantry priests in the mid-15th century. The building stands on the east side of Church Street in Mere, opposite the parish church. It was modified with the insertion of floors around 1560 and underwent further alterations in later periods before being restored in the mid-20th century. After the suppression of charities, it came into the ownership of Sir John Thynne, and subsequently passed to Thomas Chafyn after 1563.

The building is constructed of good coursed and squared limestone with large flush quoins on the main front, with rubble used elsewhere. The roof is plain tile with three brick stacks. The structure comprises a long rectangular block divided into an open hall and parlour to the left at the west end, with an extensive service range to the right. The service range may originally have contained priests' rooms on the upper floor. A cross passage with screens divides the spaces, and large external stacks project from both the south and north fronts facing the churchyard.

The south front presents two storeys with varied fenestration. At the left end, replacing sashes shown in an 1830 watercolour, is a cusped light with a hood above a door in a basket arch, followed by three scattered single lights. Two 2-light pointed lofty leaded casements with stopped hoods serve the hall, with a small single light above a pair of doors with Y-tracery heads in a moulded basket arch to the right. Immediately left of a large projecting stepped stack stands a smaller 2-light pointed light above a single light. To the right of the stack are two 2-light casements above a plank door in a basket arch flanked by single lights, and a single light at mid-height further right. The left gable return displays a pointed light in a hollow chamfer at low level, beneath a 4-centred hollow-moulded opening and a small rectangular light to the attic.

The north front shows windows arranged in a 2:2:1 grouping. At ground floor level is a 2-light chamfered mullion casement and two small square chamfered lights, followed by a slightly projecting former stack carried only to eaves. To the right stands a 2-light 15th-century casement with a blocked 2-light opening above it not visible from outside, a moulded 4-centred screens passage doorway, a large external gabled stack, a blocked opening, and a 2-light hollow-chamfered casement. The first floor features four 2-light wood casements in voussoirs and a 3-light casement at the eaves to the far right. The building has a continuous offset plinth and chamfered eaves cornice to the south.

Internally, a roughly central through passage runs opposite the south porch of the church. A stone screen to the right contains two 4-centred moulded openings and a larger glazed opening. The hall to the left occupies three bays and retains a 2-purlin arch-braced roof with cusped wind-bracing in three ranges. The trusses at either end have king posts to the collar with curved braces, a pattern repeated throughout the roof structure. A large flat 4-centred stone fire surround dominates the hall, with a fine 16th-century moulded fire surround above to the right, indicating a former inserted floor level. A large blocked opening to the left of this may have been a 3-light casement.

The parlour end is fitted with 17th-century panelling and contains a door to a small stair giving access to two bays of wind-braced roof, except for one half of one bay. Timbers at the east end show smoke blackening. Numerous good 2 or 4-panel fielded doors are distributed throughout. The kitchen features a small fireplace to the north and a small 4-centred door leading to an end room.

The building was modified by the insertion of floors in the 17th century and later, and many windows were replaced with 18th-century sashes before being restored to late medieval forms in the mid-20th century. The hall was subsequently reopened after having been floored.

A 20th-century open-fronted extension to the left connects to the gateway range known as Chantry Cottage. From 1827 for a short period, the building was occupied by William Barnes, the poet, who operated his school here.