14, College Green

House on College Green, Gloucester

This is a house of considerable medieval origins, assigned to the Prebendary of the Sixth Stall of Gloucester Cathedral and now serving as both a residence and part of an office. It incorporates substantial remains of a monastic building, possibly the Almonery of the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter.

The building dates from the early 15th century and was substantially remodelled in the mid-16th century, with further alterations in the 17th and 18th centuries. It underwent heavy restoration and alteration in the late 19th century. The lower storey is constructed of stone rubble with ashlar dressings and some brick, while the upper storey is timber-framed with close studding and a mid rail. The roof is slate with dormers and brick stacks.

The plan forms a long range with the upper storey probably of three bays, originally featuring an open timber roof over a first-floor hall. At the northern end a cross-gabled wing projects to the front, possibly the oriel to the former hall or a solar chamber, with the wing also projecting by one bay at the rear. This wing at first-floor level is now sealed off and forms part of an office in the upper floor of St Mary's Gate adjoining to the north.

The exterior presents two storeys and an attic. The front ground floor consists of squared stone rubble in courses except for a brick panel at the southern end. To the left is a doorway with a 19th-century panelled door, with a two-light stone-mullioned window on each side. To the right is a similar window close to the projecting bay. Between the two windows to the right is a small window for the distribution of alms. Within the projecting bay on the ground floor is a stone-mullioned window of three lights with an upper transom and casements with lead light glazing.

The first floor of the range displays 15th-century timber-framing, restored in the 19th century, with close studding and intermediate rail. Three restored windows, possibly of late 16th or early 17th-century date, are timber-framed with mullions and upper transoms, featuring patterned leadlight glazing: one of three lights at the south end, the others of two lights. The projecting cross-gabled bay to the right has a first floor of timber-framing with a jetty to the front, supported on timber-framed cove rising from a moulded timber plate. The front of the bay contains a timber-framed oriel window with an intermediate transom of five lights by two lights, with casements featuring diamond pattern leadlight glazing. Above the window is a timber-framed gable with richly carved barge boards.

On the roof of the main range, an 18th-century gabled dormer to the left contains three casements with glazing bars. At a higher level to the left are two smaller 18th-century gabled dormers, each with late 19th-century bargeboards and two casements.

At the rear of the range and cross wing to the left, the ground floor is of squared rubble with a first floor of timber-framing similar to the front. The cross-wing is jettied to the front and on the south side. The range on the first floor has a central three-light casement with a two-light casement on each side, all with leadlight glazing, and a small plain sash at the left. In the gable-end wall of the cross-wing on the ground floor is a 20th-century three-light casement, with a 17th-century two-light casement on the first floor, both with leadlight glazing. On the right-hand side of the wing is a 19th-century gabled dormer.

The interior contains a mid-18th-century stair at the rear of the entrance hall, probably relocated, with closed string, column-on-vase balusters and a toad-back hand rail. On the first floor landing is a balustrade with barleysugar balusters. Other fittings are mostly of 19th-century date, though the first floor includes a room with an 18th-century cornice.

In the attic, one bay of the medieval former open timber roof survives, ceiled at collar tie level. The exposed framing features double purlins with stopped chamfers. Between the wall plates and lower purlins, and between the lower and upper purlins, are pairs of chamfered cusped wind braces in the form of cinquefoiled arches. An inserted 16th-century timber-framed partition with close studding and intermediate rail separates the adjoining roof bay to the south.