Listed Building record MDO14028 - Abbots Walk, Church Street, Abbotsbury

Monastic Building, (perhaps Abbot's Lodging), now private residence. 14th and 17th century with intrusive 19th century cart-shed arches. Coursed rubble-stone walls with stone quoins. Slate roofs throughout the stone gable-copings and scroll kneelers.

"It has been suggested that here was the Chapter House" (but shown on plan as the Abbot's House). <1>

(SY 57818518) N.E. Building. This is a subsidiary abbey building of uncertain attribution. It is a rectangular block with a square projecting bay on the N. part of the E. end. The N. wall is 14th c., the E. wall contains a 15th c. window, and the S. and W. walls have been rebuilt; the former incorporates a 16th - 17th c. window. <2>

Description in Authy 1 correct. The building is of stone with considerable modern replacements and is now used as a workshop for the estate. <3>

Estate Workshop. This range of building in stone with slate roof is of 14th century origin with later medieval and modern alterations and additions. It probably formed part of the Abbot's house and has a small chapel at east end. Two 14th century windows on north of main building. The roof is modern and the south side much altered.

Monastic Building, (perhaps Abbot's Lodging), now private residence. 14th and 17th century with intrusive 19th century cart-shed arches. Coursed rubble-stone walls with stone quoins. Slate roofs throughout the stone gable-copings and scroll kneelers. Brick stacks at-far west gable (19th century extension), 20th century stack on rear wall. 19th century range at left hand, 2 storeys. 3 windows, 3-light cast-iron casements with wooden cills, 20th century 2-light wooden casement with lead lights. Segmental stone arches. 20th century stone porch with pitched slate roof and 20th century door. Main range: 2 cart-shed entrances with segmental stone heads, now blocked and provided with 20th century bow-windows. 14th century jambs with straight head of a doorway, blocking low down, and concrete 2-light mullion over. 17th century 3-light stone mullion window with straight-chamfered jambs- and a transom. Fixed wooden windows. North-east corner of the building projects as an oratory, East wall has window of 2 tiers of 4-light mullions each with a trefoil-cusped head, 14th century. 3-light stone mullion window over, straight-chamfered, 17th century. North elevation: blocked 14th century doorway with 4-centred head. 2-light 14th century window with trefoil-cusping in a square head. Large 14th century window. 2-light and transomed with trefoiled ogee heads and a sexfoil-in-circle over. Keeled label over. External stairway with depressed-arch head under,up to landing. 19th century altered 20th century. Interior features: east wall, south of oratory, 14th century head-corbel, hair survives, half of face missing. Oratory area: 14th century piscina in south wall with trefoil ogee head, drain and credence shelf over. 2 plain corbels at springing height of the east window.

This description is derived from the associated designation record, the validity of which has not been checked.

<1> Moule, Rev W S, 1946, Abbotsbury The Church Abbey and Other Points of Interest, 17 (Monograph). SWX1589.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 6 (Monograph). SDO97.

<3> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GCS 22/05/1955 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 450446 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 2:40PM