Listed Building record MDO14822 - Sherborne School library, Sherborne; west range of monastic buildings for Sherborne Abbey

The west range of monastic buildings was constructed on the west side of the cloister walk, to the north of the Abbey Church of St Mary. Constructed in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 15th century as the guest quarters. After the dissolution the south part of the west range was used as a dwelling. The buildings were later used by a cobbler and then converted to a silk mill c. 1740 and an extra storey was added. By c. 1800 the building may have been associated with brewing. It finally became Sherborne school library by 1855.

The west range of monastic buildings was constructed on the west side of the cloister walk, to the north of the Abbey Church of St Mary. Constructed in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 15th century as the guest quarters. After the dissolution the south part of the west range was used as a dwelling. The buildings were later used by a cobbler and then converted to a silk mill c. 1740 and an extra storey was added. By c. 1800 the building may have been associated with brewing. It finally became Sherborne school library by 1855 (1).

The Archaeological Society of Sherborne School undertook an excavation during the winter of 1967-8 in the interior south ground floor room of the School library. The discovery of dry rot had led to the floor being removed. This building had originally been the monastic outer parlour. At a depth of 2 ft below the floor, almost the whole length of a two-coursed plinth was uncovered, along the north internal face of the south wall. This plinth returned towards the south beneath the library wall and along the interior edge of the west wall of the church. This was interpreted as the north wall of the NW transept of the Saxon church. Furthermore, 3 ft north of the south wall of the library, a mass of large stones pitched into wet clay were interpreted as part of the massive foundations of the west tower and narthex of the Saxon church.
A fine 15th century Ham stone fireplace was also revealed on removal of the 19th century dado on the west wall. Also the area of the library appears to have been used as a pottery in the 17th century with a cobbled stone floor, fire blackened in places, and post-holes for potters’ furniture. Many sherds of pottery, some possibly wasters were also found.
Evidence for the east wall of an earlier west cloister range was also found running N-S at the east side of the library (2).

Two small trenches were excavated within the north end of the west range during 1976. This was conducted in advance of refurbishment of the school library (1)(2). The north wall of the range was revealed in the northern trench and a possible 12th internal wall [F126] in the southern trench. Later a further foundation [F125] was added to the south side of the north wall foundation. This may represent the north side of a stone culvert carrying water from the stream to the lavatorium in the cloister (1).

<1> Keen, L, and Ellis, P, 2005, Sherborne Abbey and School (Monograph). SDO10263.

<2> Gibb, J H P, 1975, The Anglo-Saxon Cathedral at Sherborne; Archaeological Journal (Article in serial). SDO10316.

Record last edited

Aug 23 2024 1:01PM