Description

TO 3079 SW CITY OF WESTMINSTER BROAD SANCTUARY, SW1 101/5 (ABBEY PRECINCT AND WESTMINSTER SCHOOL.) 24.2.58 9.1.70 The Great Cloisters, including St Faith's Chapel, The Chapter House, The Parlour, Nos 1 and 2 'The Cloisters, The Dark Cloister: and Dormitory with the Chapel of St Dunstan ('School' and Busby Library)

G.V. I

Abbey precinct buildings, partly in school use. C.11 and C.12 remains; Henry III's mid C.13 rebuild; C.14 and C.16 work; and C.17 to C.19 alterations and restorations for the Collegiate Church and School, with war damage repair/rebuilding. Principally stone with Reigate stone and Purbeck marble for C.13/C.14 work, brick for some of C.17 and later alterations; slate, tile and leaded roofs. The Cloister begun c.1245-50 in north-east corner, contemporary with the church, completed in 1366 with the construction of the south and west walls; restored by Blore and Scott. Quadripartite vaults for the last phase; blind arcading to walls and traceried windows to the garth between buttresses. St. Faith's Chapel abuts the south transept and was built c.1250, 2 bays to west and one to east, very fine blank arcading and rib-vaults with head-corbels; a gallery on tunnel vault at west end formerly linked with the Dormitory over the Chapter House vestibule and the night stair in the south transept. The Chapter House of c.1245-53 (restored by Scott) opens off the east Cloister walk via inner and outer vestibules; very pure Geometrical Gothic, built on an octagonal plan, over crypt, with central cluster-shaft pier carrying rib-vault (rebuilt by Scott); innovatory, large 4-light, quatrefoiled and foiled-circle-crowned windows (cf the nave at Amiens and the virtually contemporary. Sainte Chapelle); flying buttresses added C14; leaded tent-lantern roof on iron frame by Scott; mid C13 tiled pavement; blank, Purbeck shafted, arcading with remains of mid C14 paintings; Clayton and Bell glass. Nos. 1 and 2 The Cloisters on the south side of the south Cloister walk running west through to Dean's Yard, incorporate from east to west, remains of the C.ll Abbey Refectory, the Abbey Song School of c.1192, and the north end of the C.14 Cellarer's Building; sections of the north and east walls of the Refectory backing the south Cloister walk are exposed south to the garden of Ashburnham House, Little Dean's Yard q.v.; the lower part of the wall of C.11 stonemasonry with arcading, the upper part early C.14 with tall, blocked, transomed Y-traceried windows. To the west Nos. 1 and 2 the Cloisters flank the south side of the Parlour, now the passage continuing the south Cloister walk into Dean's Yard: of later C.14 build, in 2 parts each of 2 bays with tierceron vaults; above, what was probably the Abbot's Camera; rubble walls stone dressed with gable end tiled roof to eastern half with partly original windows, 2 to north and one in east gable end; the western half much rebuilt C.18/C.19 in upper parts, has front to Dean's Yard with 3 storey crenellated tower over Parlour entrance, extending to south with lower 3-storey, 3-window wide range: the northern part of the Cellarer's Building (see also No. 20 Dean's Yard, Broad Sanctuary); large shafted 2 centred arched doorway, with C.18 gate, to the Parlour, large 2-light Y-tracery window above and 2 and 3 light mullioned windows to right. The Dormitory range, terminating in remains of the Reredorter, lies south of the Chapter House flanked initially by part of the east Cloister walk continued by the Dark Cloister. The Dormitory retains its later C.11 vaulted undercroft with the Pyx Chapel at the north end and the remainder used as a Museum; at the north end of the range the C.13 Day-stairs give access, off the south east corner of the Cloister, to the Chapter Library fitted out c.1620 like a college library with presses with some strapwork cresting, the heavy, plain, hammerbeam roof probably C.14. The rest of the dormitory range at 1st floor level is now occupied by "School" of Westminster School, refaced in brick by Benjamin Wyatt in 1814 and largely rebuilt after war damage;it nevertheless incorporates C.11 features with Norman doorway in west wall and window remains in east wall; at the south end and partly incorporating remains of the Reredorter, is the Busby Library of c.1655-60, rebuilt after war damage (for staircase and gateway to "School" and Busby Library, see Little Dean's Yard); on the east side of the Dormitory projects the early C.16 St. Dunstan's Chapel above which is a chamber with square headed Perpendicular windows and a C.18 Venetian window; the outer east wall of the Dormitory is partially exposed inside the adjoining school gymnasium with blocked medieval windows of different shapes and date. The Dark Cloister is the vaulted passage between the surviving walls of the Refectory and the Dormitory, C.11 contiguous with a late C.14 wall on the west side with a long timber window of 20 mullioned lights, debouching into Little Dean's Yard.

R.C.H.M. London Vol I, N Pevsner

Listing NGR: TQ3005079461

External Links

• Wikidata Q96184865

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