Description

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TL80NW
574-1/1/209

MALDON
SPITAL ROAD (south east side)
St Giles' Hospital, remains

02/10/51
I
Leprosy hospital chapel, now in ruins. Late C12 with C13 and later alterations. Septaria and flint rubble with Roman-brick bonding courses and dressings, repaired in C16 and later red brick; limestone ashlar dressings.

PLAN: remains of cruciform eastern arm, standing to probable original eaves level in most places. Standing remains constitute the north wall of the chancel; east and west walls of the north transept with short returns to north incorporating the springers of the north windows; and the east, west and south walls of the south transept. The foundations of an apse excavated c1920 are marked out within the space of the crossing.

EXTERIOR: chancel: north wall has string course with half-roll, with a return to the former east wall. In the lower wall are the remains of an irregular relieving arch in Roman brick; of uncertain purpose. North transept: angle roll moulding to both angles of the crossing with eroded scallop capital to west, surmounted by remains of reset moulded capital. East wall has remains of a wide Roman brick round arch to a former chapel, now blocked in C18 red brick with a timber doorway. North wall retains the outer splayed ashlar jambs and springs of two round-arched windows. Small ashlar quoins to north-west external angle, both sides repaired in C18/C19 red brick. West wall has round-headed slit windows with deep internal splay and ashlar rere-arch. South jamb and springer of round arch doorway in Roman brick. The north jamb rebuilt in C18 brick, with segmental-pointed chamfered stone rere-arch. External face retains the lower section of ashlar door jambs of probably early C14 date with a deep hollow between wave mouldings. South transept: one course of ashlar with angle roll is all that remains of the south-east angle of the crossing. East wall retains wide Roman-brick archway to former chapel, now blocked in rubble with external C18 pilaster buttress. South wall has pair of large buttresses in Roman brick with offset in ashlar and upper weathering in C18 red brick. Otherwise south wall completely reconstructed in C13, survives to full gable height. Triple group of stepped lancets with continuous external chamfer and quoined ashlar jambs. Deep internal splay and ashlar rere-arch, all in decaying condition. Stub of west wall retains south jamb and springing of a Roman-brick doorway.

HISTORY: the Inquisition of 1402 stated that the Hospital of St Giles was founded by one of the Kings of England for the maintenance of a chaplain to celebrate divine service daily, and of the burgesses of the town affected by Leprosy. In 1164 the Pipe Roll 10, Henry II, records the first annual payment to the infirm of Maldon. It was probably actually founded by Mantell, the Lord of the Manor, as a dependence of the Augustinian Bicknacre Priory. It was granted to Beeleigh Abbey in 1481. After the Dissolution the Chapel was used as a barn and was still roofed in 1921.

Listing NGR: TL8433306485

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Giles medieval Hospital, Remains at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17536871

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)