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Architecture and St. Anne’s
St. Anne’s Chapel dates to the early part of the 14th century, being in the Decorated Gothic style (1270-1370) with the addition of a mid 16th century porch tower. No document has yet been found that records the building of either element so the dates given are on stylistic grounds. Typical of many stone buildings in the area, St. Anne’s is rubble built in local stone.

The Setting
St. Anne’s sits in the middle of the Parish Church cemetery, only closed for burials in 1855. The cemetery would have been much larger than it is today; the three green spaces you see in Paternoster Row are all that remain. The ground either side of Paternoster Row is so much higher than the street because of the burials. In the Victorian period the door to the undercroft had become completely blocked so the ground immediately around St. Anne’s was, literally, dug out and reveted against the cemetery with grave stones.

The Chapel / School Room
The door way to the chapel has a gothic pointed arch with a hood mould, the bead that follows the line of the arch, it channels rain water either side of door way, proof that the doorway originally opened to the elements leading to a set of open steps. Most of the windows are consistent with an early 14th century date. They are good examples of decorated gothic tracery work. They are called tracery because the masons would draw the designs on a ‘tracing’ floor. The west window is a Victorian replacement.

At the east end, near where the altar would have been, is the piscina, a basin for washing the vessels used in the mass. A drain hole took the ‘dirty’ water away. It is in the decorated gothic style being formed by an ogee arch, a common form which shows an eastern influence on western architecture. When the basin was destroyed is not known, however many treasures were lost, destroyed or defaced after the Reformation as a statement against Rome.

The very plain waggon roof, although heavily restored, may well be original. The bellcote and cross on the gable ends are late Victorian additions.

The Undercroft
The undercroft is dominated by the massive timbers supporting the ceiling above. The flag floor was laid in 1869 and probably replaces a simple earth floor; the floor level was lowered at this time as well. It was reported that no evidence for any earlier structure was found. The doorway in the west wall is medieval, probably to only entrance originally, the door Victorian.

Only one original window survives, the square opening in the south wall. It only survived because it became internal when the tower was added. It would not have been glazed originally. The other windows in the north and south walls were enlarged some time in the late 19th century. The two windows in the east wall are wholly Victorian insertions, made in 1869.

The Porch Tower
The Porch Tower is a Tudor addition, added sometime in the mid 16th century. Originally the tower would have had a third floor or parvise. In the school period it was known as the library.

The tower would have replaced a set of open steps to the front door of the Chapel. The two stone carvings projecting from the corners of the tower are grotesques; they are probably reused. The carvings on the east and west walls are gargoyles, they would have taken water from the roof and expel it clear of the walls.

The window in the porch as you enter is a Victorian insertion. The other windows have been remade. The steps to the lower level are also Victorian, it is not known if there was originally access to the undercroft from the tower; the present doorway to the undercroft appears to be wholly Victorian.

Archaeology at St. Anne’s
It was not expected that the refurbishment of St. Anne’s Chapel would reveal anything new. However, it was anticipated that some archaeology would be encountered. As it turned out, the archaeology was significant and greatly added to the project A large collection of finds were uncovered in the 1980’s from under the floorboards and ventilation covers in the chapel room floor. This collection was almost exclusively Victorian and Edwardian school room paraphernalia: dipping pens, slate pencils, scraps of paper, conkers, sweet wrappers and numerous other ‘bits and bobs’. Imagine a Victorian schoolboy turning out his pockets and you get the picture! As anticipated we found archaeology under the floorboards during the rewiring of the chapel, a reflection of that found in the 1980’s. Similar material was also found behind the wood panelling.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the early days of the archaeology was the engagement of the builders with the site. Without the enthusiasm and understanding of the building contractor (Pearce Construction) and the architect (David Wilson Partnership) to the sensitive nature of the work they were undertaking, the full significance of the archaeology would not have been realised.

The Finds in the Eaves
Internal scaffolding was due to be erected on 1st March 2012. The St. Anne’s Manager had joked the previous day on Twitter: ‘Scaffolding should be going in at St. Anne's tomorrow. I hope to find 100 year old paper airplanes crash landed in the eaves.’ With the scaffold complete on 2nd March, it was time to inspect the eaves for treasure! A casual look revealed plaster rubble and thick, thick dust. Then the first dart was spotted, made from a folded paper square to form a flight and a broken, rusty pen nib for a ‘fuselage’. Finding the darts was wonderful. These must have been thrown up into the eaves by the schoolboys, perhaps when the master’s back was turned! Immediately generations of schoolboys could be heard chattering away below the scaffold. In archaeological terms the darts, and the material under the floor boards, did not come from sealed contexts. This means that we can never be sure of the date of the darts but the circumstantial evidence that they are from the late Victorian and Edwardian school period is clear.

The ‘Holes in the Wall’
Work began on stripping all the plaster and render from the inside of the chapel walls. This revealed a whole new archaeological context. A series of highly regular ‘voids’ were discovered which appeared to be part of the fabric of the walls. They were in fact loosely filled with rubble and mortar which crumbled easily. The voids were rectangular and each had a very obvious lintel. These are the sockets for the medieval scaffold, put in by the masons and carpenters who built St. Anne’s nearly 700 years ago. They are commonly known as ‘putlog holes’. The lintels went full width; we could often see daylight at the other end, proving that they were part of the original build. Imagine a wooden scaffold framework already on place, the walls are then built inside the framework. When the wooden beams of the scaffold are removed the ‘putlog holes’ remain. Some of the holes produced finds; pottery sherds, animal bone, hemp string, oyster shell (the ’bar snack’ of the period) birds nest material and numerous gnawed acorns. Putlog holes are sometimes enlarged to make windows or provide a base for a ‘jetty’ or ‘hourd’ structure. In addition to the putlog holes, other features were identified. In the east wall, two areas of loose stone were observed either side of the 14th century window. It is possible that one of these features may be a back filled aumbry, an alcove or cupboard set into the wall for the vessels used in the mass.