Title: |
The Former Halstead Girl's Grammar School, Priory Hall: Historic Building Record |
Series: |
Essex County Council Field Archaeology Unit unpublished report series
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Downloads: |
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Licence Type: |
ADS Terms of Use and Access
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DOI |
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Publication Type: |
Report (in Series)
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Abstract: |
An archaeological trial trench evaluation was undertaken across the grounds of Priory Hall, formerly the Halstead Grammar School, prior to its redevelopment to a mixture of residential housing and elderly care facilities. The site sloped steeply down from the north-east to the south-west and displayed evidence of previous landscaping. Trenches 1-4 contained no archaeological features or deposits. Trench 5 contained a curvilinear ditch and a small pit, neither of which contained finds. A ditch in the south-western end of trench 8 ran parallel to the Colchester Road and a gully (13) in the southern end of trench 7 ran perpendicular. These features are likely to represent historic land division prior to the use of the site as a school, but their lack of artefacts leaves them undated. A modern cess pit (5) was located in the south-western end of trench 6 and contained the only significant artefact collected - a highly abraded and therefore residual sherd of 17th to 19th century pottery. Building recording was undertaken on the unlisted 1909 school and 1911 caretaker's house at the same time as the evaluation. Despite the main part being empty sinec 2006 and subject to water ingress from the roof and the inevitable break-ins, the interiors provide a good record of a late Victorian/Edwardian school, with the formal end around the entrance at the front, central corridor with well-lit classrooms either side, and pupil's entrance/service rooms at the back. Most internal features, such as tiling to the main circulatory routes, panelling, windows and doors in the classrooms and there is a fine barrel-vaulted ceiling in the hall. Both school and surviving caretaker's house was designed by the same architect and have similar styles. In particular the school has a strong Jacobean/mock Tudor style with plenty of projections and stone bans. The interiors of the caretaker's house have been ripped out totally. Gutted. |
Author: |
A J W Robertson
A R Letch
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Publisher: |
Essex County Council Field Archaeology Unit
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Other Person/Org: |
Historic England (OASIS Reviewer)
Essex County Council Historic Environment (OASIS Reviewer)
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Year of Publication: |
2011
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Locations: |
Site: |
Priory Hall, Colchester Road |
Parish: |
HALSTEAD |
District: |
Braintree |
County: |
Essex |
Country: |
England |
Location - Auto Detected: |
Halstead Girls Grammar School Priory Hall |
Location - Auto Detected: |
Colchester Road |
Location - Auto Detected: |
Priory Hall |
Location - Auto Detected: |
Halstead Grammar School |
Grid Reference: 582060, 230550 (Easting, Northing)
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Subjects / Periods: |
POST MEDIEVAL
(Historic England Periods)
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SHERD
(Object England)
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20TH CENTURY
(Historic England Periods)
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CESS PIT
(Monument Type England)
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UNCERTAIN
(Historic England Periods)
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DITCH
(Monument Type England)
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UNCERTAIN
(Historic England Periods)
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Gully
(Monus)
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17th To 19th Century (Auto Detected Temporal) |
Modern (Auto Detected Temporal) |
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Identifiers: |
OASIS Id: |
essexcou1-96203 |
OBIB: |
2382BR |
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Note: |
A4 bound report
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Source: |
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Relations: |
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Created Date: |
25 Nov 2016 |