buckinghamshire county council - buckinghamshire county ......1-23 st peters church recording...

St Peters Church, Quarrendon Leas Historic Building Recording Report August 2009

Jacobs Engineering U.K. Limited This document has been prepared by a division, subsidiary or affiliate of Jacobs Engineering U.K. Limited (“Jacobs”) in its professional capacity as consultants in accordance with the terms and conditions of Jacobs’ contract with the commissioning party (the “Client”). Regard should be had to those terms and conditions when considering and/or placing any reliance on this document. No part of this document may be copied or reproduced by any means without prior written permission from Jacobs. If you have received this document in error, please destroy all copies in your possession or control and notify Jacobs. Any advice, opinions, or recommendations within this document (a) should be read and relied upon only in the context of the document as a whole; (b) do not, in any way, purport to include any manner of legal advice or opinion; (c) are based upon the information made available to Jacobs at the date of this document and on current UK standards, codes, technology and construction practices as at the date of this document. It should be noted and it is expressly stated that no independent verification of any of the documents or information supplied to Jacobs has been made. No liability is accepted by Jacobs for any use of this document, other than for the purposes for which it was originally prepared and provided. Following final delivery of this document to the Client, Jacobs will have no further obligations or duty to advise the Client on any matters, including development affecting the information or advice provided in this document. This document has been prepared for the exclusive use of the Client and unless otherwise agreed in writing by Jacobs, no other party may use, make use of or rely on the contents of this document. Should the Client wish to release this document to a third party, Jacobs may, at its discretion, agree to such release provided that (a) Jacobs’ written agreement is obtained prior to such release; and (b) by release of the document to the third party, that third party does not acquire any rights, contractual or otherwise, whatsoever against Jacobs and Jacobs, accordingly, assume no duties, liabilities or obligations to that third party; and (c) Jacobs accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage incurred by the Client or for any conflict of Jacobs’ interests arising out of the Client's release of this document to the third party.

Contents

1 Non-Technical Summary 1

2 Introduction 2

2.1 Introduction 2

3 Methodology 3

3.1 Methodology 3

4 Historical Background 4

4.1 Historical Background 4

5 Survey Results 6

5.1 Survey Results 6

5.2 Nave 6

5.3 Chancel 7

6 Conclusions 8

6.1 Conclusions 8

7 References 10

Appendix A Photographic Plates

Appendix B Figures

1-23 St Peters Church Recording v.5.doc 1

1 Non-Technical Summary

A geomatics survey accompanied by detailed recording of the elevations of the ruins of St Peter’s church, Quarrendon Leas, was undertaken by Jacobs, Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society and Northamptonshire Archaeology between May and June 2009. The survey recorded the remains of the west wall of the nave, the north wall of the north aisle, the north east corner of the chancel and a single diagonal buttress (Plate 17) on the south-east corner of the south aisle. There is currently no direct relationship between these isolated sections of wall and the interpretation of the origins and development of the church are tentative. Based on current evidence, the remains demonstrate at least two and possibly three phases of construction. The early phases include the west wall of the nave with its diagonal striated tooling and deep lateral buttresses (13th century), followed by the tentative interpretation of the construction of a north aisle with shallower lateral buttresses (13th century). The final phase is represented by a diagonal buttress suggesting the construction of a south aisle and modifications to the chancel, possibly in the later 13th century.


2 Introduction

2.1 Introduction

Jacobs Engineering UK Ltd have been commissioned by Buckinghamshire County Council to undertake conservation works to the ruined remains of St Peter’s Church which lies within the Quarrendon Leas Scheduled Monument (12004). Quarrendon Leas is situated to the north-west of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. As part of these conservation works, Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society undertook a drawn record of the standing remains under the supervision of Tim Upson-Smith of Northamptonshire Archaeology. Jacobs Geomatics undertook a topographical survey of the site in May 2009 ahead of the detailed recording. Jacobs Heritage team processed the drawings and produced this written report on the standing remains of St Peter’s Church.


3 Methodology

3.1 Methodology

The archaeological survey was undertaken to record the surviving details of the monument and to contribute to the understanding of approaches to future conservation work. This report is an analytical record comprising an introductory background history and description followed by a systematic account of the building’s origins and development. The record includes all drawn and photographic records that illustrate the building’s appearance and structure and which support an architectural analysis. A basic topographic survey was undertaken using a total station to produce a ground plan and basic elevations and cross sections. The stone by stone record of the remains was undertaken by Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society (BAS) volunteers. The internal and external faces of the north and west walls of the church were recorded in detail by BAS using string lines and hand tapes. The data was recorded onto permatrace which is a dimensionally stable medium. These drawings were imported into AutoCAD 2005 to produce detailed digital elevation drawings. Digital images taken during the visual inspection of the ruins and during the removal of the loose stones have been included to illuminate the details of the monument.


4 Historical Background

4.1 Historical Background

The 12th century origins of the church of St Peter are suggested in a document recording a gift of land in Quarrendon to St Mary’s church at Aylesbury which secured the establishment of a burial ground attached to the chapel (Everson, p.11). This document demonstrates the dependency of St Peters on a minster at Aylesbury as well as the existence of the chapel in the early 12th century. By the beginning of the 19th century the church had been stripped of its glass and furnishings apart from the damaged remains of the major Lee monuments in the chancel (Everson, p.6). The elaborate alabaster and Sussex marble tombs of Sir Henry Lee and his immediate family are shown on an engraving dating from 1828 (Figure 8) and described by Gomme in 1891. Engraved views of the exterior and interior of St Peter’s church in 1815 (reproduced from Bickersteth 1859-62) (Figure 5 and 6) provides the earliest and most complete evidence for the appearance of the church. The chancel included diagonal buttresses on the south-east and north-east angles and included a chamfered plinth. These diagonal buttresses are typical of the later 13th and 14th centuries. A RCHM(E) record card of 1912 suggests a 15th century date for the buttresses (Figure 11). The east elevation of the chancel was dominated by a large tracery window with four centred arch head typical of the later 14th through to 16th century. A later internal view (Figure 8) of the interior demonstrates the detail of this window as of the Perpendicular style with cinquefoil headed lights and mullions extending through the full height of the opening. A rectangular window opening with paired, arched lights framed by a hood mould dropping down on either side and terminating in a label stop typical of the later medieval period was on the south elevation of the chancel. The 1815 engraving (Figure 6) of the interior of the nave demonstrates that it comprised a north and south aisle, each separated by a three bay arcade. The double chamfer mouldings of the arches and of the capitals are consistent with a late 13th century date. The exterior view (Figure 5) of the nave is shown with a clerestorey of three rectangular window openings with paired, arched lights. The south aisle was crenellated and appears to have included two window openings. The south porch was positioned at the western end of the south aisle and included a steeply pitched roof of 16th century date, and door opening framed by a hood-mould. The opening immediately to the right of the porch is obscured by a tree but the example to the right appears to follow the pattern of rectangular window openings noted in the chancel and nave clerestorey. The roof is shown as steeply pitched which is a 16th century alteration. The earlier, low pitched roof is demonstrated by mouldings. These mouldings located at eaves level continue onto the east elevation and suggest an earlier, more compressed roof line characteristic of the Perpendicular style. The interior view (Figure 6) shows the survival of the Perpendicular style roof. A wooden belfry tower was located over the west end of the nave.


Engravings of the church in 1828, reproduced in 1864 (Figure 7), provide details of the deterioration and loss of the fabric of the church. A view of the church from the south-east shows the chancel roof stripped of its covering and exposed timbers remaining. The engraving demonstrates that the roof of the nave had completely disappeared by this time. The view of the interior (Figure 8) shows the unmoulded 13th century chancel arch with its two-centred head and the more richly carved nave arcades. An engraved view of St Peters in the 1850s (Figure 9) demonstrates the rapid deterioration of the fabric of the building. The south wall of the nave had been robbed out exposing the nave arcades to view from the south. The walls of the chancel had also collapsed and been robbed out leaving low sections and the east window opening. This engraving shows that a compressed arch, probably a four-centred arch, was located in the east wall of the south aisle. This is likely to have illuminated a small altar. It appears that a corresponding window was positioned in the north aisle. The loss of the wall provides a view through to the north wall of the nave which included two windows. The design of theses windows is not clear but the one at the western end of the wall included a pair of lights while the one to east appears to have lost its tracery details. The RCHM(E) survey (1912) recorded the remains of two 14th century windows of two lights each. It was reported that the eastern example retained the remains of cusping. A photograph of the nave thought to date from before 1905 (Plate 11) provides a view of the interior of the nave looking west. Two bays of the south arcade and one bay of the north arcade clearly survived at this time. This image also shows the segmental rere-arch to the window on the west elevation of the nave as well as the rere-arch of the window opening at the western end of the north wall of the nave


5 Survey Results

5.1 Survey Results

5.2 Nave

West Wall (Plates 1 - 7)

The remains of the west wall measure 6.75 metres in length. This section of wall is 700 mm metres wide and is of masonry construction with a rubble core. External Elevation The external elevation includes five courses of ashlar masonry with fine jointing of approximately 5 – 10 mm wide. A very weathered chamfered plinth course to shed water away from the wall face was observed on the third course up from the ground. Two courses of walling partially survive above the plinth. Two deep buttresses project 1.3 m (600mm wide) from the wall surface at a distance of 5.15 metres apart. Removal of the loose stones around the southern buttress revealed a lower course of unweathered masonry. Diagonal striated tooling was observed on this course of stonework (Plate 7). Internal Elevation The ground levels on the interior of the nave are higher and only four full courses of masonry are visible. The internal masonry is poorer in quality than the exterior and includes irregular masonry blocks with wide, irregular joints. These mortar joints are eroded, in some cases deeply thus allowing water into the rubble core of the fabric. This internal face would have been covered with a lime plaster. The wall appears partially plastered in the c.1905 photograph of the nave arcades and west wall. The wall was constructed with irregular course heights. Tiling was used to repair/pack the joints. North Wall (Plates 8 - 15) The remains of the north wall measure 9.25 metres in length. This section of wall is approximately 700 mm wide and is of masonry construction with a rubble core. External Elevation The remains of the external elevation include 10 courses of ashlar masonry with fine jointing of approximately 5 – 10 mm wide. Two buttresses project 720 mm (approx 550mm wide) from the face of the wall and are positioned 3.7 metres apart. A very weathered chamfered plinth course was observed on the third course up from the ground surface. The two courses of masonry above the plinth were similar in character to the west wall with the use of long rectangular blocks. The five remaining courses to the top of the surviving wall were shorter in length, perhaps demonstrating a break in phases of construction of the church. Oyster shell packing was observed in the jointing on the north face of the western buttress.


This section of wall showed signs of repair to the masonry with small patch repairs, particularly on the lower four courses. Eroded joints have been repaired with the insertion of tiles, particularly on the upper three courses. Internal Elevation The internal elevation of the north wall, like the west wall, is in different in character to the exterior and is of coursed rubblestone construction composed of courses of larger blocks interspersed by narrow courses of rubblestone. The wider mortar joints (10 – 30 mm) are packed with stone chips or galleting. This technique was used to fill the gaps between the stones and to leave less mortar exposed. This wall would have been plastered in the same manner as the internal face of the west wall. Tiling was also used to repair/pack the joints.

5.3 Chancel

The fragmentary remains of the chancel comprise the north-east corner only. East Wall (Plates 16 and 17) Only the external face of the east wall was observed as the ground levels within the church interior are high. The external elevation comprises four courses of squared masonry with eroded joints. A single diagonal buttress projects 710 mm (approx 650mm wide) from the face of the wall. The diagonal buttress provides the only surviving architectural detail on the ruins. This single piece of masonry is an integral wall and buttress block with a plain chamfer moulding. It appears from the existence of lime mortar on the bottom surface of the stone and the existence of a narrow stone course that that this block was not carved to full course height. The condition of this stone remains well defined. It has been dislodged from its original position through root action. The tree has been removed as part of the conservation works on the ruin. North Wall The visible remains of the north wall of the chancel are very fragmentary and comprises two courses of squared masonry terminating in the diagonal buttress on the north-east corner.


6 Conclusions

6.1 Conclusions

The surviving remains of St Peter’s church demonstrate a floor plan comprising a nave, north and south aisles and a chancel. An early 12th century date for the existence of a church at Quarrendon is suggested by a reference in the Bishop of Lincoln’s earliest registers dating from the early 12th century (Everson, 2006, p.32). The fragmentary remains of the church do not bear any conclusive evidence for this with the exception of diagonal striated tooling observed on the lowest course of exposed masonry on the west elevation of the nave (Plate 14). This form of tooling is particularly diagnostic of Norman masonry and can be observed on 11th – early 13th century stonework. The plan of the nave created during the RCHM(E) survey (1912) demonstrates that the west and north walls were constructed using lateral buttresses while the chancel and the walls of the south aisle included diagonal buttresses. The lateral buttresses on the west elevation of the nave are deeper than those on the north elevation. Deep buttresses are a feature of Early English Gothic architecture (Stevens Curl 1999, p.113) as opposed to the slender pilasters characteristic of Romanesque churches. As these deep buttresses clearly bond into the fabric of the west wall, it can be postulated that the earliest surviving fabric of the church, with its evidence for diagonal tooling, is late 12th century or early 13th century at the earliest. The high chamfered plinth is, however, more characteristic of Gothic rather than Romanesque architecture. Examination of the plan of the church may provide some clues regarding its development. The buttresses on the west wall of the nave and the north aisle wall are lateral which are diagnostic of Early English Gothic style and, therefore suggest a first phase of construction for the church. It is not clear whether the north aisle was an addition to a simple two-cell church comprising a nave and chancel or whether it was built with a north aisle as part of the original design. There is currently no evidence to suggest that the north and west walls of the surviving remains of the nave and north aisle are of the same date although the style of construction is similar. The addition of aisles to existing buildings is characteristic of modifications to churches from the mid-12th century onwards (Fernie, 2000, p.228). Research has also demonstrated the frequency with which aisles seem to have been added first to the north side of naves (Morris, p.292). The north aisle may, therefore, be secondary, representing a phase of enlargement of the church. The plain unmoulded chancel arch depicted in the 1828 engraving (Plate 4) suggests an early date. Unmoulded arches are characteristic of earlier medieval architecture and the use of a 2-pointed arch indicates that the chancel arch is of Transitional (late 12th century) at the earliest. The RCHM(E) survey describes the north and south arcades as of two chamfered orders with octagonal columns and with the additional evidence of capital mouldings suggests a date of c.1280. The c.1905 photograph suggests that the two arcades


are uniform in style which suggests they are contemporary. This is incongruous with the north and south aisle buttress designs which are not contemporary. The diagonal buttresses of the south aisle and chancel are characteristic of Decorated architecture (late 13th – 14th century) (Stevens Curl 1999, p. 114). These may be contemporary with the nave arcades suggesting the modification of the chancel and construction of a south aisle at this date. The addition of a south aisle, c.1280, may also have included the replacement of an existing arcade for the north aisle. This arcade may have been similar in style to the plain unmoulded chancel arch. More research is required to understand these fragmentary remains in terms of the origin and development of the church.


7 References

Everson, P (2001) Peasants, Peers and Graziers The Landscape of Quarrendon, Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society Fernie, E (2000) The Architecture of Norman England Oxford University Press Morris, R (1989) Churches in the Landscape Phoenix Giant Pevsner, N (1960) The Buildings of England Buckinghamshire Penguin Books Stevens Curl, J (1999) A Dictionary of Architecture Oxford University Press Bickersteth, E (1859-62) Substance of a lecture delivered Sept 30 1858 Arch Deacon Bickersteth, upon the ruins of the chapel of St Peter at Quarrendon (sic) Records of Bucks,2, 22-27

1-23 St Peters Church Recording v.5.doc

Appendix A Photographic Plates

Plate 1: West elevation of the west wall of the nave ahead of tree clearance and loose stone removal

Plate 2: Internal elevation of the west wall of the nave ahead of tree clearance and loose stone removal


Plate 3: West elevation of the west wall of the nave after removal of trees and loose stones showing butresses

Plate 4: Internal elevation of the west wall of the nave after removal of trees and loose stones


Plate 5: Detail of the north buttress on the west elevation of the west wall of the nave

Plate 6: Detail of the south buttress on the west elevation of the west wall of the nave


Plate 7: Diagonal striated tooling on the bottom course of stonework of the south buttress

Plate 8: North elevation of the north wall of the north aisle ahead of tree clearance and loose stone removal, viewed from the north-west


Plate 9: Internal elevation of the north wall of the north aisle

Plate 10: North elevation of the north wall of the north aisle after tree clearance and removal of loose stones, viewed from the north-east


Plate 11: North elevation of the north wall of the north aisle with relocated loose stones in the foreground, viewed from the north-west

Plate 12: Oyster shell packing on the west buttress of the north wall of the north aisle


Plate 13: Tile packing within eroded joints on the upper courses of the north wall of the north aisle

Plate 14: Detail of the very weathered chamfered plinth on the western buttress


Plate 15: Detail of stone packing or galleting on the wide joints of the internal face of the north wall of the north aisle

Plate 16: East elevation of the chancel ahead of tree clearance and removal of loose stones


Plate 17: Detail of the integral chamfer block of the diagonal buttress on the north-east corner of the chancel


Appendix B Figures

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FIGURE 01

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St Peters Church Recording v.5.doc

Figure 5: Engraved view of St Peter’s church at Quarrendon in 1815 from the south east, reproduced in

Everson from Bickersteth 1859-62

Figure 6: Engraved internal view of St Peter’s church at Quarrendon in 1815 looking east, reproduced in Everson from Bickersteth 1859-62


Figure 7: Engraved view of St Peter’s church at Quarrendon in 1828 from the south-east, reproduced in Everson from Anon 1864, Plate 14

Figure 8: Engraved internal view of St Peter’s church at Quarrendon in 1828 from the south-east, reproduced in Everson from Anon 1864, Plate 15


Figure 9: Engraved view of St Peter’s church at Quarrendon in 1850s from the south, reproduced in Everson from Anon 1864, Plate 16

Figure 10: View of the nave arcades and inner west end of St Peter’s church at Quarrendon looking north-west, before 1905, reproduced in Everson from photo held in Buckinghamshire County Museum.


Figure 11: RCHM(E) survey of St Peter’s church in 1912

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