St. Mary's Place

An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the Town of Stamford. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1977.

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'St. Mary's Place', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the Town of Stamford, (London, 1977) pp. 130-131. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/stamford/pp130-131 [accessed 26 March 2024]

St. Mary's Place (Fig. 169)

The early importance of St. Mary's Place is demonstrated by the fragment of a 13th-century undercroft (340) and the undercroft possibly of the guildhall of the guild of Corpus Christi (342); it is now dominated by the Town Hall (57) and the large house (341). It was formerly called Monday Market, the name appearing in the 16th century, and was presumably the site of the market gained by the Town Council in 1481 (Cal. Chart. VI, 253–4). A market cross once stood here and was removed some time after 1683 (Hall Book 2, 103).

(340) House, No. 1, two storeys, attics and cellar, ashlar front wall, remainder rubble, incorporates part of a 13th-century undercroft in the S.W. corner of the cellar. The springing of one chamfered rib of the vault and a moulded corbel with nail-head decoration survive. The main range, next to the street, of class 10 plan, has a 17th-century roof with cambered tie beam and a windbrace; the ashlar refronting, with large sash windows, is early 19th-century. The rear wing may also be 17th-century, and was further extended at a later date. Interior fittings in the front range include bolection-moulded panelling on both floors, a fireplace surround with egg-and-dart enrichment, of the early 18th century, and panelling and fireplace of c. 1840. The early 18th-century stair has square newel and turned balusters. The later rear wing has a roof with reused blackened timbers. All the attic floors are plastered.

(341) House, Nos. 2–3 (Plates 100, 103), two storeys and attics, ashlar front wall, was built in the early 18th century. In the early 19th century it was largely rebuilt and greatly extended at the rear by the addition of threestorey rubble-walled wings.

The early range (Fig. 167; Plate 103), on the W., is of six bays, and to the S. is a slightly later extension of two bays (Plate 100). The main house has an asymmetrical street front, the S. five bays forming a symmetrical elevation defined by rusticated Tuscan pilasters; all the openings on the ground floor have round heads, plain architraves and continuous sills (Fig. 12) and imposts; the central door is further elaborated with pilasters, pulvinated frieze and triangular pediment. Above a broad platband, the first-floor windows have continuous sills, rusticated architraves and triple keystones; there are three pedimented dormers. The windows in the N. bay have the same form as the others but have single keystones and no architraves. The whole elevation is united by a wooden dentilled eaves cornice. The S. window was made a doorway when the house was sub-divided shortly before 1833. The slightly later twobay addition on the S. is marked by superimposed Tuscan pilasters (Fig. 14) rising from a plinth and supporting a cornice at both first floor and eaves level. The windows have eared architraves and triple keystones; the segmental dormers are early 19th-century.

Sometime in the early 19th century, but before 1833 (Knipe's map), the front part of the house was refitted and the rear entirely rebuilt and enlarged. Three rear wings with hipped roofs were built, each of three storeys and of coursed rubble with flush dressings. Also four single-storey rooms were added further to the E. Of these last the S., in ashlar of three bays with hipped roof, may have been a library; above the tall sash windows are blind rectangular panels and a moulded eaves cornice. To the N. was a kitchen, in coursed rubble. Further N. are two detached ashlar out-buildings, also with hipped roofs.

Inside, the main stair and most fittings, including plaster friezes with Greek key and other decoration, are early 19th-century. On the ground floor the N. room retains 18th-century fielded panelling in two heights. The S. room, of grand proportions, has similar panelling with dentil cornice, and a coved and moulded plaster ceiling, all perhaps early 18th-century but restored in the early 19th century (Plate 131). The plaster decoration is probably of the latter date. The former library has a plaster ceiling in early 18th-century style (Plate 131).

(342) House, No. 4, incorporates a single room of early 18th-century date in the angle between the later front range and rear wing. The main building, of class 11a plan, was constructed in 1790–1 by John Hames, mason; he received £344. 10. 0. and John Boyfield was paid £477 for work by carpenters, joiners, painters and glaziers (Exeter Day Book).

Fig. 168 (342) 4 St. Mary's Place

Plan of undercroft.

Beneath the E. end of the main range is a vaulted undercroft, comprising one complete bay and part of a second; the carved detail suggests a late 14th or 15th-century date (Fig. 168; Plate 63). The quadripartite vault springs from semi-octagonal corner shafts and has deeply chamfered ribs with central boss carved with an angel holding a shield. To the W. there is also a foliated boss at the intersection of the ridge and transverse ribs. Part of a rebated door jamb in the N. wall of the second bay is all that remains of a doorway to the street. Various walls, perhaps of c. 1790, now support the vault and form partitions. In 1674 this undercroft was described as 'the cellar under the guild hall' (Ex. MS, 86/5). Of the two guilds associated with St. Mary's church, that of Corpus Christi had a guildhall which in the 15th century was used by the Town Council (Hall Books). The surviving undercroft may have formed part of this guildhall.

The front range, of three storeys, attics and cellar, is in five bays with central doorway; all windows have continuous sills and there is a stone eaves cornice. A small doorway leads to a curved passage across the N.E. corner of the building. The distorted rear wall possibly conforms with the alignment of an earlier structure. The rear wing of two storeys and attics, under a mansard roof, has ashlar W. wall, the remainder of rubble; on the E. are large chimney stacks. The staircase of 1791, in the rear wing, is plain in design.