| Description: | The chapel and almshouses were the subject of archaeological examination by John Thorp (Recognition Event No. 242) and Keith Westcott (Recognition Event No. 265), but no coherent account of the work has ever been written (cf. Event descriptions). Little is known about the history of the site, a chapel of St Anne was known to Bishop Grandisson in the 14th century (Stephan 1965, 76); the present chapel is said to have been newly constructed in 1418 (Cresswell 1908, 65); its building materials, predominantly Permian breccia, with volcanic stone dressings, are consistent with an early 15th century date. There are a number of references to the site in the 15th century, mainly incidental references (such as the highway leading from east gate to St Anne’s, etc.). The chapel replaced a hermitage on the same site, which, may have been brought to an end by the death of the hermit in the Black Death (Stephan 1965, 76). The chapel has a cradle roof, with bosses; canopied niches for statues on either side of the altar, and a stone bracket, and a piscina (Cresswell 1908, 66). Stephan suggested that there might have been a screen between the altar and nave, on the basis of the separate doorway giving access to the sanctuary (Stephan 1965, 76). The chapel was fortified during the Civil War (Jenkins 1806, 346; Stoyle 1995, 35 and Fig. 40). By the 19th century the western end of the chapel had been converted into almshouse accommodation, and the chapel proper occupied only the eastern half; it appears to have been restored to its original length in the early 20th century. After a period of disuse, the chapel is now used by the Eastern Orthodox congregation (Cherry and Pevsner 1989, 432).
The almshouses may have been a post-reformation foundation (a date for 1561 for their foundation, and benefactions in 1576 and 1617 are given by Cresswell, ibid., 65). Hooker’s plans of St Sidwell’s Fee show a broadly quadrangular plan, although the two differ in detail (RENN 4398 and 4401). Observations during repairs in 1986 showed two jointed-cruck roof trusses in adjacent ranges (north-east and south-east; see EA archive drawing numbers 265.1 and .2), apparently in situ, which certainly argue for a date in the late 16th century or earlier. Another partition recorded in the north-east range, one bay to the south-east of a jointed cruck truss, may represent an original closed truss between two almshouse units (EA drawing 265.1-2, section 7). A short L-shaped plan survives of the older buildings, with rebuilt almshouse buildings of brick and timber framing (‘rebuilt in free Tudor by W.D.Caröe, 1907-9: Cherry and Pevsner 1989, 432) leading off to the south west. The visible external fabric of the older buildings is characterised by a great range of building stone, rather jumbled, and thus presumably all re-used, including volcanic trap, Triassic sandstone, Beer and Salcombe stone. This, along with the two-centred arched doorways (visible in Cresswell’s photograph: 1980, facing p. 65; Recognition Event No. 3129), also suggests an early origin for structures on the site. Jenkins described the almshouses in his day as follows: ‘these houses are … eight in number, each consisting of two small rooms and a garden plat.’ (Jenkins 1806, 346; Recognition Event No. 1349; cf. the mapping of the OS 1:500 town plan, sheet 6.9; Recognition Event No. 4352). The 1986 observations imply individual cells of two storeys, with one room on each floor, each about 4 x 3m, or slightly less. Four such cells could be fitted into the surviving L-shaped plan, leaving the remaining four to occupy the area rebuilt c.1908; the building to the north west of the chapel was probably ancient (if the mapping of the 1876 OS is to be trusted); this may have been the house for the priest which is mentioned by Jenkins (1806, 346). This, along with the cartographic evidence of the Hooker plats (above), supports a quadrangular plan, and the mapping of this monument has completed the south-west side of the plan by reconstructing a gatehouse range; although it has desisted from reconstructing buildings along the north-west side of the plot, where the possible layout is more contentious.
Extant: Yes |
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