Monument Type(s):

• HALL HOUSE (13th century - 1200 AD to 1299 AD)

Summary

The site of a medieval hall house and undercroft.

Related records: None recorded

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA2072 - 1995 field observation by Shropshire County Council
• ESA2073 - 1985 Observations during renovation works at The Hole in the Wall and Market Vaults, Shrewsbury

Description

The cellars of Nos 8 and 9, The Square, now (1935?) used as wine vaults, are all that remain of the C13 Shute's Place (corrupted into Shoplatch). Members of the Shute family held the office of bailiff in the C13, and the house was probably one of the earliest stone mansions built in Shrewsbury <1a>
Substantial traces of a medieval stone building, probably Shute's Place, were discovered during building work at the Hole in the Wall (PRN 10333) in 1985 <2><3>

Sandstone walls surviving at cellar level, ground floor, and first-floor level, relative to Drayton's Passage, indicate a substantial rectangular stone-building lying north-west-south-east, perpendicular to the Shoplatch frontage. A wall at cellar level on the Shoplatch frontage (sites 60104, 60198-nos.3-4 Shoplatch) suggest that the building once extended as far as the street. Owen, and Owen & Blakeway say nothing of it. Forrest (1911) [<5>] made four observations: first, that it can be identified as Shute's Place, the town house of the family of that name which, corrupted, gave its name to Shoplatch; second, that masonry remains survived in the cellars of 'Mr Hughes, wine merchant', third that the building was probably entered via a courtyard off Shoplatch (p.35), and fourth, that further remains were to be found, including timber-framing and a stone-canopied fireplace above the basement, at the rear of premises at 8-9 The Square (p.48). A sandstone wall found on the Shoplatch frontage under no.4 in 1882 (seen again in 1996) had been identified then as part of Shute's Place (sites 60198, 60104). Building work in 1985 exposed extensive remains. A (problematic) report by A.Scott Davies [<3>] shows that the sandstone wall footings below ground or below ?undercroft level at the south-east end were provided with a series of pointed relieving arches, probably a response to unstable ground conditions. An excavated foundation trench is said to have contained 13th-14th-century pottery. Original openings at ground-floor level include parts of door to Drayton's Passage with moulded jambs; openings at ground and first-floor levels have splayed reveals, ashlar jambs and segmental rear arches. Much of the (south) wall to Drayton's Passage appears to be primary, up to eaves level; much of the (back/east) gable wall survives, with rebuilt fireplace at first floor level cutting original blocked opening. Form of building uncertain, though may be a first-floor hall or variant. Relationship of walls beneath no.2 Shoplatch at north corner on frontage (site 60102) to the remainder of the building are uncertain, and the form of the frontage in general is unknown. Further work needed to sort this building out. Arrol & Snell 1985 project files not searched for UAD but likely to contain further useful data <7>

Shute's Place is one of four known 13th and 14th century stone hall houses surviving or recorded in Shrewsbury. Like the other three, it had a substantial stone undercroft, over which the hall was set, though there is no evidence of stone vaulting. The building was set at right angles to Shoplatch, with the hall lying behind the frontage. The building appears to have continued right up to the street frontage, but the sandstone walls surviving in modern cellarage along the frontage here suggest that the frontage was subdivided, possibly for shops.The undercroft at Shute's Place appears to have been at ground level, consisting of a single large space (about 126 square metres), with access from the exterior (from the courtyard to the north of the house). There is no evidence of internal access to and from the hall, but there may have been <8>

In Drayton's Passage stood what was probably the private chapel of Shute's Place. An old illustration (reproduced) shows that it had an elaborately moulded arched doorway at ground level and a note on the drawing states that it was 'formerly owned by the monks of Haughmond whose property it was before the Dissolution'. The upper storey later became the printing works of Adnitt and Naunton.<9>

<00> Shropshire County Council SMR, Site and Monuments Record (SMR) cards, SMR Card for PRN SA 01524 (Card index). SSA20722.

<01a> Forrest H E, 1935, Old Houses of Shrewsbury, p10, p36, p49 (Monograph). SSA5596.

<01> Ordnance Survey, 1960, Ordnance Survey Record Card SJ41SE95 (Card index). SSA11064.

<02> Ryan Carole, 1985-Sep-20, Visit Notes, 20/09/1985 (Site visit report). SSA5715.

<03> Scott-Davies A, 1985, Report on the Site of the Hole in the Wall and the Market Vaults (Excavation report). SSA10339.

<04> Watson Michael D, 1985-Aug/Oct, Hole In The Wall, Shrewsbury (Photograph). SSA5714.

<05> Forrest H E, 1911, Old Houses of Shrewsbury (Monograph). SSA4134.

<06a> Baker Nigel J, 1996, SUAD Field Visit Records File (Field recording form). SSA22030.

<06> Baker Nigel J, 1996, UAD Field Visit File I (Field recording form). SSA10337.

<07> Baker Nigel J, UAD Analysis, 25/02/1997 (SMR comment). SSA20432.

<08> Baker Nigel J, Shrewsbury: an archaeological assessment - DRAFT VOLUME, p23-24 (Monograph). SSA22010.

<09> Moran Madge, 2003, Vernacular Buildings of Shropshire, p.218 (Monograph). SSA22146.

Sources

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.