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Summary

Grade II listed early 19th century house, formerly a village tannery

Associated Legal Designations or Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1220545: THE OLD TANNERY
• Conservation Area: Donnington Village

Other Statuses and Cross-References

• Old Listed Building Ref (pre 1984) (II): Map No 26 4/114 Old Tannery
  Early C.19 colourwashed brick with slate roof, deep eaves and brick stacks. 2S. Sashes. Six window front. Doorway has entablature and moulded surround. Group value.

Monument Type(s):

• HOUSE (19th century - 1801 AD to 1832 AD)
• TANNERY (19th century - 1801 AD to 1832 AD)

Full Description

The Old Tannery in Donnington is a Grade II listed building, described as early 19th century in date <1><2>, of colour washed brick with a slate roof. It is not clear whether the industrial activity of tanning took place within the house, but a location close to water would seem more likely, and the First Edition Ordnance Survey mapping <3> shows a long thin building on the west side of the rear plot near the river Lambourn. This narrow building had been demolished by the Second Epoch OS of 1899 <4>, and a rear range attached to the house had also been removed by the later 20th century <5>. The 1838 tithe map also shows other long outbuildings arranged on both sides of the plot, as well as a semi-circular enclosure adjacent to the rear wall of the Tannery <7>.

The archaeologist O G S Crawford may be associated with this building: his Aunt Gertrude lived in 'Tan House' in Donnington until her death in 1935 [information received from family history and local history research, 2015].

Some analysis of the building's form and fabric was carried out in 2017 in connection with an application for a rear extension <6>. The heritage statement noted that the interior of Old Tannery could be described as polite domestic at the west end and vernacular domestic at the east end. The west end has a more formal layout and well proportioned rooms. It has high quality features and finishes of the early 19th century, such as six-panel doors with reeded architraves, reeded plaster cornices with corner blocks and a grey marble fireplace. The east end of Old Tannery has an informal layout, with a number of modern partition walls and door. The kitchen contains exposed transverse ceiling beam (with narrow chamfers and angled stops) and joists. It was suggested that the house was likely to have been purpose-built as a tannery for converting animal skin into leather, with a residential element at the west end. Other example of former village tanneries existed in Ramsbury and Sittingbourne, showing small scale industrial processes <6>.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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