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Designations

• Registered Park or Garden (II) 1000309: BATTLE ABBEY
• Registered Battlefield 1000013: Battle of Hastings, 1066
• Conservation Area: BATTLE
• Scheduled Monument: BATTLE ABBEY

Summary

The guest range was initially constructed along the southern precinct boundary in the thirteenth century, and substantially rebuilt in the sixteenth century. A terrace was built in the 19th century on the ruins of the guesthouse range.

Monument Types

• DEMOLITION LAYER (Unknown date)
• TUNNEL (Unknown date)
• YARD (Unknown date)
• DEMOLITION LAYER (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• (Former Type) GUEST HOUSE (AD 13th Century to AD 16th Century - 1200 AD to 1599 AD)
• (Former Type) UNDERCROFT (AD 13th Century to AD 16th Century - 1200 AD to 1599 AD)
• (Former Type) CONSERVATORY (AD 19th Century to AD 20th Century - 1800 AD to 1999 AD)
• POND (AD 19th Century to Modern - 1800 AD to 2050 AD)
• TERRACED GARDEN (AD 19th Century to Modern - 1800 AD to 2050 AD)

Description

The plan has been prepared to inform the conservation and management of the buildings, park and battlefield at the English Heritage property of Battle Abbey. The plan outlined that English Heritage should comply with the legal and procedural requirements for scheduled monuments, listed buildings and conservation areas, together with best practice in the management and presentation of the non-statutory registered battlefield, archaeological notification areas, and registered historic park. The wider setting of the site within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the policies in the High Weald AONB Management Plan 2014-2019 should always be considered in any actions. Best professional practice and English Heritage’s own advisory documents should be followed at all times. There are three particular subject areas that should be at the forefront of this approach within the plan period archaeological investigation and recording, the presentation of the building and the landscape and the wider setting of the property. [1]
The guest range was first constructed during the thirteenth century, which was a period of significant rebuilding at the abbey. It was built to complement the previous guesthouse, which had by this time been colonised by the abbot’s residence and household, although the more important guests may still have been hosted there. The medieval guest range consisted of an undercroft whose scale – as in the monastic dorter – bears witness to the difficulties of building on the sloping topography of the site. It was linked to the abbot’s house via an extant underground passageway. Nothing is known about the superstructure of this building, although the shape of the undercroft indicates that it consisted of a central hall with smaller service blocks flanking it to either side. Following his acquisition of the abbey after the Dissolution, Sir Anthony Browne rebuilt and lengthened the superstructure of the monastic guest range with new guest accommodation in the latest Renaissance style. The upper terrace was created by the Clevelands in the later nineteenth century by waterproofing the vaults of the guesthouse undercroft and laying the area out with lawns and gravel paths, much as they exist today. The conservatory terrace was probably created towards the end of the nineteenth century by the Clevelands. It lies to the east of the upper terrace, and formerly housed a conservatory. The lily pond to the south of the Duchess of Cleveland’s walled garden was dug in the eighteenth century as a horse pond.[2]
Further information [3]
A watching brief was carried out sometime between October 1998 and January 1999 for the insertion of an electricity cable around the school (Abbot's House) in order to power a series of ground level lights. Along the front of the school from lamps A to the main entrance only top soil and gravel were removed. Between the main entrance and the Guest Range terrace a more mixed deposit of clay, redeposited natural and demolition debris was recorded. To the south of the library block two distinct areas of asphalt were observed. It may be that they cover the foundations of walls pre-dating the library. An unknown linear concrete feature set into natural clay and sealed by redeposited clay was recorded from the northern frater wall along the west side of the cloister. [4]
A subterranean passage was recorded and partially excavated in February 1999. The passage was located beneath the 16th century extention created by Sir Anthony Browne and consisted of four sections; A 1.6m passage recorded through the width of the 16th century south wall, B a corridor with staircase and vaulted ceiling, C low vaulted opening dividing into two passages and D brick and stone chamber entered from the estern arm of opening C. A minor excavation was carried out in opening section A to establish the nature of the floor at this point. Demolition rubble was recorded during the excavation covering both the Monastic and post medieval periods. [5]
A watching brief along the west lawn during the excavation of foundation pads for a
temporary classroom and a service trench revealed two previously unrecorded stretches of undated cobbledyard surface. [6]

Sources

Associated Events

• School House, Battle Abbey, High Street, Battle : Watching Brief (Ref: 2.22/6)
• Guest Range, Battle Abbey, High Street, Battle : Excavation
• Battle Abbey School, Battle Abbey, High Street, Battle : Evaluation

Associated Monuments

• MES3355 - Part of: Battle Abbey, Battle : Norman/Medieval Abbey (Monument)

Associated Finds - none recorded

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