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Summary

Grade II* listed timber-framed stores, built in early 18th century in connection with the adjacent canal basin; used as part of a museum since the mid 20th century

Associated Legal Designations or Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1211914: CORN STORES
• Conservation Area: Newbury Town Centre

Other Statuses and Cross-References

• Berkshire SMR No. (pre 2000): 01391.05.000
  
• Berkshire SMR No. (pre 2000): 05050.45.032
  Duplicate record also created under K & A sequence - deleted 31/01/2008 but ref no entered under Status
• National Monuments Record No.: SU 46 NE 7
  SU 4727 6714
• Old Listed Building Ref (pre 1984) (II): ø 1/101 Corn Stores
  Long range of 2 storeys, brick with tiled gabled roof. Along 1st floor is wood gallery with external flights of steps up to it. Of indeterminate date, possibly C.17-18. See V.C.H. Berks. IV, 130. (Photograph in N.B.R.) For notes see "Architectural Review" XVIII (1905), 235-6.

Monument Type(s):

• CANAL WAREHOUSE (18th century to Late 19th century - 1723 AD? to 1900 AD) + Sci.Date
• OFFICE (Mid 20th century to Early 21st century - 1935 AD? to 2025 AD)
• MUSEUM (Mid 20th century - Present to Early 21st century - 1950 AD (pre) to 2050 AD (pre))

Full Description

The Old Granary or Corn Stores was designated as a scheduled monument in 1949. It was described as "a long brick building, of two storeys, probably late C17. Wooden gallery runs along N front, access to it from two diverging flights of stairs in centre. Ground floor in use as shops. Upper floor partly thrown into museum offices, partly empty. Queen-post roof trusses, tie-beams carried out beyond N wall to support purlin of gallery roof. Modern brick work above tie-beams. Much of timber has been renewed." There was also the suggestion that one of the stores (the western room on the first floor) was a lock-up, with a heavily iron-bound door and a hatch shaped "to allow for a mug and plate to be passed through"<1> (old records).

The building was also listed in 1950, as a "Warehouse, now museum and shop"; it was noted that it had been altered in the 1930s when the front wall of the ground floor had been replaced by bay windows. The brickwork is in Flemish bond with some vitrified headers and the clay plain tile roof has gabled ends. The plan form is that of a narrow single depth range of eight cells, each cell of two bays <2>.

In 1988 the stores were upgraded to a Grade II* listing, but descheduled as an ancient monument. The upper storey was completely in use as museum stores and offices by this time; the converted store rooms on the ground floor had been occupied mainly by Newbury and District Bus Company from the 1930s until the bus station was no longer sited on the Wharf. From the late 20th century onwards there were various occupants on the ground floor including a small café and art gallery.

Many sources such as Betjeman <3>, Hadcock <4> and Pevsner <5> also dated this building as late 17th century, but it was always more likely to be early 18th century due to its position next to the wharf; in the early 1700s, Acts of Parliament made the river Kennet navigable from Reading to Newbury, and in time allowed the construction of the Kennet and Avon Canal. On John Willis' map of Newbury <6>, a canal basin ('The Bason') is shown branching off from the Kennet; to the south of and parallel to this narrow round-ended inlet are shown various buildings including a long range which probably represents the granary and Cloth Hall, and an intermediate building known later as 'The Cottages', which was demolished in the 1930s museum development. Tree ring dating carried out in 2009 <22> gave a date span of 1522-1711 but the timbers were likely to have been felled shortly after 1711.

Other 19th century large scale plans of the Wharf show the Granary <7><8><9>; Mark Willis' drawing shows the numbering on the individual doors of the store rooms which is still visible on the upper storeys in the 21st century. The building is one of the most picturesque in Newbury, and many photographs and drawings of it exist (eg <13><14><25>). There have also been comments made on its condition by architects (eg <15><16>).

An archaeological watching brief was conducted in advance of the redevelopment of Newbury Museum <24>. TH pits were excavated to exposed the foundations of each phase of the museum building. The foundations to the Corn Stores comprised deep brick foundations, 0.70m to 1.25m deep.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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