February 15th Century A.D. Saighton Grange, Saighton, Cheshire—Agricultural Grange Converted to Residential Grange for Benedictines & Monastics Site; Demolished 1861; Home Built on Site
February 15th Century A.D. Saighton Grange, Saighton, Cheshire—Agricultural Grange
Converted to Residential Grange for Benedictines & Monastics Site; Demolished 1861; Home Built on Site;
Converted to School Called “Abbey Gate College” in 1977; 194 miles NE of London at 2200 as
the crow flies. Just south of Liverpool.
Saighton Grange
From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia
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Saighton Grange Gateway
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Saighton
Grange in 1817 before the medieval flanking buildings were demolished
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Location
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Saighton, Cheshire,
England
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Coordinates
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Built
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1490
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Built for
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Simon Ripley, Abbot of
St Werburgh's
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Architectural
style(s)
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Designated
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1 June 1967
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Reference no.
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1138394
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Location in
Cheshire
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Saighton Grange
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Built
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1861, 1870–72, 1894–96
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Built for
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Architect
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Architectural
style(s)
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Designated
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2 November 1983
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Reference no.
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1136660
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Saighton Grange Chapel
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Built
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c. 1870
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Designated
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2 November 1983
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Reference no.
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1130671
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Saighton
Grange originated as a monastic grange. It was later converted into acountry house and, as of 2013, the building is used as a school (Abbey Gate
College). It is located in Saighton,
Cheshire, England. The only surviving part of the monastic grange is the
gatehouse, which is designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and is one of only two surviving monastic manorial
buildings in Cheshire, the other being Ince Manor.[1] The rest of the building is listed at
Grade II,[2] as is its chapel.[3]
Contents
History
The manor of Saighton was held
by the secular canons of St Werburgh in Chester before the Norman
conquest.[4] In the Domesday Book it is listed as Saltone.[5] In 1093 it was granted to the Benedictine monks of St Werburgh's Abbey by Hugh Lupus.[4] The site was given a licence to crenellate in 1399, and this was confirmed in 1410,[6] but the privilege was apparently not acted upon:
"Saighton was primarily an agricultural centre until it was converted to
residential use in the fifteenth century".[7] The manor house was built about 1489 for Simon
Ripley, Abbot of St Werburgh's. Following the dissolution
of the monasteries the
manor passed through several hands and in time the house was separated from the
manor. In the 1840s the house was bought by the 2nd Marquess of Westminster.[4]
The monastic buildings, other
than the gatehouse, were demolished in 1861[6]and were replaced by a house designed by Edward Hodkinson for the2nd Marquess of Westminster.[8] Alterations were made to the house in about 1870–72
and again in 1894–96 by the Chester architect John
Douglas for
the 1st Duke of Westminster.[9] In the 1880s the building was occupied by Earl Grosvenor.[4] The garden were redesigned in 1901–02 by Harry Inigo Triggs.[10] The buildings were converted into a school in 1977[6] and it now forms Abbey Gate
College, which is anindependent coeducational school for pupils aged 4–18.[11]
Architecture
Gatehouse
This dates from 1490,[1] and was built in front of an earlier wide-arched
vehicular entry.[7] It is constructed in red sandstone and has three storeys, with string
courses between the storeys. It is
surmounted by a crenellated parapet.
The lower 1½ storeys of the front aspect are occupied by a pointed arch, above
which are three narrow windows. In the upper storey are two four-light mullioned windows. On the left side is a three-light oriel window with a four-light
mullioned window above, and in the merlon above this is a niche containing a statue. On the right side is a blocked
arch in the ground floor, a single-light window above it and a four-light
mullioned window in the top storey. In the angle between the gateway and the
newer building, on the left, is a square turret that is taller than the rest of
the gatehouse.[1]
House
The rest of the house is also
built in red sandstone and it has a tiled roof. The main wing has two storeys
and flanks the gatehouse, with two bays to its left and three bays to the right. It is in Tudor
style with battlements and stepped gables.
The right wing also has two storeys with a three-storey cross wing.[2]
Chapel
The chapel was built in about
1870 in red sandstone with a tiled roof. It is a rectangular building with
gables. On one of the gables is an open bellcote with one bell under a square spire. There are four windows containing
stained glass; three of these date from the late 19th century, the other
from the late 20th century.[3]
Grounds
In the grounds are part of the medieval boundary wall which is built of sandstone rubble.
This stands on bedrock on the edge of a rock cutting and is thought to have been a form of light
fortification. The walls are listed Grade II.[6][12] The grounds consist of formal gardens, surrounded
by informal parkland. The gardens are open occasionally under the National
Garden Scheme.[10]
See also
References
1. ^ Jump up to:a b c English Heritage, "Abbey Gate College Gatehouse
Gateway, Saighton (1138394)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 16 August 2012
2. ^ Jump up to:a b English Heritage, "Abbey Gate College, the main
block except the Gatehouse, Saighton (1136660)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 16 August 2012
3. ^ Jump up to:a b English Heritage, "Abbey Gate College Chapel
(formerly Saighton Grange Chapel), Saighton (1130671)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 16 August 2012
4. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Ormerod, George; Thomas Helsby
(Ed.) (1882), The History of the County Palatine
and City of Chester (2nd ed.),
London: George Routledge and Sons, pp. ii: 769–770
7. ^ Jump up to:a b Emery, Anthony (2006), East Anglia, Central England, and Wales, Greater
Medieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300–1500 II, Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, pp. 569–571, ISBN 978-0-521-58132-5
8. Jump up^ Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven
and London: Yale University Press, p. 570,ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6
9. Jump up^ Hubbard, Edward (1991), The Work of John Douglas, London: The Victorian Society, pp. 242, 265, ISBN 0-901657-16-6
10. ^ Jump up to:a b Abbey Gate College, (also known as
Saighton Grange), Saighton, Chester, England, Parks &
Gardens Data Services Ltd., retrieved 1 December 2009
12. Jump up^ English Heritage, "Boundary wall north and west of
Abbey Gate College, Saighton (1330250)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 16 August 2012
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