34. ETON
(O.S. 6 in. (a)lvi. N.W. (b)lvi. S.W.)
Collegiate
a(1). The Church and College of the
Blessed Mary of Eton, stands at the N. end of
the old town, on the Slough road. The original
site, acquired by the founder, King Henry VI.,
in 1440, is low, bounded on the S. and E. by the
river Thames, and on the N. and W. by the
Slough road. The church is of stone, but the
college buildings, which are of two and of three
storeys, are of red brick with stone dressings,
though parts of the walls are faced with stone.
The roofs are covered with lead, tiles and
slate, and the chimneys are of moulded brick.
The Church is on the S. side of a large courtyard, known as the School Yard, which is
bounded on the N. and W. by the Lower and
Upper School Buildings, and on the E. by the
W. range of the four ranges forming the
Cloister Buildings. Additions have been made
at various dates, and some houses connected
with, but not actually part of, the old College
buildings were erected on the site prior to 1700.
The group of buildings comprising the
Church, School Buildings, and Cloister Buildings, is of exceptional interest as an illustration of the mediæval collegiate plan. The most
noticeable features are: in the Church—the
15th-century lectern, the brasses of Provosts
Bost and Lupton and the screen of Lupton's
Chapel; in the Upper and Lower School Buildings—the desks, seating, etc., and the carved
names of the scholars from the 16th century to
the present time; in the Cloister Buildings—
the 17th-century bread-bin and butler's desk,
and the 15th-century ironwork of the gallery
doors.
It is also to be noted that both the Church
and the College buildings were sufficiently
completed during the reign, and under the
direct superintendence of the founder, to cause
most of the later work to be of the nature of
minor alterations and embellishments, or
external additions to the original scheme. It
may almost be said that the original buildings
are still put to the purposes for which they were
erected. This interest is further enhanced by
the remarkable series of documents in the College Library and Muniment Room, which
record and illustrate the original scheme, the
actual construction of the buildings, the changes
in design made during the progress of the work
and the later alterations and additions. They
include contemporary and official statements of
the King's intentions and desires, estimates of
cost and a vast mass of contracts and building
accounts, which are continued, with a few
breaks, from 1441 to the present day.
Historical Development.
Work was begun in 1441; bricks were first
supplied in 1442, and in the same year a contract was made with some quarrymen of Kent
for a supply of stone. The site of the College
and its grounds contained the old Parish
Church, which probably stood to the S. of the
present Church and was left standing, repaired,
and even enlarged while the new Church was
being built; it was not finally destroyed until
shortly after 1475. In October, 1443, mass
was celebrated at the High Altar of the new
Church which was still unfinished. In the
same year a contract was made for the joinery
for ten chambers, the hall, seven towers and
the cloisters in the 'quadrant' which is mentioned as then standing and must have been a
part of the present Cloister Buildings. By the
spring of 1448 preparations were made for completing the new Quire which was to be 103 ft.
by 32 ft. in size, and for finishing the College
buildings generally. The Cloister Buildings
were not quite completed at that date. By
1448, the new Church was nearly ready; but in
January, 1449, Roger Keys, the Clerk of the
Works, visited the cathedrals of Salisbury and
Winchester to measure their quires and naves,
etc., and in March he spent three weeks in
London arranging for further supplies of
material, and submitting to the King proposals
for the completion of the work. The result was
a new design for a Quire 150 ft. by 40 ft., with
larger and more numerous windows, which corresponds in every essential particular with the
present building, and it is clear that the Quire
begun in 1441 and nearly completed by 1448
was pulled down and begun again on a larger
plan c. 1449–50; this is confirmed by the walling
of the church; Teynton stone is largely used in
the lower courses and no Teynton stone appears
in the accounts before 1448. About that time
the glazing of the windows in the College buildings, including the Hall, was in progress.
After 1450 the work proceeded more slowly, and
the accounts are somewhat imperfect. The
kitchen was probably built and the Quire of the
Church was nearly finished by 1458–9.
On the deposition of the King in 1460 work
ceased, and was never again continued on the
same scale. Up to that time between £15,000
and £16,000 had been expended and the College
consisted of the following parts:—(1) The
Cloister Buildings, consisting of the Provost's
and the Fellows' lodgings, and a Hall with
Offices and Kitchen; (2) the Lower School
Building, a two-storeyed range, providing
accommodation for the scholars and their
masters; (3) the nearly finished Quire, including the North Vestry and Porch, of the new
Church.
The school-yard was thus enclosed on the N.,
S., and E., but the W. side of the yard was
open, or had, possibly, a wall. The Lower
School Building was joined to the Cloister
Buildings by a wall the height of one storey,
and the Quire was completely detached.
The College was deprived of part of its
revenues under Edward IV. and never regained
them in full. In 1469 Bishop William Waynflete took up the work, and in 1475 arranged a
contract for erecting the rood-loft and stalls of
the new Church; but the large nave and aisles
originally intended were for ever abandoned
and, in place of them, in 1479 the Ante-chapel
was begun, and, probably with its N. and S.
porches, was finished about 1482. No further
structural work was done in the 15th century,
but many fittings were purchased, and the
paintings, now hidden by the modern stalls,
were executed between 1478 and 1480.
Important work began again with the
Provostship of Roger Lupton (1503–1535): in
1507–8 the kitchen was partly re-built and the
present roof was constructed; Lupton's Chapel
was built at the expense of the Provost, and
was finished by 1515; the West Range of the
Cloister Buildings was re-built; the work was
begun on 23rd February, 1516–17. The cloister
arches and some of the walling above them
were preserved, but the W. front, S. of the
N.W. tower, was destroyed, and even the S.W.
corner tower was probably levelled to the
ground. The new range contained the Provost's Lodge, the gate, in a tower of four stages,
and the library, the present Election Hall;
this range was completed c. 1520. There is
evidence in the detail of doorways and
windows to show that some important work
of restoration and repair was done at that
time to the Lower School Building, which
forms the N. side of the school-yard, but
modern restorations make the full extent of
the repairs uncertain. No further structural
work was done in the 16th century. In 1603–4
the Saville House was built (see separate paragraph). During the Provostship of Dr. Allestree (1665–1680) the quadrangle of the schoolyard was completed by building a W. range;
this proved to be of faulty construction, and
was pulled down and replaced by the present
building known as 'Upper School', between
1689 and 1691. Towards the end of the 17th
century the Church was repaired and practically
re-roofed. In 1714 the brewhouse and bakehouse W. of the kitchen were re-built, and
between 1726 and 1729 the cloister side of the
S. range of the Cloister Buildings was completely re-built in constructing the present
library. In 1758 a third storey was added to
the N. and E. ranges. In 1756–66 a wing projecting towards the N. from the N.W. corner of
the Cloister Buildings was added to the Provost's Lodge, and in 1844 a wing parallel to it
was built for the further accommodation of the
collegers. Other additions made in the 19th
century were of a minor character or else wholly
separated and at some distance from the old
buildings. The Church was fully restored
between 1847 and 1852, and again in 1876. The
hall was restored and re-roofed in 1858.
The Church of the Blessed Mary of Eton.
Architectural Description—The Presbytery
and Quire (150 ft. by 40 ft.), which were completed by 1475, form one range of eight bays,
marked externally by deep buttresses and internally by clustered wall-shafts. The floor is
raised about 13 ft. above the external ground
level, the space between being filled in solid;
this was part of the original design, and was
due to the liability of the site to floods from the
river. The E. window is of nine cinque-foiled
lights in two stages with an embattled transom,
tracery, and a four-centred main head, and the
exterior is elaborately moulded; the outer order
of the mouldings and the external label are
curiously distorted and appear to be old material
re-used from the first and smaller church; the
lights are arranged in triplets and the mastermullions have small off-set buttresses with
finials; the internal reveal is elaborately
moulded and panelled and is carried to the
floor; the window-back is panelled, and in the
splays are doorways which open into octagonal
stair-turrets, set between the corner buttresses
and rising above the parapet of the chapel; the
turrets are finished with small wooden lanterns.
The N. and S. walls have each eight windows,
all of five cinque-foiled lights in two stages, with
embattled transoms and tracery under two-centred main heads; the internal and external
reveals are moulded; the wall-shafts which
separate the windows have moulded capitals
and bases, and the four eastern shafts on each
side are continued down to the floor; the others
are carried on small moulded corbels on an offset below the window sills, formed by a thickening of the walls of the four western bays,
designed to give a flat surface for the stalls.
The four eastern bays have the window reveals
carried to the floor, and the backs are panelled
in the same way as that of the E. window; the
panelling is complete on the S. wall; on the N.
wall the first bay is partly covered by the monument to Provost Murray, the second bay is
pierced by the arch opening into Lupton's
chapel; the panelling of the third bay is partly
modern, and there was apparently, at one time,
an opening into the vestry; in the fourth bay,
opening into the porch, is a doorway very much
restored. The rest of the lower part of both
walls is almost entirely covered by the modern
stalls and their canopies. In the W. wall of
the quire, opening into the ante-chapel, is an
arch, now almost completely hidden by the
organ and the modern organ-loft; it appears to
be modern or wholly restored, but during one
of the 19th century restorations traces of a
wider arch were discovered in the wall; above
the arch is a traceried window of seven lights
of the same design as the other windows.
The walls of the quire are of two stages with
a moulded plinth and an embattled parapet.
The buttresses, of considerable projection, are
off-set at the first stage, in the middle of the
second stage, at the spring of the windows, they
have small crocketed and finialled gables, and
they are finished with crocketed pinnacles. The
basement courses are of Teynton stone (shelly
oolite); up to the window sills and to the second
off-set of the buttresses stone from Huddleston
is used mixed with Teynton stone; above this
is Kentish rag-stone; the Teynton stone is also
used where extra durability is required. The
pinnacles and parapet are almost entirely
modern, and the window tracery is considerably
restored.
Lupton's Chapel (11 ft. by 14 ft.), which was
added c. 1514, has an elaborate fan-vaulted roof,
with moulded ribs, forming cusped panels, and,
in the centre, an elaborate traceried circle with
a long pendent boss, on which is a shield with
argent a cheveron sable three lilies argent thereon between three lions' heads razed sable a chief
gules a tau cross between two scallops or thereon (for Lupton). In the N. wall is a window
of five cinque-foiled lights in two stages, with
tracery in a four-centred main head. In the
W. wall is the E. window of the vestry.
The North Vestry and Porch, built at the
same time as the quire, are set between the
third and fourth and the fourth and fifth buttresses of the N. wall of the quire. The vestry
has an E. window and a N. window, each of
three trefoiled and sub-cusped lights, with
tracery and an embattled transom; the E. window now opens to Lupton's chapel; the internal reveals of both windows are panelled,
and a recess in the S. wall has similar panels;
the back of the recess appears to be modern, and
probably once formed an opening into the quire.
In the W. wall the doorway opening into the
porch is continuously moulded in the vestry,
and has, in the porch, a deep square-headed
and panelled reveal. The porch has windows
in the N. and W. walls of the same character as
those in the vestry; at the N. end of the W.
wall is the outer doorway, of two moulded
orders, the inner four-centred, the outer square;
the jambs have slender shafts with moulded
capitals; the doorway is approached by a flight
of steps from the school yard.
The Ante-Chapel (59 ft. by 30 ft.), built 14791482, has, on each side of the quire arch, a
panelled and moulded buttress on which is an
image (see Fittings). The N. and the S.
window are each of seven cinque-foiled lights
with a four-centred main head and tracery
of later character than that of the quire
windows. In the W. wall are three windows, each of five cinque-foiled lights and
tracery in a four-centred main head. The
walls below the windows are panelled in the
same manner as the eastern part of the quire,
except where they are pierced by the wide N.
and S. doorways which are of similar design,
of two elaborately moulded orders, the outer
square, the inner four-centred; the spandrels
have plain tracery.
The North Porch of the Ante-Chapel is of two
storeys and of the same date as the ante-chapel,
but the wood staircase (see Plate, p. 269) is of
1694-5, and of four flights, three leading to the
N. doorway of the ante-chapel and the fourth
continuing to the first floor of the Upper School.
The S. doorway of the porch is approached from
the colonnade under the Upper School, and
is of the same date and design as the N. and S.
doorways of the ante-chapel; in the E. and W.
walls are mullioned and transomed windows of
two lights. The staircase has a heavy moulded
handrail and closed string, square panelled
newels and turned balusters. The South Porch
is similar to the N. porch, but in the W. wall
is an entrance for the people of the town; it has
a moulded inner order with a four-centred head
and a square outer order and label; the jambs
have slender shafts and the whole doorway is
very much restored. The staircase, of stone,
was built in 1624-5. The walls of the antechapel and the porches were completely refaced, with Bath stone, in 1876.
The Roof of the quire retains the original
moulded principals, purlins, etc., with arched
bracing, but has been much restored; the large
cusps were added in the 19th century. The
original wooden ceiling of the vestry is flat,
divided into panels by moulded strips, with
small carved bosses.
Fittings—Bells: in S.W. turret of antechapel, two, 1st by Ellis Knight, 1637.
Brasses and Indents. Brasses: in Lupton's
Chapel—(1) probably of Roger Lupton, Provost
of Eton, figure of ecclesiastic in cassock and
cloak with cross of St. George on shoulder, scroll
from breast, shield with arms, argent a cheveron sable with a chief gules a tau cross, between
two scallops or therein, c. 1566; the arms, for
Lupton, differ slightly from those shown on
the vaulting boss (see Lupton's Chapel);
(2) to Elizabeth (Barlow), wife of Provost
William Day, 1575, inscription only. In AnteChapel—on floor, (3) of Henry Bost, Provost of
Eton, 1503, figure of ecclesiastic in cassock,
surplice and amess, set under triple crocketed
and finialled canopy, with inscription, 16 lines
of Latin verse, brass inlaid with white metal;
on E. wall, S. of arch to Quire, (4) of Dr.
Thomas Barker, Vice-Provost of Eton, Rector
of Petworth, 1489, figure of ecclesiastic in
cassock, surplice, amess and biretta, with inscription in 16 Latin hexameters; (5) to Jane,
daughter of Edmund Woodhall, wife of George
Goad, 1657, heart-shaped plate with Latin inscription and shield with arms, see indent
(15); (6) to John Chelde and Margaret, Isabel
and Alys, his wives, inscription only, early
16th-century; (7) of Richard Arden, Fellow
of Eton, 1509, priest in Mass vestments,
inscription in Latin; (8) of ecclesiastic in
cassock, surplice and amess, early 16th-century;
(9) to Edward Underhill, citizen and haberdasher of London, 1606, inscription only; (10)
of Thomas Edgecomb, Vice-Provost of Eton,
1545, three-quarter figure of tonsured ecclesiastic in cassock and hooded tippet, with Latin
inscription in elegiac verse; on E. wall, N. of
arch to Quire, (11) of Thomas Allen, of
Worcester, Fellow of Eton, 1636, kneeling
figure of man with pointed beard, wearing
quilled ruff, cloak, etc., with inscription in
Latin, see indent (12); (12) of a woman in pedimental head-dress and fur-trimmed gown, early
16th-century; (13) to John Clavering, Fellow
and Vice-Provost of Eton, inscription only,
1612; (14) to Thomas Smith, Master of
Arts of King's College, Cambridge, and
Fellow of; Eton, 1572, rhyming inscription;
(15) of Richard Grey, Lord Grey, Cotenore,
Wylton and Ruthyn, 1521, figure of man in
plate armour with shoulder-guards, mail skirt,
etc., see indent (4); (16) of William Boutrod,
'late pety canon of Wyndesore', 1522, figure of
ecclesiastic in cassock, surplice and amess, with
inscription, see indent (9); (17) inscription,
much worn and nearly illegible, dated 1515,
(said to be to Robert Rede, 1515, and Mervel,
his wife); (18) of Elizabeth Stokys, 1560,
woman in ruff, panier skirts, etc., with inscription to Elizabeth and her husband, Robert
Stokys, also 1560, said to be palimpsest, see indent (11); (19) to Phillip Botteler, 1613, Latin
inscription and five Latin hexameters; (20) to
—Page, Fellow of Eton, inscription in two
Latin hexameters; (21) of—Horman, 1525,
figure of priest in Mass vestments, holding chalice
and host, with inscription in Latin (probably
William Horman, Headmaster); (22) to Elizabeth (Franklin), wife of Giles Baker, 1641;
(23) to Edmond Hobart, scholar of Eton, 1607.
Indents: In Ante-Chapel—(1) half hidden by
font, of inscription plate; (2) of a woman; (3)
of figure and two inscription plates, much worn;
(4) of man in armour, inscription plate and two
shields, see brass (15); (5) of inscription plate;
(6) of kneeling figure, inscription plate and two
shields, 16th-century; (7) of two plates; (8) of
large inscription plate; (9) of ecclesiastic and
inscription plate, see brass (16); (10) of inscription plate; (11) of civilian and woman, kneeling figures, with nine children, shield, scrolls,
and two plates, see brass (18); (12) of man and
inscription plate, see brass (11); (13) of ecclesiastic and inscription plate, 16th-century; (14)
of inscription plate and shield, much worn; (15)
of heart-shaped plate and shield, much worn,
see brass (5); (16) of inscription plate; (17) of
ecclesiastic and inscription plate. Door: of N.
vestry, probably 15th-century, with pointed
head, the blind tracery apparently a restoration,
on the back is painted 'T.W. 1699.' Images:
two, on buttresses in ante-chapel, one of St.
George, the other uncertain, possibly of the
Founder or St. Edward. Lectern: in quire, of
latten, with heavy moulded circular base supported on four small lions, circular stem with
moulded necking and capital, double bookdesk of plates with pierced cusped and foliated
circles containing shields with the arms of
Eton, incorrectly given, the leopard being
shown rampant instead of passant, the
desk also engraved with the symbols of
the Evangelists and with scrolls, second
half of 15th century. Monuments and Floor-slabs: Monuments: In quire—against E. end
of N. wall, (1) to Thomas Murray, Provost of
Eton, 1623, elaborate architectural design, in
alabaster, with shallow arched niche, containing coloured bust, under enriched Corinthian
order, in recess between the pedestals of the
columns a carved wooden skeleton, Latin inscription and three cartouches with arms. In
N. porch of quire—(2) mural, to Richard
Allestree, Provost of Eton, 1680, with arms;
(3) to Maria Bateman, 1657, with arms. In
churchyard—(4) tomb of John Hales, 1659,
slab modern. Floor-slab: In ante-chapel—to
Sir Henry Wotton, Provost of Eton, 1637, large,
black marble, with re-cut inscription and
epitaph: 'Hic jacet hujus sententiae primus
Auctor: Disputandi Pruritus fit Ecclesiarum
scabies. Nomen alias quaere', and shield with
arms. Paintings: in quire, on N. and S. walls,
series of paintings of 1478–80; defaced portion
visible on S. wall, the rest hidden by canopies
of stalls. Reredos: in ante-chapel, in E. wall,
N. and S. of arch to quire, range of niches with
cusped heads and moulded brackets for images:
under E. window of vestry, moulded and
embattled string-course, probably part of a
reredos. Screen: in Lupton's Chapel, of
stone, pierced by arch and doorway, both with
four-centred heads and elaborately moulded,
whole surface enriched with panelling and
mouldings, spandrels of doorway carved with
rebus, 'R', 'Lup', and a tun. Stoup: in
S.W. buttress of ante-chapel, with four-centred
head and moulded projecting basin, part cut
away, late 15th-century. Miscellanea: on the
stairs of N. porch of quire, shield with the
Tudor royal arms.
The Cloister Buildings.
These buildings lie on the E. side of the
school-yard, and consist of four ranges enclosing a cloister garth, known as the Green Court,
originally about 90 ft. square, but now slightly
reduced from N. to S. The N. and E. ranges
are of three storeys, the S. and W. ranges are
of two storeys, with a tower of four stages in
the W. range and a hall of one storey in the
S. range. The walls are of red brick with stone
dressings; the S. range is faced partly with
stone; the roofs are covered with lead, slate and
tiles. All the ranges were built in 1441–8, but
the W. range was almost wholly re-built in
1517–20; the cloister side of the S. range was
re-built and widened in 1726–9, the front being
extended into the cloister garth; the third
storeys of the N. and E. ranges were added in
1758.
The North and East Ranges appear to have
contained originally ten rooms on each floor for
the Fellows, conducts, etc. There are square
towers at the external angles and against the
external walls, which contained latrines and
probably staircases. The rooms were entered
from the cloister and from the gallery which
corresponds to it on the first floor. The change
in manners and ways of living since 1441 has
resulted in the addition of one storey to these
buildings, while the number of tenants has
become gradually less; they now form part of
the Provost's Lodge and the houses of the Headmaster, Bursar, and Vice-Provost; in consequence the interiors have been considerably
altered, and much old work has been hidden,
moved, and adapted to other uses. The N. range
is pierced at the E. end by a passage which continues the line of the E. cloister and gives
access to the Playing Fields N.E. of the college.
In the corners of the Green Court are square
stair-turrets giving access to the upper floors
and roofs. The N.W. turret has been enlarged
to give a wider staircase to the first floor of the
Provost's Lodge; this is said to have been done
in 1618, and the turret appears to have work of
that period; but the enlargement may have
been made at an earlier date.
The South Range contains the hall with its
offices, standing on a vaulted basement, and, on
the first floor over the cloister, the 18th-century
library. A passage pierces the E. end of the
range and corresponds to the passage through
the N. range; it now forms part of the ViceProvost's house. The hall has, at the E. end,
the screens and offices, and at the W. end the
daïs from which the bay window opens on the
S.; there are fireplaces on the N., S., and W.,
and a door and staircase on the W. leading to
the Provost's Lodge in the W. range.
The West Range is pierced, near the S.W.
corner of the cloisters, by a vaulted archway,
under the tower, which is flanked externally by
half octagonal stair-turrets. The ground floor
of the range contains the porter's lodge and the
conducts' rooms and some offices. On the first
floor at the N. end is the Magna Parlura of the
Provost; S. of this is a modern staircase with
the Election Hall, built probably as the college
library; it became the state room for the visit of
the Provost of Kings and the Posers for the
'Election' of scholars when the library of 1827
was built, and is now used as a private dining-room by the Provost of Eton. Over the gateway
is the Election Chamber, and beyond this are a
number of rooms appropriated to the Provost.
In the third and fourth storeys of the tower are
chambers, the upper chamber containing the
clock.
Cloister Elevations:—The N. and E. Ranges
are of similar design. The ground floor has six
continuously moulded four-centred arches, of
stone, with brick relieving arches, 1½ bricks
deep in the N. range, and 1 brick deep in the
E. range; the deeper arch, which is also used
in the cloister of the W. range, suggests
that the work of building began with the E.
range; the fine 18th-century railings across
the arches in the N. and E. ranges are of
wrought iron. The arch at the W. end of the N.
arcade is partly blocked by the staircase to the
Provost's Lodge, and between the arches are
piers and offset stone buttresses; these are
shown, on prints of late 17th-century and
earlier date, to have been carried up to the
embattled parapet, but have since been cut back
to the wall surface above the first floor. The
wall above the windows of the first floor was re-built when the third storey was added. The
third storey is of stone and is surmounted by an
embattled parapet. The windows of the first
floor are each of four pointed lights under a
square main head with a label. The second
floor has 18th-century windows. The S. Range
between the corner turrets on this side is wholly
of the 18th century and has a classic cloister
arcade, also with railings of ironwork. The W.
Range retains the original cloister arches and
buttresses and the original walling up to about
the height of the window-sills on the first floor,
but all above this and between the stair-turrets
was built in 1517–22. One of the arches
of the arcade is blocked by the staircase of the
Provost's Lodge; the turret appears above the
arch, and both there and against the turret in
the S.W. corner the junction of the 15th and
16th-century work is clearly visible. In the later
work the buttresses are continued up to the
embattled parapet and divide the E. wall of the
Election Hall into four bays; the two middle
bays have each two windows of two pointed
lights under square main heads with a label
formed by a broken string-course; the end
bays have each a single-light window in place
of the second window of two lights, but that at
the S. end has a pointed head and was probably
once of two lights; S. of the last buttress, at the
S. end of the Election Hall, is a single-light
window, and further S. is the tower, which
stands over one and a half of the cloister arches,
and abuts on the S.W. stair-turret. The second
arch from the S. in the W. cloister has been
closed by a substantial buttress and wall built
in 1910 to support the N.E. corner of Lupton's
tower; more of the old walling remains under
the tower than elsewhere, and the E. window of
the Election Chamber seems to have been inserted in it; the window is of two stages of five
lights; the string-course broken over the other
windows is also carried over it, but with some
curious irregularities, possibly connected with
the design of the original range; above the
string-course the walls of the tower are decorated with diamond pattern in black headers and
have an embattled parapet; there are windows
in the two upper stages similar to that of the
Election Hall, of two lights in the second stage
and of five lights in the third stage.
External Elevations:—The N. and E. Ranges
are practically of the same design. At each end
are the corner towers, and between them are
two smaller towers. Each front thus forms
three bays, which have four openings on each
floor; in the N. front, on the ground floor, one
of these openings is the doorway of the passage
to the cloisters; it has jambs and four-centred
head continuously moulded with an ogee and
hollow chamfer, and the finely moulded label
has diamond-shaped stops; the other openings
were all originally windows of two lights in
two stages, but have been much altered by
the insertion of sashes at various dates; they
have each a square-headed ogee-moulded outer
order, within which were originally the roll-moulded mullion, transom and pointed heads
of the lights. The towers have windows,
without transoms, at heights suggesting original staircases or mezzanine floors, but the old
sewer running under the towers bears witness
to part of their original purpose. The walls
have a few patches of diaper work in black
headers, probably not original; the third storey,
of red brick, was built in the 18th century; the
towers were raised at the same time, and have
embattled parapets. The S. Range is covered,
E. of the screens, by the passage to the kitchen,
and some modern additions to the Fellows'
buildings, behind which is an original doorway
similar to that in the N. front and opening into
the passage to the cloisters. Above these buildings the end of the S. wall of the hall is visible
rising above the walls of the buttery; this end is
toothed, and appears to be unfinished, suggesting that the original intention was to build a
room over the buttery. W. of the screens, the
hall, with its bay window, is faced with stone
up to nearly two-thirds of the height, and is buttressed; above this the wall is of 18th-century
brick, and is finished with an embattled parapet.
E. of the bay window there are three windows,
each of two cinque-foiled lights with deep plain
external reveals; they appear to have been originally of two stages, and to have been cut down
to the transom line when the 18th-century work
was done; as the upper lights would have been
of the same height as the lower lights, the walls
of the hall must have been considerably higher
than they are at present, or the windows may
have been dormered; the present heads are of
plastered brick. The bay window has three
facets, with small offset and finialled buttresses; the window in the middle facet is of
three cinque-foiled lights and in each side facet
is a window of two lights, all with moulded
tracery, mullions, heads and jambs; above the
heads is blind tracery of the same design as that
in the windows. W. of the bay window is a
short length of wall with a smaller window of
two lights in two stages. At the S.W. corner of
the hall is a buttress, and beyond it the stonework comes to an end in an irregular line, except
the plinth, which is carried round to the W.
front; this irregularity is partly the result of the
rebuilding of the W. front by Lupton. The basement of the tower at the S.W. corner appears to
be part of the original work, which then takes
an irregular line to the wall of the hall; in this
basement was the sluice-house, which formed
the beginning of the original drainage system.
The W. Range is almost wholly of the 16th
century, but is built probably partly on the old
foundations. The tower is centred in the W.
elevation between the S. line of the Lower
School Building and the S.W. tower of the
Cloister Buildings, an appearance of symmetry
being thus obtained; it is of four stages, with an
embattled parapet; the flanking octagonal turrets are one stage higher, and have small wooden
lanterns or cupolas; the turrets are quoined
with stone, and have, in each stage, pointed
single-light windows with labels. In the ground
stage, between the turrets, is the archway to the
cloister, with continuously moulded jambs and
four-centred head; above this is a great oriel
window carried up two storeys and finished with
an embattled parapet; it lights the Election
Chamber and the room above it; in each storey
of the oriel is a window of five lights in two
stages, and the solid walling is faced with
stone and panelled in imitation of the windows;
below the window in the first storey is a panel
with a representation of the Assumption of the
Virgin carved in stone; below the window in the
second storey is a panel with the Royal Arms.
The stages of the tower are marked by stringcourses, that at the first floor lines with the
string-course of the main building. The Election Hall has six windows, each of two pointed
lights under a square main head and label, and
there is a single-light window at the S. end of
the wall; there are similar windows on the
ground floor. The S. end of this range has on
the first floor three windows with lights in two
stages. The ground floor windows are similar
to those of the Election Hall. Throughout this
front a diaper of black bricks is used, mainly in
diamond pattern, but also, on one of the turrets,
in a design representing a jar of lilies; the diaper
also appears on the S.W. tower; the N. end
of this front is masked by the extension of the
S. wall of the Lower School Building, but a
straight joint in the brickwork shows that
Lupton's rebuilding was not carried as far as
the N.W. tower. This range possesses some of
the few remaining old chimney stacks, which
have octagonal twisted and enriched shafts, on
panelled bases, with moulded capping, etc., all
in brick.
Interior:—In the N. and E. Ranges the rooms
on the ground floor have original stone doorways, opening into the cloister, with continuously moulded jambs and four-centred
heads, which have moulded labels with diamond-shaped stops; the doorways are similar to that
in the N. front, and eight of them are
arranged in pairs, the junction of their labels
being covered by foliated bosses; there are also
two single doorways in the E. range; the plain
nail-studded doors are probably original. At
the W. end of the N. range is a single doorway
of late 17th-century date, with a heavy moulded
architrave and cornice of oak and the original
panelled door. The original doorways are
flanked by small windows, also of stone, all
originally of two lights under square moulded
heads, but most of them have been considerably
mutilated, and have lost their mullions or have
been blocked; there are also modern transomed
and mullioned windows in the N. range. Some
of the fireplaces in the E. range have wide
moulded openings with four-centred heads, but
are restorations. A room at the W. end of the
N. range is lined with fine panelling of late
17th-century date. The Gallery, above the
cloister, was panelled in the 18th century, but
the original doorways remain, and have moulded
wooden frames with foliated spandrels; the nail-studded doors are also original, and in many
case retain their original chiselled ring handles
and pierced escutcheons. The Audit Room,
in the middle of the N. range, on the first floor,
is lined with large bolection-moulded panels
of oak of late 17th-century date. The original
partitions, where visible, are of upright studding filled in with plaster. The rest of the
interior of these ranges has been much altered
since 1700. The S. Range has, at the E. end,
a doorway from the Cloister to a small cellar,
of the same date and design as the original
doorways in the N. and E. ranges; W. of this
doorway are the steps leading up to the screens;
the head of the original arch was destroyed when
the steps were reconstructed and was replaced by
a higher arch, to give more headway when the
steep gradient of the original steps was eased,
but the original shafted jambs, moulded imposts
and handrail remain; further W. is an original
doorway, with a pointed head, and four single-light windows, all opening into the Cellar,
which has a brick vault, constructed in 1690.
N. of the buttery, on the site of the original
pantry, is a staircase leading to the library,
entered from a re-set or made up doorway in the
Screens; two original doorways in the screens
are of stone with jambs and four-centred heads
of two moulded orders; both open into the
buttery, one serving as a hatch. A third doorway, at the S. end, leads to the kitchen stairs
and has jambs and head of two moulded orders
separated by a hollow. The Buttery has an original window of two lights and retains an old bread
bin and a butler's desk, both probably of the
17th century; the bread bin is of wood and has a
panelled front and sloping lid, and the desk,
which is rather high, has a seat attached to it
with curved arms and wings. The screen of the
Hall, with the gallery over it, the canopy of the
daïs and the open timber roof are modern; the
walls are covered with 16th-century panelling,
much restored; the faces of the internal reveal
of the bay window have panelling and blind
tracery of the same design as the windows, and
above both windows and panelling are small
quatrefoil panels with shields bearing the arms
of Edward the Confessor, France quartering
England, or a cross gules, and St. Edmund, all
repeated several times; the pilasters framing
the opening from the hall into the bay window
are original, but the wooden arch is modern; on
the W. side of the opening is an iron grid, fixed
to the wall, forming a book-rest. In the W.
wall is a small original doorway of moulded
stone, opening into a staircase which leads to the
chambers of the Provost's Lodge. There are
three fireplaces in the hall which, it is reported,
were discovered hidden behind the panelling in
1858, when they were found to be without flues;
the openings have moulded four-centred heads
and traceried spandrels; these fireplaces are in
the N., S. and W. walls, but only that in the
N. wall is clearly genuine; the others have been
at least much restored and re-cut.
The archway of the W. Range has conoidal
vaulting, springing from moulded corbels in
the angles, with moulded ribs and liernes; under
it are the moulded stone doorways of the porter's
lodge, etc.; the arch opening into the cloister is
of similar detail to that of the arch from the
school-yard. There are three old doorways from
the Cloister to the rooms on the ground floor,
two of them have linked labels, and are of
coarser detail than the doorways of earlier
date in the other ranges, they are without the
diamond-shaped stops or foliated boss, but are
otherwise of similar form. On the first floor
only the N. end of the Gallery remains, the rest
having been destroyed in Lupton's rebuilding;
an original doorway opens from it to the Magna
Parlura, in the N.W. corner of the Cloister
Buildings; it is of the same detail as the doorways
of the gallery in the N. and E. ranges; flanking
it are two small wooden windows each of two
pointed lights, and it is probable that originally
all the rooms on the first floor had similar windows, in the same way as the rooms on the
ground floor. The Magna Parlura is lined with
early 17th-century panelling and has a carved
oak overmantel of the same date, with two flat
pilasters, a cornice of slight projection and a
pair of enriched panels. In a modern staircase
S. of this room is some re-set original panelling
with delicate mouldings worked out of the solid.
In the windows of the Election Hall are the
remains of some figure subjects, representing
various branches of learning, in stained glass of
the 16th and 17th centuries; at the N. end of the
hall is a wooden screen of early 17th-century
date; it is carried up solid to a height of about
4½ ft., and above this are small Doric columns
which support a cornice with small spandrelpieces forming flattened arches between the
columns. The Election Chamber is lined with
large bolection-moulded panelling of late 17th-century date.
The Kitchen is S. of the S. range with which
it is connected only by a roofed passage with a
flight of wooden stairs; it is a square building
of brick; the octagonal tiled roof is pyramidal,
surmounted by a lantern. The walls stand
on arches, still visible on the S., and the
sewer was originally carried under the building, and thence to the river. The N. and
W. walls contain the great fireplaces and ovens,
and rise by crow-stepped gables to the chimney
stacks which have square shafts set diagonally.
The roof and lantern are carried partly on the
wall behind these gables and partly on arches
which cut off diagonally the corners of the
building. The whole building has been much
repaired and most of the fittings are of later
date than 1700; the great fireplaces with three-centred arched openings are original.
The Upper School Building.
The Upper School Building was constructed
in 1689–91 on the W. side of the school-yard. It
consists of a range of two storeys, about 120 ft.
long and 30 ft. wide, and is of brick with stone
dressings; the roof is covered with slate. The
ground floor is pierced in the middle by an
archway which forms the entrance to the college from the Slough road; it is also divided,
longitudinally, into two halves, that on the E.
forming an open colonnade, that on the W. being
divided into a number of rooms. On the first
floor is the Upper School, with the Headmaster's
Class-room on the N., and in the N. end of the
range is an original Staircase; at the S. end the
first floor is approached by the staircase in the
N. porch of the ante-chapel (see Church).
The W. Elevation is of red brick, in English
bond, with a plain projecting string-course of
brick at the first floor level. The wall is
crowned by a classic stone cornice and a balustrade, and the angles have rusticated stone
quoins. The archway has a flat rusticated head
and rusticated jambs, and a cornice lining with
the string-course. The windows are of two
lights with mullions and transoms of wood,
plain moulded stone architraves and stone sills,
and the windows in the upper storey have small
cornices; the glazing is leaded, with metal casements. The E. Elevation is similar to the W.
elevation above the ground floor, but the three
central bays are advanced 4½ in. beyond the rest
of the wall-face. On the ground floor is a
Doric arcade with arches, double columns and a
complete entablature which is broken out and
mitred at each end of the three central bays;
the middle arch is three-centred, the others are
semi-circular. The N. and S. Elevations are
covered by the end of the Lower School Building and the N. porch of the ante-chapel.
Interior:—The ground floor has been much
altered. The original Staircase, at the N. end
of the building, has square newels, a heavy
simply moulded hand-rail, large turned balusters and a closed outer string. The Upper School
remains almost in its original condition; the
ceiling is decorated with large plaster mouldings which form large oval, circular and rectangular panels; the walls, up to the level of the
window sills, have small oak panels with mitred
mouldings; above these, between the windows,
are large panels with plaster mouldings, a
frieze of small plaster panels, and a plaster cornice. The headmaster's desk and the three
ushers' desks are original and have small iron
candlesticks fixed to them; some of the seating
for the boys is also original; the panels, desks
and seats are covered with the roughly carved
names of the boys.
The Lower School Building.
The Lower School Building was constructed
in 1441–4 on the N. side of the school-yard. It
is a rectangular range, a little over 100 ft. long,
with two square towers of different sizes on the
N., a third, set diagonally, at the N.W. angle,
and a small wing, which forms an L, projecting
towards the N. from the E. end of the range.
The W. end of the building contains a classroom and rooms known as The Headmaster's
Chambers; on the ground floor E. of the chambers is the Lower School, extending to the
Fourth Form Passage, which pierces the range
almost in the middle, and also pierces the larger
tower on the N., containing a staircase; E. of
the passage are some class-rooms and the second
tower, which also contains a staircase; in the
E. end of the range is the House of the Master
in College, and, on the ground floor only, some
of the Offices of the Provost's Lodge; at the S.
end of the E. wall is a small turret which originally contained a circular staircase; probably
this end of the range always contained the
Master's rooms, but in the L-shaped wing there
may have been latrines, as on the ground floor is
a vaulted chamber and the old sewer runs under
it; a curious feature of the wing is an irregularity in the W. wall, part of which, on the
first floor, is built at a slightly different angle to
the wall under it, and is carried on a brick segmental arch; the reason for this irregularity is
now uncertain, owing to the complete alteration of the interior. On the first floor, between
the Headmaster's rooms and the Master's house,
is the Long Chamber, originally a dormitory,
now partly divided into 'stalls'. The whole
range, when first built, was detached, and only
joined to the Cloister Buildings by a wall the
height of the lower storey; the wall was raised
to the full height of the building in the 19th
century, and modern additions to the Provost's
Lodge have been built against the N. end of
the L-shaped wing; the space enclosed now
forms the kitchen yard of the Provost's Lodge
and buildings have been constructed in it.
The N. Elevation is broken by the two towers
containing staircases. The larger or western
tower has a doorway opening into the Fourth
Form Passage, slightly different to the doorways on the S. (see below), the detail is coarser,
and corresponds more closely to that in Lupton's
range. There is one other doorway, in the
tower at the N.W. angle. The windows on the
first floor are of the same detail as those on the
S. (see below), but the heads of the windows on
the ground floor are more sharply pointed and
are transomed; the rear arches have chamfered
ribs; the general style corresponds more closely
with the windows in the original parts of the
Cloister Buildings, but all the windows of this
range have been so much renewed externally
that their dates are somewhat uncertain. The
wall appears to have been considerably repaired
in Lupton's time, for at various points are
patches of black bricks in diamond pattern,
which occur elsewhere mainly in Lupton's
range. There are three buttresses on this side;
the chimney shafts are modern or restored.
The S. Elevation, on the school-yard, presents a long unbroken front of red brick, with
a slight offset and a course of sloping bricks at
the first floor level, and an embattled parapet.
There are doorways opening into the Headmaster's Chambers, the Lower School, the
Fourth Form Passage, the class rooms and the
Master's house, and another in the base of the
stair-turret at the S.E. corner is now a back
door of the Provost's Lodge; they are all continuously moulded with an ogee and hollow
chamfer, and have four-centred heads and
finely moulded labels with diamond-shaped
stops. There is some evidence to suggest that
there was once a lean-to cloister on this side;
foundations of a wall were discovered in 1876,
and there is a course of lead three courses below
the windows of the first floor, which is possibly
the flashing of a lean-to roof. The windows are
somewhat irregularly spaced, and are mainly of
two lights with hollow moulded heads and
jambs, the heads being pointed; externally they
are almost completely restored; internally they
have plain chamfered rear arches, and in style
and design closely resemble the windows in
Lupton's range. The windows of the first floor
are of the same detail, but are more evenly
spaced as far as the Master's house, where many
appear to be modern insertions; the oriel
window is also modern.
Interiors:—Few of the original fittings
remain, except in the Lower School, which is
practically unaltered, but much defaced by
deal partitions; at the W. end it has, opening
into the Headmaster's room, an original doorway, with continuously moulded jambs and
four-centred head; the principal beams supporting the first floor are original, but c. 1630 a
double row of square posts was inserted; they
have small moulded capitals and bases, and the
columns are connected in pairs by low arched
filling-pieces with sunk spandrel panels; fitted
to these posts are rough desks and forms, apparently contemporary, and the centre of the room
is railed off, probably for the Master's desk,
with square, moulded balusters and 'wavy'
hand-rails; nearly all the old windows have oak
shutters with strap-hinges, apparently original,
on which are carved the names of scholars
from the 16th century; at the end of the room,
over the Master's seat, is a small pointed niche.
Condition—Very good throughout, but much
restored. Apart from the many large additions
and alterations, a process of continuous renovation is gradually replacing the original detail
by modern work in imitation of, or designed to
accord with, the original work.
The Saville House.
This building, constructed in 1603–4, is on
the N.W. edge of the old site and faces an
irregular open space, N. of the Lower School
Building, known as Weston's Yard; the back is
on the Slough road. It was intended to contain
Dr. Saville's printing presses, and is a long
rectangular range of two storeys with an attic,
built of red brick with stone window-dressings;
the roofs are tiled. The interior has been
completely altered and additions have been
made at various dates later than 1700, but the
original arrangement must have been very
simple. The front is gabled and retains the
jambs and heads of the original mullioned windows, into which sashes have been fitted. The
back of the house has been much altered and
has a series of large square chimney stacks with
sloped shoulders, moulded brick corbels, etc.,
all much restored.
Condition—Good, much altered.
Weston's.
Weston's, N.W. of the Saville House, is a
building of two storeys and an attic. The walls
are of red brick; the roofs are tiled. It appears
to have been erected in the 16th century, but
has been so much enlarged and altered that an
analysis of the history is now impossible. The
gables and dormers of all the elevations have
been removed and altered, and others added,
with an irregular and picturesque effect.
Condition—Good, much altered.
Baldwin's Shore.
Baldwin's Shore, S. of the church, is a 17th-century building, of two storeys and an attic;
the walls are of brick, covered with plaster; the
roof is tiled. The gabled S. front, though probably retaining part of the original form, has
been completely re-faced. The interior has
been much altered.
Condition—Good, much altered.
Secular
High Street, E. side
a(2–5). Houses, four, now No. 14, No. 30,
Nos. 31–33 and No. 56, were built probably in
the 17th century, but almost entirely re-built in
the 18th and 19th centuries. No. 14 and Nos.
31–33 are each of two storeys; the walls are of
brick, partly covered with rough-cast, and a
little original timber-framing shows at the
back. The roofs are tiled. Behind Nos. 31–33,
facing Tangier Lane, is a small timber-framed
building; the large wall-posts are suggestive of
an early date, but the roof has been re-built and
no original detail remains. No. 30 and Nos.
31–33, now shops, are each of two storeys and
an attic, built of brick; in front the upper
storeys have black headers and there are dormer
windows. The roofs are tiled.
Condition—Good.
b(6–7). Houses, Nos. 47–50 and Bragnells
Buildings, at the back of No. 48. Nos. 47–50
form an irregularrange, of two storeys, possibly
of mediæval date, but much altered. The walls
are partly timber-framed with brick filling,
now plastered, and partly of brick. The roofs
are tiled. On the street-front the overhanging
upper storeys of Nos. 47 and 48 are gabled; the
N. wing of No. 47 extends towards the E. and
has a similar front, facing a small alley. Nos.
49 and 50 were re-fronted with brick in the 18th
and 19th centuries. Inside No. 50 are some
heavy wall-posts and the braced tie-beams of
two rough trusses, probably part of a mediæval
hall, now shortened and with a floor inserted in
it. Bragnells Buildings are of two storeys,
timber-framed with brick filling, of late 17th-century date; at the end of the range is an outhouse, of which the floor is formed of closely set
knuckle-bones.
Condition—Good, much altered.
W. side
b(8). House, now a shop and dwelling-house,
Nos. 89–90, is of two storeys and an attic, built
of brick; the roof is tiled. It was probably
originally of the 17th century, but has an 18th-century front, with black headers, flat arches
over the windows on the first floor, a wooden
cornice and four dormer windows. The walls
are covered inside with canvas and paper,
behind which is apparently some panelling, of
the 17th century on the ground floor, and of
the 18th century on the first floor.
Condition—Good, much restored.
b (9–11). Houses, three, No. 91, No. 92, now
shops, and Nos. 94–97, were built probably in
the 17th century, but re-fronted in the 18th century. No. 91 is of three storeys and an attic,
timber-framed, and covered with plaster; the
walls at the back are encased in modern brick.
The roof is tiled. No. 92 is of three storeys,
possibly of brick, now plastered. In front is a
bay window in two storeys from the first
floor, a plain cornice, and a coping which
hides the roof. The staircase is original, and
has a plain handrail and turned balusters. The
third house, now Nos. 94–97, is also of three
storeys and an attic. It was probably originally
of the 17th century and timber-framed, but has
been almost entirely re-built in brick. The roof
is covered with slate.
Condition—Good.
b(12). The Turk's Head Inn, is of two storeys,
covered with plaster. It was built probably in
the 16th or 17th century, but much altered
early in the 19th century; at the back a little
original timber-framing remains. The roof is
covered with slate.
Condition—Good.
b(13–14). House, now Nos. 107 and 108, with
Cottages, enclosing the courtyard at the back.
The House is of two storeys, and retains traces
of a mediæval hall, but has been much altered.
The walls are partly timber-framed with brick
filling, partly of brick; the front is modern and
covered with plaster, but there are indications
that the upper storey formerly projected; at the
S. end an archway opens into the courtyard.
The roofs are tiled. The plan is L-shaped,
with the main block facing the street; the short
wing, at the N. end, extends towards the W.,
and contained the mediæval hall, in which a
floor was inserted c. 1600; the roof was apparently of king-post construction, with cambered
tie-beams and angle brackets; part of one truss
remains. The central newel staircase is of c.
1600, and has, on the landing, some flat, shaped
balusters. The small Cottages enclosing the
courtyard were built probably in the 17th century. They are of two storeys, covered with
weather-boarding; the roofs are tiled. The
doors and windows, all of rough detail, are of
various dates.
Condition—Of house, wing facing the street,
good, N. wing, poor; of cottages, bad.
b(15). The Crown and Cushion Hotel, is a
rectangular building of three storeys and an
attic, probably of the 17th century, but much
enlarged and altered at various dates; the present N. end of the ground floor has been converted into a shop; a house adjoining this end
seems originally to have formed part of the
hotel. The walls, probably of brick, are covered
with plaster and rough-cast. The roof is covered
with slate. The 18th-century front has a plain
string-course and a heavy wooden cornice; the
bay window over the main entrance is a 19th-century addition.
Condition—Good, much altered.
b(16). The Three Lilies Inn, is of two storeys
and an attic, built probably in the middle of
the 17th century, but has been much altered.
The walls are covered with plaster; the roof is
tiled. In front are two gables in which are
windows lighting the attic; the fine iron signbracket of Italian workmanship is not original.
Condition—Good, much altered.
Brocas Street
b(17). Outhouses, behind the George Inn, are
probably of the 17th century, and are timber-framed, with brick filling; the roofs are tiled.
Condition—Poor.
b (18). House, No. 8, now two tenements,
built probably late in the 17th century, is of
two storeys and an attic, timber-framed, and
covered with plaster; the roof is tiled. The
central chimney stack has a plain square shaft.
Condition—Bad.
b(19). The Waterman's Arms Inn, at the
corner of Meadow Lane and Brocas Street, is a
rectangular building, probably of the 17th century, much altered in the 18th century. The
walls are of brick; the roof is tiled. The front
facing Meadow Lane is covered with plaster,
and has three dormer windows, that in the
middle being higher than the others, and the
roof is carried down to the floor level of the
attic; the front facing Brocas Street is also
plastered, and has a half-hipped gable. The
plain dog-legged staircase with turned balusters
is original.
Condition—Good, much altered.